List of shortest-reigning monarchs

A monarch is the leader of a monarchy, a position usually intended to last for life or until abdication or deposition. The reigns of some monarchs have been notably short. Many of these monarchs acceded to the throne as a result of being first in an order of succession, while other monarchs claimed the throne as a result of conflict. The authenticity of some monarchs has been disputed, especially those who reigned during conflict. One factor in such debates is whether the monarch held the throne in a symbolic or nominal capacity.

Other monarchs who reigned for less than three months

Other monarchs who reigned for a year or less

Portrait	Monarch	Reign	Length	Reason for accession	Reason for reign's end
	Marduk-ahhe-eriba King of Babylon	c. 1042 BC	6 months	Succeeded Adad-apla-iddina	Succeeded by Marduk-zer-X
	Zechariah King of Israel	753–752 or 746–745 BC	6 months	Death of his father, Jeroboam II	Assassinated by his captain Shallum, who succeeded him.
	Mark King of Makuria	c. 747	6 months	Crowned by the former king Zachary I after the deposition and exile of Abraham	Assassinated by Abraham's supporters
	Kamarnava II Eastern Ganga dynasty	1015	6 months	Succeeded Vajrahasta IV	fate unknown, succeeded by Gundama II
	Amda Seyon II Emperor of Ethiopia	1494	6 months	Succeeded his father Eskender	Died at the age of 7, succeeded by his uncle Na'od
	Shivaji IV Kolhapur State	2 July 1821 – 3 January 1822	6 months	Succeeded Sambhaji III	Succeeded by Shahaji
	Vallabharaja King of Gurjara	c. 1008	6 months	Crowned after his father Chamundaraja retired	Died of smallpox while on campaign
	Stephen VII Prince of Moldavia	8 August 1563 – January 1564	6 months	Deposed and assassinated John II	Fled to Poland after the Ottomans refused to recognize him and restored Alexander IV, the prince before John II
	Wu Sangui Emperor of Great Zhou	March–August 1678	6 months	Rebelled against the Qing dynasty and proclaimed himself Emperor in Hengyang	Died
	Amha Selassie Emperor of Ethiopia	12 September 1974 – 12 March 1975	181 days	Proclaimed by the Derg while he was receiving medical treatment in Switzerland, following the deposition of his father Haile Selassie. He did not accept this proclamation as legitimate and did not return to Ethiopia.	Monarchy abolished
	Shunzong Emperor of Tang	28 February – 28 August 805	182 days	Death of his father, Emperor Dezong	Abdicated in favour of his son Emperor Xianzong
	Hasan ibn Ali Caliph of Islam	661	6–7 months	Elected after the death of his father, Ali	Abdicated in favor of Muawiyah I
	Enlil-nadin-shumi King of Babylon	c. 1224 BC	6–18 months	Kashtiliash IV deposed by Tukulti-Ninurta I of Assyria	Succeeded by Kadashman-Harbe II
	Mingzong Khagan and Emperor of Great Yuan	27 February – 30 August 1329	183 days	Abdication of his brother Emperor Wenzong	Died, possibly poisoned. Emperor Wenzong was restored to the throne.
	Peter III Emperor of All Russia	5 January – 9 July 1762	185 days	Death of his aunt, Elizabeth I	Deposed and possibly assassinated by his wife, Catherine II
	Kale Kye-Taung Nyo King of Ava	9 November 1425 – 16 May 1426	188 days	Deposed his nephew, Min Hla	Deposed by Mohnyin Thado
	Henry VI King of England	3 October 1470 – 11 April 1471	191 days	Restored after Edward IV's flight during the 1470 Lincolnshire Rebellion	Deposed by Edward IV after recapturing London and probably assassinated
	Dafydd ap Gruffudd Prince of Gwynedd and Wales	11 December 1282 – 22 June 1283	193 days	Death of his brother, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, at the Battle of Orewin Bridge	Captured in battle by Edward I of England, who had him hanged, drawn, and quartered on 3 October
	William I Prince of Albania	21 February – 3 September 1914	194 days	Formally offered the throne by Albanian notables after being chosen for the position by the European Great Powers	Fled to Italy amidst unrest related to the outbreak of World War I.
	Jamshid bin Abdullah Sultan of Zanzibar	1 July 1963 – 12 January 1964	195 days	Death of his father, Abdullah bin Khalifa	Monarchy abolished
	Sogdianus Shah of Persia and Pharaoh of Egypt	424–423 BC	6 months, 15 days	Proclaimed himself after the death of his father Artaxerxes I, in defiance of the legitimate heir, his half-brother Xerxes II, whom he later had assassinated	Assassinated by his other half-brother, Darius II
	Jean Casimir-Perier Co-Prince of Andorra	27 June 1894 – 16 January 1895	203 days	Became Prince of Andorra as President of France	Resigned
	Constantius III Western Roman Emperor	8 February – 2 September 421	206 days	Made co-emperor by Honorius	Died
	Al-Qasim al-Ma'mun Caliph of Cordoba	12 February – 9 September 1023	209 days	Flight of Yahya al-Mu'tali from Cordoba	Deposed and imprisoned
	Duncan II King of Scots	May – 12 November 1094	<7 months	Crowned at Scone as a puppet of William the Conqueror, in rebellion against Donald III who retained control of the Scottish Highlands	Killed in battle or assassinated after defeat
	Alexander II Prince of Moldavia	February – 12 October 1449	<7 months	Deposed Peter III	Deposed by Bogdan II. Recovered the throne in 1452
	Peter Aaron Prince of Moldavia	August 1454 – February 1455	<7 months	Deposed Alexander II	Deposed by Alexander II
	Bardiya Shah of Persia and Pharaoh of Egypt	early 522 BC – September 522 BC	7 months	Rebelled in the Zagros Mountains against Cambyses II, then in Egypt, some time before Cambyses' death	Assassinated by nobles led by Darius I, who claimed he was not the real Bardiya but a royal impostor
	Pilaya Mara King of Anuradhapura	91–90 BC	7 months	Assassinated King Panya Mara	Murdered by his chief minister, Dathika
	Lilavati Queen of Polonnaruwa	1211–1212	7 months	Restored after deposition of Lokissara	Deposed by Parakrama Pandyan II
	Tarabya King of Ava	April 1400 – before 25 November 1400	7 months	Death of his father Swa Saw Ke	Assassinated by his former tutor Thihapate of Tagaung after he became insane
	Nedjemibre Pharaoh of Egypt	c. 1780 BC or 1736 BC	>7 months	Succeeded Sewadjkare I	Possibly deposed by Khaankhre Sobekhotep
	Lulach King of Scots and Mormaer of Moray	15 August 1057 – 17 March 1058	214 days	Death of his stepfather Macbeth at the Battle of Lumphanan	Assassinated by Malcolm III
	Paul Deschanel Co-Prince of Andorra	18 February 1920 – 21 September 1920	216 days	Became Prince of Andorra as President of France	Resigned
	Shang Emperor of Han	13 February – 21 September 106	220 days	Death of his father, Emperor He	Died
	Galba Roman Emperor	8 June 68 – 15 January 69	221 days	Proclaimed in rebellion against Nero, who committed suicide	Assassinated by Otho in vengeance for adopting Lucius Calpurnius Piso Licinianus as his heir instead of him
	Edmund II King of the English	23 April – 30 November 1016	221 days	Elected in London by part of the Witenagemot after the death of his father, Æthelred the Unready; another part elected King Cnut of Denmark in Southampton.	Died, possibly assassinated, after agreeing to divide the kingdom with Cnut. Thereafter Cnut reigned over the whole of England.
	Yahya al-Mu'tali Caliph of Cordoba	9 November 1025 – 19 June 1026	222 days	Reconquered Cordoba from Muhammad III	Deposed in absentia by Hisham III. Became king of Malaga where he reigned until 1035
	Guttorm King of Norway	2 January – 11 August 1204	222 days	Death of his uncle, Haakon III	Died of illness
	Kōbun Emperor of Japan	9 January – 21 August 672	226 days	Death of his father, Emperor Tenji	Committed suicide after being deposed by his uncle, Emperor Tenmu. Only counted officially and given a posthumous name after 1870
	Louis I King of Spain	15 January – 31 August 1724	229 days	Abdication of his father, Philip V	Died of smallpox. Philip V regained the throne and reigned until his own death in 1746.
	Jovian Roman Emperor	27 June 363 – 17 February 364	232 days	Elected after the death of Julian in the Battle of Samarra	Died in his sleep, possibly suffocated by a defective brazier
	Sulayman ibn al-Hakam Caliph of Cordoba	8 November 1009 – 2 June 1010	236 days	Declared Caliph after taking Cordoba from Muhammad II and freeing, but declining to reinstall former Caliph Hisham II	Deposed by Muhammad II. Recovered the throne in 1013 and reigned for three years
	Stephen IX Pope	3 August 1057 – 29 March 1058	238 days	Elected after the death of Victor II	Died
	Kiến Phúc Emperor of Đại Nam	1 December 1883 – 31 July 1884	243 days	Deposition of his adoptive great uncle, Hiệp Hòa	Died of illness or poison
	Theodore I King of Corsica	12 March – 11 November 1736	244 days	Elected king by Corsican rebels against the Republic of Genoa	Left Corsica in a failed bid to get foreign support
	Alfonso III Duke of Modena and Reggio	11 December 1628 – July 1629	<8 months	Death of his father, Cesare	Abdicated in favor of his son to become a monk
	Phelles King of Tyre	879 BC	8 months	Assassinated his brother Astarymus	Assassinated by Ithobaal I
	Ulpia Severina Roman Empress	270	8 months	Assassination of her husband, Aurelian. Only woman to have ruled the Roman Empire in her own right	Election of Tacitus
	Tacitus Roman Emperor	25 September 275 – June 276	8 months	Elected by the Roman Senate after the assassination of Aurelian	Died of fever while returning from a military campaign in Gaul
	Manava King of Gauda	625–626	8 months	Death of his father, Shashanka	Kingdom conquered and divided between Harsha and Bhaskaravarman
	Abd al-Wahid I Caliph of the Almohad Empire	February–September 1224	8 months	Elected after the death of his grand-nephew, Yusuf II	Assassinated
	George I Prince of Moldavia	November 1399 – June 1400	8 months	Succeeded his brother Stephen I while he was ill but still alive	Deposed and imprisoned after invasion by Mircea I of Wallachia, who installed George's exiled half-brother, Alexander I
	Amda Iyasus Emperor of Ethiopia	1433–1434	8 months	Succeeded his brother Sarwe Iyasus	Unknown fate
	Baeda Maryam II Emperor of Ethiopia	15 April – December 1795	8 months	Made emperor by Dejazmach Wolde Gabriel while Tekle Giyorgis I was absent from Gondar	Deposed by Ras Aligaz and Tekle Giyorgis I restored
	Ferdinand IV Grand Duke of Tuscany	21 July 1859 – 22 March 1860	245 days	Abdication of his father, Leopold II, after their flight in the Second Italian War of Independence	Tuscany annexed by the Kingdom of Italy
	Lê Nghi Dân Emperor of Đại Việt	3 October 1459 – 6 June 1460	247 days	Assassinated his half-brother, Lê Nhân Tông	Deposed in favor of his other half-brother Lê Thánh Tông. He was exiled to Lạng Sơn and died shortly after.
	Vitellius Roman Emperor	16 April – 22 December 69	250 days	Proclaimed in rebellion against Galba	Assassinated
	Jianwen Emperor of Jin	6 January – 12 September 372	250 days	Installed by general Huan Wen	Died of illness
	Injong King of Joseon	29 November 1544 – 8 August 1545	252 days	Death of his father, Jungjong	Possibly poisoned by his step-mother Queen Munjeong so his half-brother Myeongjong would become king
	Ramon Riu i Cabanes Co-Prince of Andorra	18 April – 27 December 1901	253 days	Became Co-Prince of Andorra as Bishop of Urgell	Died
	Francis (III) Erdmann Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg	20 November 1665 – 30 July 1666	253 days	Death of his father Julius (I) Henry	Died
	Ninurta-kudurri-usur II King of Babylon	c. 939 BC	8 months, 12 days	Succeeded his father, Nabu-mukin-apli	Succeeded by his brother, Mar-biti-ahhe-iddina
	John XXI Pope	8 September 1276 – 20 May 1277	255 days	Elected following the death of Adrian V	Died after apartment collapsed
	Tewodros I Emperor of Ethiopia	12 October 1413 – 23 June 1414	255 days	Succeeded his father Dawit I	Died in battle against the Adal Sultanate
	Muhammad II Caliph of Cordoba	15 February – 1 November 1009	259 days	Overthrew Hisham II and his prime minister Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo, who tried to make Hisham name him his heir	Deposed by Sulayman ibn al-Hakam
	Benedict XI Pope	22 October 1303 – 7 July 1304	259 days	Elected after the death of Boniface VIII	Died
	Berenice III Pharaoh of Egypt	5 August 81 BC – 22 April 80 BC	260 days	Appointed as co-ruler by her father, Ptolemy IX. She had previously been co-ruler with her husband Ptolemy X.	Murdered by her half-brother and second husband, Ptolemy XI
	Hongxi Emperor of Great Ming	7 September 1424 – 29 May 1425	264 days	Death of his father, the Yongle Emperor	Died
	Sancho II King of León	12 January – 6 October 1072	268 days	Deposed and imprisoned his brother, Alfonso VI	Killed at the Siege of Zamora
	Albert V Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg	29 December 1468 – 24 September 1469	271 days	Was given Anhalt-Bernburg to rule	Died of old age
	Matilda Lady of the English	2 February – c. 1 November 1141	c. 272 days	Captured her cousin Stephen, King of England, at the Battle of Lincoln	Stephen exchanged for her half-brother Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, who was captured at the Rout of Winchester. She was called Lady of the English and not Queen because she was never crowned despite planning to this end.
	William III King of Sicily	February–October 1194	<9 months	Death of his father, Tancred	Deposed by his uncle, Henry I
	Claudine Lady of Monaco	July 1457 – 16 March 1458	<9 months	Death of her father, Catalan Grimaldi. As she was only six years old, her grandmother Pomellina Fregoso was named regent in her father's will.	Pomellina was deposed after trying to murder Lamberto Grimaldi, Claudine's cousin and bethrothed. Lamberto then assumed the position of Lord of Monaco in detriment of his future wife.
	Mamia I King of Imereti	October 1711 – June 1712	<9 months	Deposed George VII, who fled to Kartli	Fled to Kartli himself after being defeated by George VII at the Battle of Chkhari
	Marduk-apla-iddina II King of Babylon	703-702 BC	9 months	Deposed Marduk-zakir-shumi II	Fled to Elam after his defeat by Sennacherib of Assyria
	Benedict IX Pope	November 1047 – July 1048	9 months	Returned to Rome after the death of Clement II	Expelled by the troops of Henry III of Germany, who imposed Damasus II
	Uthman ibn Abi-Bakr King of Valencia	1085–1086	9 months	Death of his father, Abu-Bakr ibn Abd-al-Aziz	Deposed by Yahya al-Qadir
	Gavril Radomir Emperor of Bulgaria	6 October 1014 – August 1015	9 months	Death of his father Samuel	Murdered by his cousin Ivan Vladislav
	Chodaganga King of Polonnaruwa	1196–1197	9 months	Assassinated Vikramabahu II	Deposed and blinded by General Tavuru Senevirat who handed power to Queen Lilavati, widow of Parakramabahu I
	Lokissara King of Polonnaruwa	1210–1211	9 months	Invaded Sri Lanka with a Tamil army from the continent, deposing Lilavati	Deposed by General Parakrama, who restored Lilavati
	Tekle Haymanot II Emperor of Ethiopia	18 October 1769 – August 1770	9 months	Succeeded his father Yohannes II	Deposed when he left Gondar for Tigray
	Az-Zahir Caliph of Islam	5 October 1225 – 10 July 1226	278 days	Death of his father, An-Nasir	Died of natural causes
	Harold II King of the English	5 January – 14 October 1066	282 days	Elected by the Witenagemot at the suggestion of the dying king Edward the Confessor	Killed at the Battle of Hastings
	Clement II Pope	25 December 1046 – 9 October 1047	288 days	Elected at the request of Henry III of Germany, following the depositions of competing popes Benedict IX, Sylvester III, and Gregory VI	Poisoned with lead sugar, either accidentally or intentionally
	Christian II King of Sweden	1 November 1520 – 23 August 1521	295 days	Conquered Sweden, which had been in rebellion against the Kalmar Union for seven years	Deposed by the rebel "Protector of the Realm" Gustav Vasa, who was elected King Gustav I in 1523
	Vetranio Western Roman Emperor	1 March – 25 December 350	299 days	Made co-emperor of Constantius II after the assassination of Constans	Deposed by Constantius II, who became single emperor
	Habibullah Kalakani Emir of Afghanistan	14 December 1928 – 13 October 1929	303 days	Abdication of Inayatullah Khan	Deposed and executed by Mohammed Nadir Shah
	Aaron I Prince of Moldavia	September 1591 – before 20 June 1592	<10 months	Designated by the Ottomans after the abdication of Peter VI	Deposed by the Ottomans and replaced with Alexander V
	Agustín I Emperor of Mexico	19 May 1822 – 19 March 1823	304 days	Elected by the Congress of Mexico after Ferdinand VII of Spain refused the position for himself and any of his relatives	Abdicated. The monarchy was abolished shortly after.
	Leo II Eastern Roman Emperor	18 January – November 474	10 months	Made augustus by his grandfather, Leo I	Died
	Carus Roman Emperor	c. September 282 – c. July 283	Around 10 months	Either assassinated Probus, or was proclaimed after such assassination	Allegedly struck by lightning while campaigning against the Sassanids
	Muhammad XII Emir of Granada	June 1482 – 20 April 1483	Around 10 months	Rebelled against his father, Muley Hacén, seizing Granada and Almería. His father successfully defended and retained Málaga.	Captured at the Battle of Lucena during an incursion in Castilian territory. Liberated by the Christians in order to fuel inter-Muslim conflict, he titled himself Emir again in 1487 and reigned until 1492.
	Simon I Prince of Wallachia	October 1600 – 3 July 1601	Around 10 months	Assassination of Michael II	Deposed by Radu IX
	Ismail II Emir of Granada	23 August 1359 – 24 June or 13 July 1360	306–325 days	Deposed and exiled his brother, Muhammad V, to North Africa	Deposed and assassinated by his brother-in-law, Muhammad VI
	Romulus Augustus Western Roman Emperor	31 October 475 – 4 September 476	309 days	Installed in Ravenna by his father, General Orestes, after rebelling against Julius Nepos. The latter fled to Dalmatia and continued ruling there as Western Roman emperor until 480.	Deposed by Odoacer, who sent the imperial insignia to Constantinople and titled himself King of Italy
	Martin II King of Sicily	25 July 1409 – 31 May 1410	310 days	Death of his son Martin I	Died
	Antipope Alexander V Pope	26 June 1409 – 3 May 1410	311 days	Elected in opposition to the Roman pope Gregory XII and the Avignon pope Benedict XIII	Died suddenly
	Louise Hippolyte Princess of Monaco	20 February – 29 December 1731	312 days	Death of her father, Anthony I	Died of smallpox
	Zhao Bing Emperor of Song	10 May 1278 – 19 March 1279	313 days	Death of his half-brother Emperor Duanzong	Murdered by his chancellor Lu Xiufu during the Battle of Yamen
	Narawara King of Burma	14 April 1672 – 27 February 1673	319 days	Death of his father, Pye Min	Died
	Edward VIII King of the United Kingdom, the British Dominions, and Emperor of India	20 January – 11 December 1936	326 days	Death of his father, George V	Abdicated in favour of his brother George VI in order to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite
	Fuad II King of Egypt and the Sudan	26 July 1952 – 18 June 1953	327 days	Abdication of his father, Farouk I	Monarchy abolished
	Paul Doumer Co-Prince of Andorra	13 June 1931 – 7 May 1932	329 days	Became Prince of Andorra as President of France	Assassinated
	Jovan Nenad Tsar of Bačka	29 August 1526 – 26 July 1527	331 days	Carved a Serbian kingdom in southern Hungary after the death of Louis II in the Battle of Mohacs, refusing to recognize John Zapolya as King of Hungary and collaborating with the Habsburgs	Assassinated after failing to link with the Habsburgs
	Baldwin I Latin Emperor of Constantinople	16 May 1204 – 14 April 1205	333 days	Elected by the Crusaders after the Sack of Constantinople	Captured by Kaloyan of Bulgaria at the Battle of Adrianople. Later died in prison
	Al-Muhtadi Caliph of Islam	21/22 July 869 – 21 June 870	334–335 days	Assassination of his cousin, Al-Mu'tazz	Assassinated
	Marwan I Caliph of Islam	June 684 – April/May 685	10–11 months	Elected after the death of Muawiya II	Died
	Alexander III Prince of Wallachia	Began August–November 1592, ended 2–12 September 1593	11–14 months	Succeeded Stephen I	Deposed by Michael II and exiled to Constantinople, where he was accused of conspiracy and executed in 1597
	Dmitry I Tsar of Russia	10 June 1605 – 17 May 1606	341 days	Deposition of Feodor II	Assassinated
	Richard III Duke of Normandy	28 August 1026 – 6 August 1027	343 days	Death of his father Richard II	Died of illness
	Napoleon I Emperor of Elba	11 April 1814 – 20 March 1815	343 days	Title created by the Treaty of Fontainebleau	Fled to France
	Moshoeshoe II King of Lesotho	25 January 1995 – 15 January 1996	355 days	Reinstated as king in the place of his son Letsie III	Died in a car accident
	Alfonso II King of Naples	25 January 1494 – 23 January 1495	363 days	Death of his father, Ferdinand I	Abdicated in favour of his son, Ferdinand II
	Christian (I) Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg	16 November 1863 – 15 November 1864	364 days	Became King of Denmark as Christian IX and Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg upon the death of Frederick VII	Saxe-Lauenburg came under the control of Austria and Prussia in 1864.
	Charles III Duke of Parma	19 April 1848 – April 1849	Around 12 months	Abdication of his father, Charles II, after both fled during the Revolutions of 1848	Father restored by Austrian troops
	Simon I Prince of Wallachia	August 1601 – August 1602	Around 12 months	Deposed Radu IX	Deposed by Radu X
	Zababa-shuma-iddin King of Babylon	c. 1158 BC	1 year	Succeeded Marduk-apla-iddina I	Succeeded by Enlil-nadin-ahi
	Michael VI Eastern Roman Emperor	31 August 1056 – 31 August 1057	365 days	Succeeded Theodora III after being chosen by her as successor, shortly before her death	Abdicated in favour of Isaac I and became a monk
	Elizabeth II Queen of Tanganyika	9 December 1961 – 9 December 1962	365 days	Gained independence within the Commonwealth of Nations and shared a monarch with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and certain other sovereign states	Monarchy abolished
	Elizabeth II Queen of Uganda	9 October 1962 – 9 October 1963	365 days	Gained independence within the Commonwealth of Nations and shared a monarch with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and certain other sovereign states	Monarchy abolished
	Elizabeth II Queen of Kenya	12 December 1963 – 12 December 1964	366 days	Gained independence within the Commonwealth of Nations and shared a monarch with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and certain other sovereign states	Monarchy abolished

Other monarchs who may have reigned for less than a year

The following monarchs may also have reigned for less than a year, but only an approximate length of reign is known.