List of wars of succession

This is a list of wars of succession.
Note: Wars of succession in transcontinental states are mentioned under the continents where their capital city was located. Names of wars that have been given names by historians are capitalised; the others, whose existence has been proven but not yet given a specific name, are provisionally written in lowercase letters.

Africa

Ancient Egyptian wars of succession
* During the Second Dynasty, the Fourth and the Fifth
* Between Seti II and Amenmesse after the death of pharaoh Merneptah
Wars of the Diadochi or Wars of Alexander's Successors, after the death of king Alexander the Great of Macedon
Numidian war of succession, after the death of king Micipsa of Numidia; this spilled over into the Roman–Numidian Jugurthine War
Alexandrian war, between Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIII over the Ptolemaic Kingdom
Revolt of Nizar, after the death of caliph Al-Mustansir Billah of the Fatimid Caliphate
Almohad war of succession, after the death of caliph Yusuf al-Mustansir of the Almohad Caliphate
Hafsid war of succession and Marinid invasion, after the death of caliph Abu Yahya Abu Bakr II of the Hafsid dynasty
Malian war of succession, after the death of mansa Suleyman of the Mali Empire
Sayfawa war of succession, after the death of mai Idris I Nigalemi of the Kanem–Bornu Empire between his brother Daud and his son, because it was unclear whether collateral or patrilineal succession was to be preferred.
Moroccan war of succession, after the killing of Abd al-Haqq II of the Marinid Sultanate during the 1465 Moroccan revolution. The Marinid dynasty fell; the Idrisid and the Wattasid Abu Abd Allah al-Sheikh Muhammad ibn Yahya fought each other to found a new dynasty over Morocco.
Ethiopian war of succession, after the death of emperor Eskender of the Ethiopian Empire
Adalite war of succession, after the death of sultan Mahfuz of the Adal Sultanate
Kongolese war of succession, after the death of mwenekongo Afonso I of Kongo
Bunyoro war of succession, enthroning Winyi II over the Empire of Kitara in 1570
Moroccan war of succession, after the death of Sultan Ahmad of the Wattasid dynasty
Moroccan war of succession, after the death of sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib of the Saadi dynasty
War of the Songhai succession, after the death of emperor Askia Daoud of the Songhai Empire. The war between the two feuding fractions would not cease until the Saadian invasion of the Songhai Empire in 1591.
Moroccan War of Succession
Kongo Civil War, after the death of mwenekongo António I of Kongo in the Battle of Mbwila
Revolutions of Tunis or the Muradid War of Succession, after the death of bey Murad II of Tunis
Dahomey succession struggle, after the death of king Akaba of Dahomey
Yatengan war of succession, after the death of Naaba Piiyo of Yatenga between his brother Naaba Kango and his cousin Naaba Wobgho. Soon after Kango's ascension to the throne, Wobgho forced him into exile, but in 1757 Kango returned with Barbara troops with flintlocks, and won the war.
Several Bunyoro wars of succession in the Empire of Kitara in the 17th and 18th century, almost always coinciding with rebellions in its tributary states
Tripolitanian civil war, after the assassination of bey Hasan of Tripoli. It involved a war of succession between leading members of the Karamanli dynasty, an intervention by Ottoman officer Ali Burghul who claimed to be acting on the sultan's orders and controlled Tripoli for 17 months, and an intervention by the bey of Tunis Hammuda ibn Ali to restore the Karamanlis to power.
Lozi war of succession, after the death of litunga Mulambwa Santulu of Barotseland between his sons Silumelume and Mubukwanu. The two brothers fought with each other over the succession, and Silumelume initially gained power and started to rule, but was then assassinated, and then Mubukwanu began his reign. The Lozi were 'seriously weaked by succession dispute', and then defeated by the Makololo invasion led by Sebetwane.
Zulu war of succession, between the brothers Dingane and Mpande after the Battle of Blood River
Burundian war of succession, after the death of mwami Ntare Rugamba of the Kingdom of Burundi. Great controversy surrounds the parentage and accession of Mwezi Gisabo to the kingship, as his older brother Twarereye had been their father's designated heir. The ensuing fratricidal war ultimately led to Twarereye's death in the Battle of Nkoondo near the traditional capital of Muramvya. Dynastic feuds and challenges to Mwezi's kingship by his other brothers would continue for decades thereafter, and by 1900 Mwezi had only effective control over half his kingdom's territory.
Bunyoro war of succession, enthroning Kamurasi over the Empire of Kitara
Second Zulu Civil War, during the late reign of king Mpande of the Zulu Kingdom between his sons Cetshwayo and Mbuyazi. As king Mpande was still alive, Cetshwayo's actions could be labelled a princely rebellion, but the literature often refers to the conflict as a "war of succession".
Gaza war of succession between brothers Mawewe and Mzila after the death of their father, king Soshangane of the Gaza Empire
Makololo war of succession, after the death of morêna Sekeletu of Barotseland, between Mamili/Mamile and Mbololo/Mpololo. It resulted in the extinction of the Makololo dynasty of Sebetwane in Barotseland, and led to the enthronement of Sipopa Lutangu. Conventional historiography regards the accession of Sipopa as "the 'Restoration' of the Lozi monarchy and the start of the 'Second Kingdom'", but Flint argued that the Lozi and Makololo peoples were ethnolinguistically close and had 'effectively merged' in the decades following the accession of Sebetwane, demonstrated by the fact that both groups spoke the 'Sikololo' or 'Silozi' language by 1864. Sipopa was 'on good terms with the Makololo hierarchy' and married Sebetwane's daughter Mamochisane upon his accession.
Ndebele war of succession, after the death of king Mzilikazi of the Northern Ndebele kingdom of Mthwakazi, won by Lobengula
, after the suicide of emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia following his defeat in the British expedition to Abyssinia
Bunyoro war of succession, after the death of mukama Kamurasi, enthroning Kabalega over the Empire of Kitara
Anglo-Zanzibar War, after the death of sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini of Zanzibar from the House of Busaid. His cousin Khalid bin Barghash of Zanzibar attempted to accede to the throne, but without approval of the British, who favoured a different cousin of Hamad: Hamoud bin Mohammed of Zanzibar. The British bombardment of Khalid's palace compelled him to surrender after about 40 minutes and abdicate in favour of Hamoud, marking the shortest war in recorded history.
Ethiopian coup d'état of 1928 and Gugsa Wale's rebellion, about the succession of empress Zewditu of the Ethiopian Empire by Haile Selassie

Asia

Ancient Asia

Kurukshetra War, also called the Mahabharata or Bharata War, between the Pandava and Kaurava branches of the ruling Lunar dynasty over the throne at Hastinapura. It is disputed whether this event actually occurred as narrated in the Mahabharata.
Hattusili's Civil War
Rebellion of the Three Guards, after the death of King Wu of Zhou
War of David against Ish-bosheth, after the death of king Saul of the united Kingdom of Israel. It is disputed whether this event actually occurred as narrated in the Hebrew Bible. It allegedly began as a war of secession, namely of Judah from Israel, but eventually the conflict was about the succession of Saul in both Israel and Judah
Neo-Assyrian war of succession, in anticipation of the death of king Shalmaneser III of the Neo-Assyrian Empire between his sons Assur-danin-pal and Shamshi-Adad
Jin wars of succession, a series of wars over control of the Chinese feudal state of Jin
* Jin–Quwo wars, dynastic struggles between two branches of Jin's ruling house
* Partition of Jin, a series of wars between rival noble families of Jin, who eventually sought to divide the state's territory amongst themselves at the expense of Jin's ruling house. The state was definitively carved up between the successor states of Zhao, Wei and Han in 376 BCE.
Zheng war of succession, after the death of Duke Zhuang of Zheng
War of Qi's succession, after the death of Duke Huan of Qi' Accession of Darius the Great, after the death of Cambyses II of the Achaemenid Empire. Scholars debate how Cambyses II died, and how Darius the Great got into power, because the sources contradict each other and are unreliable in certain places. What is clear is that there was some sort of power struggle following the death of Cambyses, possibly involving the assassinations of Cambyses and Bardiya, and coups d'état, that eventually Darius acceded to the throne, and that he had to quell multiple rebellions against his new reign.
Persian war of succession ending with the Battle of Cunaxa, after the death of Darius II of the Achaemenid Empire
Warring States period, a series of dynastic interstate and intrastate wars during the Eastern Zhou dynasty of China over succession and territory
* War of the Wei succession, after the death of Marquess Wu of Wei. Featuring the.
* Qin's wars of unification, to enforce Qin's claim to succeeding the Zhou dynasty, that Qin had ended in 256 BCE
Wars of the Diadochi or Wars of Alexander's Successors, after the death of king Alexander the Great of Macedon
Maurya war of succession, after the death of emperor Bindusara of the Mauryan Empire; his son Ashoka the Great defeated and killed his brothers, including crown prince Susima
Bithynian war of succession, after the death of king Nicomedes I of Bithynia
Chu–Han Contention, after the surrender and death of emperor Ziying of the Qin dynasty; the rival rebel leaders Liu Bang and Xiang Yu sought to set up their own new dynasties
Lü Clan Disturbance, after the death of Empress Lü of the Han dynasty
Seleucid Dynastic Wars, a series of wars of succession that were fought between competing branches of the Seleucid Royal household for control of the Seleucid Empire
' Bactrian war of succession, after the assassination of king Eucratides I of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, between his sons Eucratides II, Heliocles I and Plato
Third Mithridatic War, after the death of king Nicomedes IV of Bithynia between the Roman Republic and the Kingdom of Pontus
Hasmonean Civil War, after the death of queen Salome Alexandra of Hasmonean Judea between her sons Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II
Parthian war of succession, between Mithridates IV and his brother Orodes II after killing their father, king Phraates III
* The Roman invasion of Parthia in 54 BCE, ending catastrophically at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BCE, was partially motivated by or justified as supporting Mithridates' claim to the Parthian throne
Red Eyebrows and Lulin Rebellions, revolts against Xin dynasty emperor Wang Mang to restore the Han dynasty; both rebel armies had their own candidates, however
Han civil war, Liu Xiu's campaigns against pretenders and regional warlords who opposed the rule of the Gengshi Emperor and his own rule
*Second Red Eyebrows Rebellion, after the death of Wang Mang, against the Gengshi Emperor, the Lulin rebel candidate to succeed Wang Mang
War of the Armenian Succession, caused by the death of Roman emperor Claudius, after which the rival pretender Tiridates was installed by king Vologases I of Parthia, unacceptable to new emperor Nero
Parthian wars of succession between Vologases III, Osroes I, Parthamaspates, Mithridates V and Vologases IV, after the death of king Pacorus II of Parthia
* Trajan's Parthian campaign, the intervention of the Roman emperor Trajan in favour of Parthamaspates
Three Kingdoms Period, after the death of emperor Ling of Han
* Yuan clan war of succession, after the death of clan leader Yuan Shao
Dynastic struggle between Vologases VI and Artabanus IV, after the death of their father Vologases V of Parthia
* Parthian war of Caracalla, Roman intervention in the Parthian dynastic struggle against Artabanus IV
War of the Eight Princes, after the death of emperor Sima Yan of the Chinese Jin dynasty
A war of succession in the Gupta Empire after the death of emperor Kumaragupta I, out of which Skandagupta emerged victorious. Historical sources do not make clear whether the events described constituted a war of succession, and whether it even took place as narrated.
Sasanian war of succession between Hormizd III and Peroz I after the death of their father, shahanshah Yazdegerd II of the Sasanian Empire
after the death of emperor Qianfei of the Liu Song dynasty
Prince Hoshikawa Rebellion, after the death of emperor Yuryaku of Japan

Medieval Asia

Wei civil war, after the assassination of would-be usurper Erzhu Rong by emperor Xiaozhuang of Northern Wei, splitting the state into Western Wei and Eastern Wei
Göktürk civil war or Turkic interregnum, after the death of Gökturk khagan Taspar Qaghan of the First Turkic Khaganate
Yamato war of succession, after the death of emperor Bidatsu of Yamato. Also the final phase of the religion-based Soga–Mononobe conflict between the pro-Shinto Mononobe clan and the pro-Buddhist Soga clan.
Sasanian civil war of 589-591, about the deposition, execution and succession of shahanshah Hormizd IV of the Sasanian Empire
Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628, Khosrow II invaded the Byzantine Empire under the pretext of installing a pseudo-Theodosius to the throne following the murder of emperor Maurice
Sui war of succession, after the death of Emperor Wen of the Sui dynasty
Chalukya war of succession, after the death of king Mangalesha of the Chalukya dynasty
Transition from Sui to Tang : with several rebellions against his rule going on, Emperor Yang of Sui was assassinated in 618 by rebel leader Yuwen Huaji, who put Emperor Yang's nephew Yang Hao on the throne as puppet emperor, while rebel leader Li Yuan, who had previously made Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You his puppet emperor, forced the latter to abdicate and proclaimed himself emperor, as several other rebel leaders had also done.
Xuanwu Gate Incident : with Prince Li Shimin and his followers assassinating his brothers Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Li Yuanji. About two months later, Li Yuan abdicated and passed the throne to Li Shimin, who would become known as Emperor Taizong of Tang.
Sasanian civil war of 628–632 or Sasanian Interregnum, after the execution of shahanshah Khosrow II of the Sasanian Empire
The historical Fitnas in Islam:
* First Fitna, after the assassination of caliph Uthman of the Rashidun Caliphate between the Umayyads and Ali's followers
* Second Fitna, after the death of caliph Mu'awiya I of the Umayyad Caliphate between Umayyads, Zubayrids and Alids
* Third Fitna : a series of civil wars within and rebellions against the Umayyad Caliphate, starting with the assassination of caliph Al-Walid II, and ending with the Abbasid Revolution
* Fourth Fitna : under the reign of the caliph Muhammad Al-Amin of the Abbasid Caliphate
* Fifth Fitna ; after the death of Al-Muntasir of the Abbasid Caliphate.
War of the Goguryeo succession, after the death of military dictator Yŏn Kaesomun of Goguryeo, see Goguryeo–Tang War
Jinshin War, after the death of emperor Tenji of Yamato
Twenty Years' Anarchy, after the deposition of emperor Justinian II of the Byzantine Empire
Abbasid war of succession, after the death of the first Abbasid caliph As-Saffah. Decisive battle at Nisibis in November 754.
Rashtrakuta war of succession, after the death of emperor Dhruva Dharavarsha of the Rashtrakuta dynasty
Era of Fragmentation, after the assassination of emperor Langdarma of the Tibetan Empire
Anarchy at Samarra, after the assassination of caliph Al-Mutawakkil of the Abbasid Caliphate
* Abbasid civil war or Fifth Fitna, after the death of caliph Al-Muntasir of the Abbasid Caliphate
Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, began when two rebel leaders, claiming to be heirs of the former kings of Baekje and Goguryeo, revolted against the reign of queen Jinseong of Silla
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, after the deposition murder of emperor Ai of Tang, ending the Tang dynasty. Subsequent decades saw widespread warfare between various warlords claiming to have succeeded or restored the Tang dynasty.
Pratihara war of succession, after the death of king Mahendrapala I of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty
after the death of Emperor Taizong of Liao
Buyid war of succession, after the death of emir Imad al-Dawla of the Buyid dynasty
Anarchy of the 12 Warlords, after the death of king Ngô Quyền of Vietnam
Samanid war of succession, after the death of emir Abd al-Malik I of the Samanid Empire between his brother Mansur and his son Nasr. Alp-Tegin lost, but managed to establish an autonomous governorship in Ghazni, where his son-in-law Sabuktigin founded the Ghaznavid dynasty in 977.
Buyid war of succession, after the death of emir 'Adud al-Dawla of the Buyid dynasty
Afghan War of Succession, after the death of emir Sabuktigin of the Ghaznavids
Khmer war of succession, after the death of king Jayavarman V of the Khmer Empire between Udayadityavarman I, Suryavarman I and Jayavirahvarman
Afghan war of succession, after the death of sultan Mahmud of Ghazni
Afghan War of Succession, after the death of sultan Mas'ud I of Ghazni
Seljuk war of succession (1063), after the death of sultan Tughril, founder of the Seljuk Empire
Seljuk war of succession (1072–1073), after the death of sultan Alp Arslan of the Seljuk Empire. Decided at the Battle of Kerj Abu Dulaf.
Seljuk War of Succession, after the death of sultan Malik Shah I of the Seljuk Empire
Seljuk war of succession in Iraq, after the death of Mahmud II, the Seljuk sultan of Baghdad
Seljuk war of succession in Iraq and Persia, after the death of Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud, the Seljuk sultan of Baghdad and Hamadan
Hōgen Rebellion, Heiji Rebellion and Genpei War, after the death of emperor Konoe of Japan, between clans over control of the imperial family
Pandyan Civil War (1169–1177): king Parakrama Pandyan I and his son Vira Pandyan III against Kulasekhara Pandya of Chola
War of the Antiochene Succession, after the death of prince Bohemond III of Antioch
Cilician war of succession, after the death of king Leo I of Armenian Cilicia
War of the Lombards, after the death of queen Isabella II of Jerusalem and Cyprus
Ayyubid war of succession, after the death of sultan Al-Kamil of the Ayyubid dynasty
Toluid Civil War, after the death of great khan Möngke Khan of the Mongol Empire between Ariq Böke and Kublai Khan
* Berke–Hulagu war, a proxy war of the Toluid Civil War; Hulagu supported Kublai, Berke supported Ariq Böke.
Kaidu–Kublai war, continuation of the Toluid Civil War caused by Kaidu's refusal to recognise Kublai Khan as the new great khan
Chagatai wars of succession, after the death of khan Duwa of the Chagatai Khanate
* War between Taliqu and Kebek, after the death of khan Könchek of the Chagatai Khanate
Pandya Fratricidal War, after the death of king Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I of the Pandya dynasty
Golden Horde war of succession, after the death of khan Toqta of the Golden Horde
War of the Two Capitals, after the death of emperor Yesün Temür of the Yuan dynasty
Disintegration of the Ilkhanate, after the death of il-khan Abu Sa'id of the Ilkhanate
Chagatai wars of succession, after the deposition and killing of khan Tarmashirin of the Chagatai Khanate. As a result, the Chagatai Khanate effectively split into Transoxania in the west, and Moghulistan in the east.
Nanboku-chō period or Japanese War of Succession, after the ousting and death of emperor Go-Daigo of Japan
Trapezuntine Civil War, after the death of emperor Basil of Trebizond
Tughlugh Timur's invasions of Transoxania, after the assassination of Amir Qazaghan of Transoxania
Ottoman war of succession, after the death of sultan Orhan between şehzade Murad I, şehzade Ibrahim Bey and şehzade Halil. Murad won and executed his half-brothers Ibrahim and Halil, the first recorded instance of Ottoman royal fratricide.
Forty Years' War after the death of king Thado Minbya of Ava; the war raged within and between the Burmese kingdoms of Ava and Pegu as the successors of the Pagan Kingdom
Tran war of succession, after the death of king Trần Dụ Tông of the Trần dynasty
Delhi war of succession, after the death of sultan Ala ud-din Sikandar Shah of the Tughlaq dynasty
, after king Taejo of Joseon appointed his eighth son as his successor instead of his disgruntled fifth, who rebelled when he learnt that his half-brother was conspiring to kill him
Jingnan Rebellion, after the death of the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty
Regreg War, resulting from succession disputes after the death of king Hayam Wuruk of the Majapahit Empire
Timurid wars of succession :
* First Timurid war of succession, after the death of amir Timur of the Timurid Empire
* Second Timurid war of succession, after the death of sultan Shah Rukh of the Timurid Empire
* Third Timurid war of succession, after the death of sultan Abu Sa'id Mirza of the Timurid Empire
Sekandar–Zain al-'Abidin war : according to the Ming Shilu, Sekandar was the younger brother of the former king, rebelled and plotted to kill the current king Zain al-'Abidin to claim the throne of the Samudera Pasai Sultanate; however, the Ming dynasty had recognised the latter as the legitimate ruler, and during the fourth treasure voyage of admiral Zheng He, the Chinese intervened and defeated Sekandar.
Ottoman war of succession, after the death of sultan Mehmed I of the Ottoman Empire between his younger brother Mustafa Çelebi, his oldest son Murad II, and his second-oldest son Küçük Mustafa
* During the Siege of Thessalonica (1422–1430), a Turkish pretender claiming to be Mustafa Çelebi was supported by the Byzantines
Gaoxu rebellion, after the death of the Hongxi Emperor of the Chinese Ming dynasty
, after the assassination of shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori of Japan. Not to be confused with the Kakitsu uprising that happened simultaneously.
, after the death of king Shō Kinpuku of the Ryukyu Kingdom, between the king's son Shiro and his younger brother Furi.
Sengoku period in Japan
* Ōnin War, after the 1464 abdication of Emperor Go-Hanazono of Japan in favour of Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado, as well as the imminent succession of shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimasa of Japan
Aq Qoyunlu war of succession, after the death of shahanshah Uzun Hasan of the Aq Qoyunlu state

Early Modern Asia

Khandesh war of succession, after the death of sultan Ghazni Khan of the Farooqi dynasty
Trần Cao rebellion, after the deposition of emperor Lê Tương Dực of the Lê dynasty of Đại Việt by the spring 1516 military coup
Northern Yuan war of succession, after the death of khagan Dayan Khan of the Northern Yuan dynasty
Negara Daha war of succession, between Suriansyah of Banjar and his uncle
Crisis of the Sixteenth Century, after the overthrow and murder of king Vijayabahu VI of Kotte during the Vijayabā Kollaya. The three sons of his first wife had conspired to kill him to prevent his designated heir, their stepbrother from his second wife, to ascend to the throne. Although they managed to kill their father, they soon began fighting each other over the division of the kingdom of Kotte in three parts, while the Kingdom of Kandy seized the opportunity to reassert its independence. The Portuguese started intervening in the war in the 1540s for commercial concessions, and finally inherited reunited Kotte in 1597.
Gujarati war of succession, after the death of sultan Muzaffar Shah II of the Gujarat Sultanate
Lê–Mạc War, after the deposition and execution of puppet-emperor Lê Cung Hoàng by general Mạc Đăng Dung, who proclaimed himself the emperor of his own new Mạc dynasty. Lê dynasty loyalists revolted, and in 1533 enthroned Lê Trang Tông.
, after the death of daimyo Imagawa Ujiteru of the Imagawa clan
Mughal war of succession, between the brothers Humayun and Kamran Mirza about the succession of their already 10 years earlier deceased father, emperor Babur of the Mughal Empire
Burmese–Siamese War (1547–1549), after the death of king Chairachathirat of Ayutthaya, followed by a succession crisis involving two coups and royal assassinations of kings Yotfa and Worawongsathirat
Safavid war of succession, after the death of shah Tahmasp I of Persia
Mughal war of succession, in advance of the death of emperor Akbar of the Mughal Empire
Siamese war of succession, after the death of king Ekathotsarot of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
Karnataka war of succession, after the death of emperor Venkatapati Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire
Jaffna war of succession, after the death of king Ethirimana Cinkam (Parasasekaran VIII) of the Jaffna Kingdom
Mughal war of succession, after the death of emperor Nuruddin Salim Jahangir of the Mughal Empire
Siamese war of succession, after the death of king Songtham of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
Mataram war of succession, after the sudden death of Sultan Agung of Mataram. To prevent succession disputes from challenging his legitimacy, Agung's son Amangkurat I launched many pre-emptive strikes to eliminate potential rivals to the throne, including many noblemen and military leaders such as Tumenggung Wiraguna and his whole family. This led his younger brother Prince Alit to attempt to overthrow him by attacking the royal palace with the support of Islamic clerics and devout Muslims in 1648, but they were defeated and Alit was slain in battle. Two days later, Amangkurat I committed a Massacre of the ulema and their families to secure his reign.
Mughal war of succession, after grave illness of emperor Shah Jahan of the Mughal Empire. Scholars disagree about whether to label this conflict a 'war of succession' or a ' rebellion'.
Brunei Civil War, after the killing of sultan Muhammad Ali of the Bruneian Sultanate by Abdul Hakkul Mubin, who seized the throne
, after the death of king Koxinga of the Kingdom of Tungning
During the Trunajaya rebellion, sultan Amangkurat I of Mataram died in 1677, causing a war of succession between his sons Rahmat (Amangkurat II) and Puger (Pakubuwono I)
Laotian wars of succession, after the death of king Sourigna Vongsa of Lan Xang
The Javanese Wars of Succession, between local pretenders and candidates of the Dutch East India Company for the Sultanate of Mataram on Java
* First Javanese War of Succession, after the death of sultan Amangkurat II of Mataram between his son Amangkurat III of Mataram and his brother Puger (Pakubuwono I)
* Second Javanese War of Succession
* Third Javanese War of Succession
Sikkimese War of Succession, after the death of chogyal Tensung Namgyal of the Kingdom of Sikkim
Mughal war of succession (1707–1709), after the death of emperor Aurangzeb of the Mughal Empire
Mughal war of succession, after the death of emperor Bahadur Shah I of the Mughal Empire
Marava War of Succession, after the death of raja Raghunatha Kilavan of the Ramnad estate
Persian or Iranian Wars of Succession
*Safavid war of succession, after a Hotak invasion and the imprisonment of shah Sultan Husayn of Safavid Persia
*Afsharid war of succession, after the death of shah Nadir Shah of Afsharid Persia
*Zand war of succession, after the death of Karim Khan of Zand Persia
Carnatic Wars, territorial and succession wars between several local, nominally independent princes in the Carnatic, in which the British East India Company and French East India Company mingled
* First Carnatic War, part of the War of the Austrian Succession between, amongst others, France on the one hand, and Britain on the other
* Second Carnatic War, about the succession of both the nizam of Hyderabad and the nawab of Arcot
* Third Carnatic War, after the death of nawab Alivardi Khan of Bengal; part of the global Seven Years' War between amongst others France on the one hand and Britain on the other
Maratha war of succession, after the death of maharaja Shahu I of the Maratha Empire
Burmese war of succession, after the death of king Alaungpaya of the Konbaung dynasty
War of the Sumbawan Succession, after the deposition of sultana I Sugiratu Karaeng Bontoparang of the. The war raged between the newly council-elected sultan Hasan al-Din and the council chief the Nene Rangan on the one hand, and and Mille Ropia on the other hand. The VOC defeated and captured Hasan al-Din and installed Jalaluddin as the new sultan in February 1764, but upon gathering more information decided that Hasan al-Din was the rightful sultan after all, and reinstalled him.
Anglo-Maratha Wars : wars of succession between peshwas, in which the British intervened, and conquered the Maratha Empire
* First Anglo-Maratha War, after the death of peshwa Madhavrao I; pretender Raghunath Rao invoked British help, but lost
* Second Anglo-Maratha War, pretender Baji Rao II, son van Raghunath Rao, triumphed with British help and became peshwa, but had to surrender much power and territory to the British
* Third Anglo-Maratha War, also Pindari War, peshwa Baji Rao II revolted against the British in vain; the Maratha Empire was annexed
Banjarmasin war of succession, after the death of sultan Tahhmid Illah I of the Sultanate of Banjar. The Dutch East India Company intervened in 1786 in favour of Pangeran Nata, and upon victory he had to cede part of his territory to the VOC.
Kurnool war of succession, after the death of nawab Ranmust Khan of Kurnool between his sons Azim Khan and Alif Khan

Modern Asia

Afghan Wars of Succession, after the death of emir Timur Shah Durrani of Afghanistan
First Anglo-Afghan War, British–Indian invasion of Afghanistan under the pretext of restoring the deposed emir Shah Shujah Durrani
Pahang Civil War, after the death of raja Tun Ali of Pahang
Later Afghan War of Succession, after the death of emir Dost Mohammed Khan of Afghanistan
The Dutch East Indies Army's 1859–1860 Bone Expeditions dealt with a war of succession in the Sulawesi kingdom of Bone
* In the Second Bone War, the Dutch supported pretender Ahmad Sinkkaru' Rukka against queen Besse Arung Kajuara after the death of her husband, king Aru Pugi
The Banjarmasin War, after the death of sultan Adam. The Dutch supported pretender Tamjid Illah against pretender Hidayat Ullah; the latter surrendered in 1862.
Third and Fourth Larut Wars, after the death of Sultan Ali of Perak
Nauruan Civil War, after the crown chief was fatally shot during a heated discussion, shattering the existing federation of tribes and triggering a war between two tribal factions

Americas

Yaxchilan interregnum, between the death of Itzamnaaj Bahlam (Shield Jaguar) III and the accession of Yaxun Bʼalam (Bird Jaguar) IV. There is some evidence to suggest there was a struggle for the throne of Yaxchilan in this decade between Bird Jaguar and an unnamed pretender backed by Piedras Negras, compelling Bird Jaguar to construct an unusual amount of monuments to affirm his legitimacy and dynastic ties during his reign. Alternatively, there may simply have been a regency of Lady Eveningstar in this period after her husband Shield Jaguar died and before her son Bird Jaguar succeeded.
Tepanec War, after the death of king Tezozomoc of Azcapotzalco; this led to the formation of the anti-Tepanec Triple Alliance, better known as the Aztec Empire
Cusco war of succession, after Viracocha Inca and designated heir Inca Urco fled during the Chanka invasion of the Kingdom of Cusco. Viracocha's other son Pachacuti successfully defended the city and practically seized control of the kingdom, but upon Viracocha and Urco's return, a battle broke out over the succession, in which Urco was killed and Viracocha expelled, dying in exile in Calas shortly thereafter. Pachacuti's accession is regarded as the start of the Inca Empire.
War of the Two Brothers, or Inca Civil War, after the death of emperor Huayna Capac of the Inca Empire
King William's War, North American theatre of the Nine Years' War
Queen Anne's War, North American theatre of the War of the Spanish Succession
War of Jenkins' Ear, a pre-existing Anglo-Spanish conflict in the Americas subsumed into the War of the Austrian Succession
King George's War, North American theatre of the War of the Austrian Succession
Hawaiian war of succession, after the death of king Kalaniʻōpuʻu of Hawaii