40 Royals In History Who Actually Gave Up The Throne

Isabella II’s rule of Spain could, quite reasonably, be described as chaotic. Originally crowned queen at the age of just three, her time on the throne was always extremely turbulent. All this instability culminated in 1868, when a revolution erupted to topple her. She was forced to flee the country, and on June 25, 1870, she handed her crown to her child Alfonso XII.

When we hear the name “Bonaparte,” we don’t tend to think of “Louis” preceding it. But Napoleon’s brother did, indeed, have a part to play in the history of Europe. After Napoleon created the Kingdom of Holland in 1806, he wanted it to be led by someone he could control. So, he installed his sibling Louis as the king. Louis, though, had a will of his own, which infuriated Napoleon, who consequently invaded Holland and took his brother’s kingdom back. Louis was forced into exile and gave up his crown on July 1, 1810. His second-born boy, Napoleon Louis, took over.

Leopold III was king of the Belgians during World War Two, a conflict that ultimately proved his undoing. He initially wanted his country to remain neutral in the war, but the Germans then invaded. Leopold surrendered, which infuriated a lot of his subjects. He was taken first to Germany and later to Austria, where he remained until 1950. That year, he went back to Belgium — but he didn’t receive a warm welcome. Turmoil erupted, forcing him to abdicate and make way for his son in July 1951.

The Malaysian region of Pahang has a monarch to this day, but the situation there isn’t always stable. The present leader’s Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who assumed the position in awkward circumstances during 2019. The previous sultan was his father, Ahmad Shah, who was experiencing health issues in later life. In response, politicians met on January 11, 2019, and voted in favor of Ahmad’s abdication. The decision took force right away, meaning Ahmad wasn’t the ruling monarch when he died months later at the age of 88.

Juan Carlos I is credited with instigating a constitutional monarchy throughout Spain in 1975, after decades of authoritarian rule. But despite that achievement, his legacy’s been tainted in recent years. A number of scandals erupted around the king in the latter stages of his reign, and they were apparently what led him to give up his crown on June 18, 2014.

James II lost his crown after fleeing from battle on December 23, 1688. The English parliament later decided that his flight could be interpreted as an abdication, so his son-in-law William of Orange and daughter Mary became the new monarchs. James tried to wrest back control of his kingdom in 1690, but his forces were crushed in the Battle of the Boyne.

The last ever monarch to rule over Vietnam, Bảo Đại abdicated on August 25, 1945, in response to pressure from a pro-independence movement. A ceremony took place five days later, in which the former emperor symbolically passed on a sword and seal to representatives of the new republic. Despite this act, though, he later tried to seize power again — but was overcome in 1955.

This monarch gave up not one crown, but two. Pedro I was the first ever emperor of Brazil, and he was also known as Pedro IV in his capacity as the king of Portugal. His reign in the European kingdom was short-lived, as opposition forced him to make way for his daughter in 1826. He carried on as emperor of Brazil, though, until revolts erupted that caused Pedro to give up this throne in 1831. On that occasion, his son took over.

Carol II had a bit of a reputation, thanks to a series of affairs and failed marriages. His reign as the Romanian king didn’t fare much better, either. After his country lost a whole heap of land, he was put in an untenable position. Carol abdicated in September 1940, making way for his boy Michael.

After his wife died unexpectedly in 1667, John II Casimir’s life and rule fell into disarray. He’d been the king of Poland and the grand duke of Lithuania since 1648, but now his grief was overwhelming. He eventually gave up his status as the ruler of these lands and went to live in a monastery in France.

After a long reign lasting 45 years, Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, decided to make way for her son. She’d been a popular ruler in her time, but it seems retirement has its temptations, and she abdicated in November 1964. Charlotte enjoyed that retirement for a little more than 20 years, before passing away in 1985.

Charles IV had a problem: his very own son Ferdinand wanted to overthrow him to take the Spanish crown. He managed to keep the boy at bay for a while, but eventually Ferdinand got his way. After leading a revolt in 1808, Charles was forced to step aside and let his son take the throne.

Watching his son sit on his former throne must’ve been a bitter experience for Charles IV. That situation didn’t last for long, though, as the new king — now known as Ferdinand VII — was quickly out of the job himself. On May 7, 1808, both Ferdinand and Charles were summoned by the powerful Napoleon Bonaparte, who forbade either man from ruling Spain. Ferdinand was compelled to abdicate, but he was anointed king once again in 1813. Charles would surely have been furious.

Greece’s Constantine I certainly had a rocky career. He led the country as king between 1913 and 1917, but opponents pushed him out in favor of his second-born boy. A few years later, though, a vote in Greece allowed him to return to the country’s throne. This second reign lasted until 1922, whereupon the military rebelled and he abdicated yet again. This time, his eldest boy took over.

After almost two decades as king of the Belgians, Albert II brought his reign to an end on July 21, 2013. Explaining his reasons, he told the nation that his declining health was preventing him from fulfilling his obligations in an appropriate manner. Some people dispute this claim, but in any case his son Philippe now sits on the throne.

Omar Ali Saifuddien III had some pretty impressive nicknames. The former Sultan of Brunei was also known as “The Architect of Modern Brunei” and “The Royal Poet.” With a positive legacy like that secured, maybe he thought it was best to step aside. And he did so on October 4, 1967, making way for his son Hassanal Bolkiah.

For two whole centuries, no Japanese emperor had ever stepped aside from the throne. That changed in 2019, though, when Emperor Akihito took the decision to end his leadership after experiencing issues with his health. His son Naruhito then took over, leaving Akihito with the new title of “Emperor Emeritus.”

This, perhaps, is one of history’s most notorious abdications. In the wake of 1917’s February Revolution, Nicolas II was forced to give up his rule of Russia. He and his family were taken captive, before a grim decision was made. Fearing their prisoners might escape, the revolutionaries decided to execute the family. They did so on July 17, 1918.

Edward VIII is in the history books for a reason he probably never intended: he was the first king of England to ever willingly step away from the throne. The reason? Love. He’d fallen for a divorcée, which was a big no-no in the eyes of the Church of England. And seeing as how he was the head of that very institution as king, this made his position pretty much untenable.

When he was born, it never seemed likely that Prajadhipok would ever be crowned king of Siam — or Thailand, as it’s now known. After all, he wasn’t the oldest of his monarch father’s sons. Nor was he even the second-oldest. He was, remarkably, the 32nd boy in the family! Still, he somehow managed to become Siam’s ruler in 1925. His position didn’t last terribly long, though, as a revolution in 1932 forced a change. Prajadhipok agreed to transition Siam to a constitutional monarchy, but the new circumstances didn’t work out. He eventually gave up his crown in March 1935.

After seven years on the Serbian throne, there was no real indication that Milan I’s reign was likely to end anytime soon. But all of a sudden, on March 6, 1889, he passed on his crown to his kid, who was only 12 at the time. The reason for the abrupt abdication? Well, that still isn’t entirely clear.

Henry IV, King of the Romans and Holy Roman Emperor, was a remarkably powerful man in 11th-century Europe. You don’t hold a position like that, though, without making some enemies. In Henry’s case, he ended up coming to blows with the Pope of the time. As a result, he was excommunicated from the Church, before his own son compelled his abdication on New Year’s Eve in 1105.

Ferdinand I’s 13-year reign over Austria came to a dramatic end on December 2, 1848, as revolutionaries progressed towards his palace. Upon seeing the mob, the emperor apparently asked what was going on. When he was told that a revolution was underway, he supposedly replied, “But are they allowed to do that?” He soon gave up his crown for his nephew.

The Swedish queen Christina was a remarkable intellect of her time, but she was also a controversial ruler. Her poor economic policies, her religious beliefs, and her decision never to take a husband all caused uproar throughout her kingdom. In the end, she gave up her crown in June 1654, and her cousin took over.

The Byzantine emperor Isaac I Komnenos was fond of hunting, but on one fateful trip things went badly wrong. He was overcome with a terrible illness, which he felt was going to be fatal. So he quickly chose a successor and abdicated on November 22, 1059, before spending the remainder of his days in a monastery.

Liliʻuokalani became queen of the Hawaiian Islands at a point in history when much of the monarch’s power had been wrestled away by a business elite. She attempted to take back some of this authority, which instigated a coup against her. Liliʻuokalani was taken into custody and was compelled to give up her status as queen on January 24, 1895.

Diocletian and Maximian had an unusual arrangement. The former had become the Roman emperor in 284 A.D., but he decided he wanted help. So, he ruled over the eastern end of the empire, while he assigned the west to co-emperor Maximian. The two ruled their respective territories until 305 A.D., when Diocletian felt he was too ill to continue. He abdicated and asked Maximian to follow suit. The lesser emperor agreed, and they both left their positions on May 1, 305.

Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden wanted her husband to rule as king alongside her, but there was a problem. The laws of her kingdom forbade such an arrangement. So, in order to grant her partner the powers of the monarchy, she gave up her own position on February 29, 1720, and he took over shortly afterwards.

Egypt’s Farouk I was pretty well-liked in the earlier stages of his reign, but that changed as time wore on. A series of military disasters came to be blamed on the king, which eventually led to a revolt. He was defeated and compelled to give up his crown in 1952. His baby son was then anointed king, though the monarchy was soon abolished altogether.

Puyi was in and out of power all the time. He became the Chinese emperor as a two-year old in 1908, but a revolution forced his abdication four years later. Then, in 1917, an effort was made to reestablish the monarchy. For a little under a fortnight, Puyi was again granted the title of emperor — but then rebels got rid of him again. Later, in 1924, Puyi left the turmoil of China behind and went to Japan, where he was thought to be useful. The Japanese annexed the Chinese region of Manchuria in 1931 and installed Puyi as a puppet emperor. He remained in this position until Japan lost World War Two and Manchuria was returned to China.

Manuel II’s short reign as Portuguese king was unfortunate from start to finish. He only came to the throne, in 1908, after the murders of his dad and older brother. And though he ruled for a couple of years, a revolution in 1910 quickly forced him to step aside. He then moved to England, where he lived out his days.

When Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands, announced her intention to step down as monarch in 2013, it maybe wasn’t as surprising as many other abdications in history. She was, after all, following a tradition. Her mother Juliana and her grandma Wilhelmina had both stepped aside as queen before her, so it must’ve felt right for Beatrix as she turned 75.

Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah was the Emir of Kuwait — for just over a week. He’d long been suffering with serious health issues, so when he became emir in January 2006 he wasn’t able to properly fulfill his obligations. As a result, on January 24 — a mere nine days after being anointed leader — he stepped aside.

Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah’s nine-day reign of Kuwait was short, but how about this? When Louis Antoine became the king of France, his rule lasted for a grand total of 20 minutes. His father had just been forced to abdicate by revolutionaries, which is how Louis Antoine ascended to the throne. But he very quickly followed suit by stepping aside, too.

This one takes us back a long time, all the way to the eighth century. Back then the lands that are today called Great Britain were split into a series of small kingdoms, with the northern domain known as Northumbria being ruled by a figure named Ceolwulf. He was a religious man, and around the year 737 A.D. he abdicated to become a monk. Nowadays, in fact, he’s known as a saint.

This is another of history’s most famous abdications. When Mary, Queen of Scots, was taken prisoner in 1567, she was compelled to give up her Scottish crown in favor of her baby boy James. This brought an end to a 24-year reign that’d begun when she was just one week old. Things only got worse for Mary, of course, and she was executed in 1587.

Talal bin Abdullah served as Jordan’s king for just over a year, but his position wasn’t viable in the long-term. The monarch reportedly suffered from serious mental-health issues, which prohibited him from fulfilling his duties. His country’s parliament voted for him to abdicate on August 11, 1952, and he lived out the rest of his days in a medical facility.

When rebels defeated the Swedish king Gustav IV Adolf in 1809, he decided to abdicate. He thought this decision would mean his son could take the crown. His opponents, though, dictated that his abdication applied not only to him, but also to his kids. In the end, it was Gustav’s uncle who took over.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ruled over China for more than four decades, with the first half of his reign running pretty smoothly. In the latter stages of his era, though, circumstances involving his lovers led to instability. Rebellion soon erupted, and he gave up his position as emperor in 756.

Napoleon had two cracks at being the French emperor. His first reign ended on April 11, 1814, a decade after he’d taken on the title. He’d made a lot of enemies by this point, which caused it to be difficult to maintain his rule. In March 1815, though, he sent a force to bring France back under his control. He was successful, and became emperor again for a few months. But Napoleon was then defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, which led to his abdication and the end of French supremacy in Europe.