List of shortest-reigning monarchs

A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy, normally ruling for life, or until abdication or deposition. The reign of some monarchs has 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 some conflict.

The authenticity of some monarchs has been disputed, especially for those monarchs who reigned during conflict. One factor in such debates is whether the monarch held the throne in a symbolic or nominal capacity. An example is King Louis XIX of France, who succeeded upon the abdication of Charles X only to abdicate in favour of Henry V instead of assuming the throne, and Emperor Michael II of Russia, who succeeded on the abdication of Nicholas II only to abdicate in favor of nobody.

Obscure monarchs thought to have reigned less than a year

Note: Some of the following have been disputed as genuine monarchs

Name	Country	Royal house/dynasty	Reign began	Reign ended	Length	Comments
Rana Jagmal	King of Udaipur, Mewar	Sisodia House	1533	1533	1 month 3 days	Removed by a collective decision by the generals as a non-deserving and careless ruler for harassment of the public and the army. Reclaimed the throne in 1559 as a puppet of the Mughal Empire for 1 month before being overthrown by Maharana Pratap, the King of Mewar during the Mewari-Mughali war of Udaipuri Conquest
Pharaoh Nebiriau II	King of Egypt	Sixteenth Dynasty	c.1600 BC	c.1600 BC		Obscure Pharaoh of the Second Intermediate period
Pharaoh Tao I the Elder	Pharaoh of Egypt	Seventeenth Dynasty	c.1558 BC	c.1558 BC		An equally obscure Pharaoh of the Second Intermediate period
Queen Cleopatra IV of Egypt	Queen of Egypt	Ptolemaic	116 BC	115 BC		Pushed out of joint reign by her mother, Cleopatra III
King Yang	Nanyue	Zhao (Triệu)	111 BC	111 BC		Captured and executed by the Han after his army was destroyed leading to 150 years of Chinese mastery.
King Ildibad	King of the Ostrogoths		540	541		Assassinated by a Gepid
King Eraric	King of the Ostrogoths		541	541		Assassinated by a member of his own royal guard.
High King Fogartach mac Néill	Ireland	Uí Néill	724	724		Claimed by some to be the High King of Ireland for several months during a period of high conflict.
Duke Bezprym	Duke of Poland		1031	1032		The reason for his downfall was his extreme cruelty. According to the Chronicles of Hildesheim, he was murdered by his own men no later than spring of 1032. Probably the instigators of his death were his half-brothers, although the main conspirator was Otto, who remained free in Germany.
Kings Eric and Eric	Kings of Sweden		1066	1067		After the death of king Stenkil of Sweden in 1066, these two fought for power with each other. They both died in battle the following year.
King Ragnvald Knaphövde	Claimant to the Swedish throne		1125	1126		After the death of Inge the Younger in 1125, Ragnvald claimed the Swedish throne, but was killed by upset peasants in the following year.
King Magnus II	King of Sweden		1160	1161		After the Danish prince Magnus had killed king Eric IX of Sweden in 1160, he proclaimed himself king, but was killed by his rival Charles VII of Sweden the following year.
Jaya Harivarman II	Champa		1167	1167
Jaya Indravarman V	Champa		1191	1191
Emperor Constantine Laskaris	Nicaea	Laskaris	1204	1205		Constantine Laskaris was declared nominal Byzantine emperor after Alexios V Doukas was deposed as the Byzantine emperor by the Fourth Crusade.
Emperor Mạc Toàn	Vietnam	Mạc	1592	1592		Mạc Toàn succeeded Mạc Mậu Hợp for a short period after the latter was killed by the forces of Trịnh Tùng.

Less than a year

Some of the following have been disputed as genuine monarchs.

King Jeonggang	Silla (Korea)	Kim	July 886	5 July 887	~1 year	After his death, his sister Man succeeded to the throne because he had no sons. She was named Queen Jinseong and was the last queen in Korean history.
Empress Lý Chiêu Hoàng	Vietnam	Lý	October 1224	21 October 1225	~1 year	Succeeded to the throne through the suicide of her father Lý Huệ Tông. Renounced her claim on the throne in favour of her husband Trần Thái Tông, founder of the Trần Dynasty.
Emperor Hồ Quý Ly	Vietnam	Hồ	February 1400	c. 1400–1401	~1 year	Hồ Quý Ly succeeded to the throne after persuading emperor Trần Thuận Tông to relinquish power to a three-year-old prince named An. Trần Thuận Tông was then executed and the throne was seized from An. Hồ Quý Ly renounced the throne in favor of his son Hồ Hán Thương.
Emperor Hàm Nghi	Vietnam	Nguyễn	1 August 1884	4 July 1885	11 months 3 days	Captured during the Mandarins' Revolt and the French replaced him with Đồng Khánh.
King Fuad II of Egypt	Egypt and The Sudan	Muhammad Ali	26 July 1952	18 June 1953	10 months 23 days	Succeeded to the throne on the abdication of Farouk I after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. Fuad II's reign came to an end with the declaration of a republic in Egypt.
King-Emperor Edward VIII	Great Britain, Ireland and British dominions beyond the seas and India	Windsor	20 January 1936	11 December 1936	10 months 22 days	Edward VIII abdicated in favour of his brother George VI to avoid a constitutional crisis.
Louise Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of Monaco	Principality of Monaco	Grimaldi	20 February 1731	29 December 1731	10 months 9 days	Died of smallpox.
Emperor Agustín I	Mexican Empire	Iturbide	19 May 1822	19 March 1823	10 months	Agustín I was proclaimed emperor by the Parliament of the newly independent Mexican Empire, but later deposed by Republican forces, leading to the foundation of the First Mexican Republic. His grandsons were later adopted by Mexico's second Emperor Maximilian I of the House of Habsburg in the 1860s.
King Harold Godwinson	Kingdom of England	Wessex	5 January 1066	14 October 1066	9 months 9 days	Killed at the Battle of Hastings by Norman forces.
King Injong	Joseon (Korea)	Yi	November 1544	July 1545	~9 months	Some historians believe that Injong was poisoned by the Smaller Yun faction, led by Yun Won-Hyung, to enable Injong's half-brother to ascend the throne.
King Lokissara	Polonnaruwa		1211	1211	~9 months	Leader of a Tamil army and usurper of the Sinhala throne.
Leo II (emperor)	Byzantine Empire	Leonid Dynasty	18 January 474	17 November 474	10 months 29 days
Tsar Dmitriy I	Russia	Rurik (impostor)	21 July 1605	17 May 1606	9 months 27 days	An impostor, Dmitriy took the throne of Russia upon the death of Boris Godunov. He was killed during an assault on the Kremlin.
King Christian II	Sweden	Oldenburg	1 November 1520	23 August 1521	9 months 22 days	After conquering Sweden in the spring and summer of 1520, King Christian II of Denmark and Norway entered the defeated Swedish capital of Stockholm on 7 September 1520. On 1 November he was elected and on 4 November he was crowned king of Sweden. On 23 August 1521, he was officially deposed, when Gustav Vasa was elected regent of Sweden at a meeting in Vadstena.
Maharajah Manava	Gauda, Bengal	Shashanka	625	626	~8 months	After the death of Shashanka and his brief reign, Gauda was conquered by an alliance of Harshavardhana and Bhaskaravarman.
Emir Habibullah Ghazi	Afghanistan		17 January 1929	13 October 1929	8 months 26 days	Habibullah Ghazi succeeded Inayatullah Khan Seraj, who had abdicated in his favour after just three days. Habibullah Ghazi's reign soon ended when he was deposed and executed by Mohammed Nadir Shah.
Emperor Le Nghi Dan	Vietnam	Lê	28 October 1459	24 June 1460	8 months 25 days	Succeeded to the throne by leading a revolt against and killing his younger brother Lê Nhân Tông. Nghi Dan's reign ended in another revolution in which he was killed and replaced by his younger brother Lê Thánh Tông.
Emperor Vitellius	Roman Empire	Year of Four Emperors	16 April 69	22 December 69	8 months 6 days	Not allowed by the Praetorian Guard to resign to his successor, Emperor Vespasian, he was killed on the Gemonian stairs and cast into the Tiber
King Phelles	Tyre	Dynasty of four brothers	879 BC	879 BC	8 months	Legendary king of Tyre, known only through Josephes and, by proxy, through Menander of Ephesus.
Claudine, Lady of Monaco	Monaco	Grimaldi	July 1457	16 March 1458	8 months	Abdicated in favour of her cousin, Lamberto, whom she married in 1465.
Emperor Kiến Phúc	Vietnam	Nguyễn	2 December 1883	31 July 1884	7 months 29 days	Succeeded the throne after the murder of emperor Hiệp Hoà. Kiến Phúc was also murdered and succeeded by Hàm Nghi (who also reigned less than a year).
King Louis I	Spain	Bourbon	14 January 1724	31 August 1724	7 months 17 days	Louis I succeeded to the throne after the abdication of his father Philip V, who regained the throne after the death of Louis I from smallpox.
Matilda, Lady of the English	England	Plantagenet / Salian / Normandy	Spring 1141	Autumn 1141	c. 5–9 months	Matilda seized the throne after capturing King Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln on 2 February 1141. Matilda later released Stephen in exchange for her half-brother, after which Stephen reclaimed the throne in November.
Emperor Galba	Roman Empire	Year of Four Emperors	8 June 68	15 January 69	7 months 7 days	120 people assassinated Galba by beheading him. His head and trunk were later buried.
King Edmund Ironside	England	Wessex	23 April 1016	30 November 1016	7 months 7 days	Edmund's kingdom was ceded to Canute I after his death, the cause of which is uncertain.
King Lulach	King of Scots	Moray	15 August 1057	17 March 1058	7 months 2 days	Lulach succeeded to the throne after Macbeth of Scotland was killed in battle by the future Malcolm III of Scotland, Lulach himself was also slain by Malcolm III who succeeded him.
Emperor Heraklonas	Byzantine Empire	Heraclian	11 February 641	September 641	~7 months	Heraklonas became joint co-emperor with his brother Constantine III at the time of his father's death and then sole emperor on the death of his brother Constantine III in May 641. Heroklonas was then forced to accept Constantine III's son as joint emperor Constans II. Heroklonas was then mutilated and banished after a revolt, leaving Constans II as sole emperor.
Bardiya	Persian Empire	Achaemenid	early 522 BCE	September 522 BCE	~7 months	Bardiya was either a son of Cyrus the Great or an impostor, he seized power from Cambyses II and was assassinated by Darius the Great.
King Hildeprand	King of the Lombards		January 744	<August 744	<7 months	Deposed and dead by August 744.
Pharaoh Nedjemibre	Pharaoh of Egypt	Thirteenth Dynasty	c.1780 BC	c.1780 BC	7 months[1]	One of many contemporary pharaohs of the Second Intermediate period
Emperor Amha Selassie	Ethiopia	Solomon	12 September 1974	12 March 1975	6 months	Proclaimed on the deposition of his father by the Derg on 12 September 1974 but, he never accepted this proclamation as legitimate. After the fall of the Empire, he lived in exile.
Emperor Dương Nhật Lễ	Vietnam	Trần	1369	20 May 1370	>6 months	Dethroned and killed. Replaced by Trần Phủ.
Mbret William	Albania	Wied	7 March 1914	3 September 1914	6 months 27 days	William accepted a request from Albania to be its sovereign and soon, due to the outbreak of the First World War and civil war within Albania, fled into exile. Albania officially declared itself a republic on 31 January 1925.
King Christian Frederik	Norway	Oldenburg	16 February 1814	28 August 1814	6 months 12 days	Christian Frederick was made King of Norway upon its independence from Denmark after defeat in the Napoleonic Wars and the Treaty of Kiel. Later in 1814 after an invasion by Sweden Christian Frederick renounced the throne after the Convention of Moss. Christian Frederick would later become King Christian VIII of Denmark.
Prince Dafydd ap Gruffudd	Wales	Gwynedd	11 December 1282	22 June 1283	6 months 11 days	Dafydd succeeded to the princeship of Wales on the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in December 1282. For most of his reign his rule was confined solely to Gwynedd due to the invasion of Wales by Edward I. He was captured in June 1283.
Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah	Zanzibar	Al Sa'id	1 July 1963	12 January 1964	6 months 11 days	Jamshid bin Abdullah's short reign was brought to an end by the Zanzibar revolution and the abolition of the sultanate.
Emperor Lê Túc Tông	Vietnam	Lê	6 June 1504	7 December 1504	6 months 1 day	Lê Túc Tông was possibly murdered by his older brother and successor Lê Uy Mục.
King David V	Kingdom of Georgia	Bagrationi	c. 1154	c. 1155	~6 months	David V was murdered by his nobles and succeeded by his alienated brother, George III.
King Donald III	King of Scots	Dunkeld	13 November 1093	May 1094	~6 months	Donald III succeeded the throne after the assassination of Malcolm III and later lost the throne to Duncan II. Donald III regained the throne on 12 November 1094 after the assassination of Duncan II and reigned until 1097.
King Charles I	King of Norway	Bonde	25 October 1449	13 May 1450	6 months 20 days	Charles was elected king in Trondheim after the death of Christopher of Bavaria, but Christian I had more supporters in southern Norway and was able to force Charles' abdication.
Tsar Peter III of Russia	Russia	Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov	5 January 1762	9 July 1762	6 months 4 days	Wildly unpopular and barely able to even speak the Russian language, he was dethroned (and possibly killed) by his own consort, who became Catherine II of Russia.
King Duncan II	King of Scots	Dunkeld	May 1094	12 November 1094	~6 months	Duncan II seized the throne from Donald III only to be assassinated and replaced by him.
King Zechariah of Israel	Israel	House of Omri	754 BC[2]	753 BC	6 months[3]	Biblical King of Israel from the Second Book of Kings
Emperor Alexius IV Angelus	Byzantine Empire	Angelus	1 August 1203	27 January 1204	5 months 26 days	Alexius IV Angelus became co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire when his father Isaac II Angelus regained the throne from Alexius III Angelus. Both reigns would be short being usurped by Alexios V Doukas leading to the deaths of Alexius IV Angelus and Isaac II Angelus.
Emperor Wu Sangui	China	Great Zhou	March 1678	August 1678	~5 months	Wu Sangui proclaimed himself Emperor of a new Zhou Dynasty and was soon quashed by Kangxi. Wu Sangui had also been instrumental in the removal of Emperor Li Zicheng.
King George VII	King of Imereti	Bagrationi	June 1712	November 1713	~5 months	Also reigned in other periods of time.
Emperor Isaac II Angelus	Byzantine Empire	Angelus	1 August 1203	~January 1204	~5 months	Isaac II Angelus had previously been Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 7 September 1185 until 1195 until he was imprisoned by his brother Alexius III Angelus, who usurped the throne from him. After Isaac II Angelus was released from captivity by the Fourth Crusade he then regained his empire with his son Alexius IV Angelus as co-emperor forcing Alexius III Angelus into exile. This second reign ended when he and his son Alexius IV Angelus were captured and usurped once more by Alexios V Doukas, this time resulting in the death of Isaac II Angelus and Alexius IV Angelus.
King Charles VIII of Sweden	King of Sweden	Bonde	9 August 1464	30 January 1465	5 months 21 days	Charles, who had been removed from office 7 years prior, was recalled during a rebellion, but soon found his luck changed and was forced out of office a second time. He would return to claim the throne a third time in 1467.
Duke Eduard	Anhalt	Ascania	21 April 1918	13 September 1918	4 months 23 days	Eduard succeeded his brother Friedrich II, but died suddenly within 5 months and left the throne to his teenage son Joachim Ernst.
Duke Charles II	Parma	Bourbon-Parma	17 December 1847	19 April 1848	4 months 2 days	Charles II abdicated in favour of his son Charles III after the revolution of 1848. Charles II had previously succeeded his father King Louis I of Etruria to become Louis I from 27 May 1803 to 1807 when it was annexed by France and succeeded his mother Maria Louisa to become Duke Charles I of Lucca from 13 March 1824 to 1847 when it was annexed by Tuscany.
Pharaoh Renseneb	Egypt	Thirteenth Dynasty	c.1775 BC	c.1775 BC	4 months	Pharaoh of the Second Intermediate period. Attested 4 months in the Turin Papyrus
Emperor Hiệp Hoà	Vietnam	Nguyễn	30 July 1883	29 November 1883	3 months 29 days	Succeeded the throne after the death of emperor Dục Đức after a reign of 3 days. Hiệp Hoà was murdered and succeeded by Kiến Phúc (who also reigned less than a year).
King Mindaugas II	Lithuania	Württemberg	11 July 1918	2 November 1918	3 months 21 days	Mindaugas II was elected King by the Council of Lithuania soon after independence from the Russian Empire and the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The council soon changed its decision and declared Lithuania a republic.
King Jehoiachin of Judah	Judah	House of David	9 December 599 BC[4]	16 March 599 BC	3 months 10 days[5]	Biblical King from the Second Book of Kings.
Kaiser/King Frederick III	German Empire and Prussia	Hohenzollern	9 March 1888	15 June 1888	3 months 6 days	Frederick III succeeded his father's throne with terminal larynx cancer and was unable to speak during his brief reign.
Sultan Murad V	Ottoman Empire	Osman	30 May 1876	31 August 1876	3 months 1 day	Murad V replaced his uncle Abdülaziz who had been deposed by his ministers (and died soon after). Murad V was also soon deposed in favour of his brother Abdul Hamid II, who was also deposed.
Emperor Otho	Roman Empire	Year of Four Emperors	15 January 69	16 April 69	3 months 1 day	Committed suicide after losing the Battle of Bedriacum to his successor, Emperor Vitellius
King Ansprand	King of the Lombards		Mars 712	June 712	3 months
King Teia	King of the Ostrogoths		1 July 552	October 552	~3 months	Probably killed at the Battle of Mons Lactarius.
King George VIII	King of Imereti	Gurieli	15 March 1720	June 1720	~3 months	1726
Emperor Constantine III	Byzantine Empire	Heraclian	11 February 641	May 641	~3 months	Constantine III was junior co-emperor with his father Heraclius from 22 January 613 until his death 11 February 641. Constantine III then became joint co-emperor with his brother Heraklonas who was sole emperor after Constantine III's death.
King Sinmu	Silla (Korea)	Kim	April 839	July 839	~3 months	He killed King Minae and succeeded the throne, but died by furuncle on his back after three months.
King Sunjong	Goryeo (Korea)	Wang	July 1083	October 1083	~3 months	King Sunjong is the shortest reigning monarch in Korean history.
King Jehoahaz of Judah	Judah	House of David	July 610 BC[6]	October 610 BC	3 months[7]	Biblical King from the Second Book of Kings.
Emperor Pertinax	Roman Empire	Year of the Five Emperors	1 January 193	28 March 193	2 months 28 days	Assassinated by his Praetorian Guards, who then auctioned off the throne to the highest bidder.
Queen Berengaria	Castile(Spain)	Anscarids	6 June 1217	31 August 1217	2 months 25 days	Abdicated her throne to her son, in order to unify Castile and León and avoid a civil war.
Emperor Yuan Shikai	China	Yuan	1 January 1916	22 March 1916	2 months 22 days	President Yuan Shikai declared himself emperor of his newly created Chinese Empire on 1 January 1916. Due to the unpopularity of the new Empire he reverted to being the president of the Republic of China until his death on 5 June 1916.
King Pedro IV	Portugal	Braganza	10 March 1826	28 May 1826	2 months 18 days	Pedro succeeded the throne upon the death of his father and was forced to abdicate in favour of his daughter Maria II. He also reigned as Emperor Pedro I of Brazil from 12 October 1822 to 7 April 1831 until he abdicated in favour of his son Pedro II.
King Edward V	England	York	9 April 1483	25 June 1483	2 months 16 days	Edward V succeeded the throne on the death of his father Edward IV and was replaced by his uncle who became Richard III after Parliament declared Edward V's claim to the throne invalid. It is unknown what happened to Edward V after his "reign".
King Phillip I	Castile(Spain)	Habsburg	12 July 1506	25 September 1506	2 months 13 days	Declared his wife, the sovereign Queen Joanna I, insane in order to rule in her place. He then died, apparently of typhoid fever, although rumors claimed he was poisoned by King Ferdinand of Aragon.
Seventh and Eighth Dynasties of Egypt	Ancient Egypt	Seventh and Eighth Dynasties	c.2180 BC	c.2180 BC	70 days	According to Manetho, these fourteen kings reigned a total of 70 days.
Ibrahim ibn al-Walid	Umayyad Caliphate	Umayyad, Marwanid branch	744	744	70 days
Emperor Alexios V Doukas	Byzantine Empire	Doukas	5 February 1204	12 April 1204	2 months 7 days	Alexios V Doukas usurped the throne from emperors Isaac II Angelus and Alexius IV Angelus and was then deposed during the Fourth Crusade. Soon after that, whilst in exile, he was blinded by his father-in-law, the previously deposed Alexius III Angelus, and then brought back to Constantinople and sentenced to death for treason.
Emperor Didius Julianus	Roman Empire	Year of the Five Emperors	28 March 193	1 June 193	2 months 5 days	Purchased the throne after the Praetorian Guards auctioned it off. Faced revolt by General Septimius Severus who captured and executed him.
King Frederick Charles	Finland	Hesse-Kassel	9 October 1918	14 December 1918	2 months 5 days	Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse was elected king by the newly independent Kingdom of Finland and due to German defeat in the First World War renounced his title without travelling to his own kingdom.
King Mamia III Gurieli	King of Imereti	Gurieli	November 1713	5 January 1714	~2 months	reigned for around a year (1701–1702), eight months (October 1711 – June 1712), three months (November 1713-5 January 1714)
Chúa Trịnh Cán	Vietnam	Trịnh	1782	1782	~2 months	Trịnh Cán succeeded his father Trịnh Sâm to the throne aged 6 years and his half brother Trịnh Khải soon killed him and usurped his throne.
Duke Joachim Ernst	Anhalt	Ascania	13 September 1918	12 November 1918	1 month 30 days	Joachim Ernst abdicated his throne at the end of the First World War during the German revolution. He died as a prisoner of war in Buchenwald camp as a prisoner of Soviet forces.
King Boleslaw I Chrobry	Poland	Piast	18 April 1025	17 June 1025	1 month 30 days	Boleslaw I died not long after the coronation, due most likely to an illness.
King Edgar II	Kingdom of England	Wessex	15 October 1066	10 December 1066	1 month 25 days	Edgar succeeded the throne with the death of Harold II during the Norman invasion only to submit his throne to William I.
King Charles II	Hungary	Capetian House of Anjou	31 December 1385	24 February 1386	1 month 24 days	After the death of Louis I, he had claimed the Hungarian throne as the senior Angevin male, and ousted Louis' daughter Mary in December 1385. He was murdered in February 1386.
Tsar Feodor II	All Russia	Godunov	23 April 1605	20 June 1605	1 month 22 days	Tsar Feodor II succeeded to the throne after the death of his father Boris Godunov and was soon after killed during the Time of Troubles.
Emperor Ziying	China		mid-October 207 BC	December 207 BC	1 month 16 days	Ziying was the last ruler of the Qin Dynasty of China
Sultan Al-Mansur Abu Bakr	Mamluk Egypt		17 June 1341	5 August 1341	49 days	He was deposed and arrested by his father's senior emir, Qawsun. After being sent to prison, he was executed on Qawsun's orders two months later.
Emperor Ningzong	China		~1332	~1332	1 month 13 days	Ningzong was briefly installed as Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, a ruling dynasty of China.
Tirigan	Sumer	Dynasty of Guti	c.2050 BC	c.2050 BC	40 days	Last king of Guti, according to the Sumerian King List.
Khan Umor	First Bulgarian Empire	Dynasty of Uokil	766	766	40 days
King Sweyn I	England		25 December 1013	3 February 1014	1 month 9 days	Sweyn usurped the throne from Æthelred II who regained the throne after Sweyn's death. Sweyn was also king of Denmark from c985 and king of Norway c985 to 995 and co-monarch from 1000 until his death.
King Umberto II	Italy	Savoy	9 May 1946	12 June 1946	1 month 3 days	Umberto II succeeded the throne when his father Victor Emmanuel III abdicated in an attempt to retain the monarchy. 33 days after the reign of Umberto II began, a republic was declared.
Emperor Li Zicheng	China	Li	25 April 1644	27 May 1644	1 month 2 days	Li Zicheng declared himself Emperor of China after Chongzhen committed suicide and was then forced from power after the Battle of Shanhai Pass.
Pope John Paul I	Holy See		26 August 1978	28 September 1978	1 month 2 days
Pope Benedict V	Holy See		22 May 964	23 June 964	1 month 1 day
King Reccared II	King of Hispania, Septimania and Galicia	Visigoths	612	612	~1 month
King Shallum of Israel	Israel		773 BC[8]	c.772 BC	1 month[9]	Biblical King from the Second Book of Kings. Because he became King in the 38th year but died in the 39th year, then his reign probably spans the Jewish New year.

Less than a month

Note: Some of the following have been disputed as genuine monarchs

Name	Country	Royal house/dynasty	Reign began	Reign ended	Length	Comments
Taichang Emperor	China	Ming	28 August 1620	26 September 1620	29 days	Died after a bout of diarrhea which could have been caused by poisoning.
Emperor He	China	Han	74 BC	74 BC	27 days	Installed and deposed by Regent Huo Guang.
Pope Leo XI	Holy See		1 April 1605	27 April 1605	27 days
Pope Pius III	Holy See		22 September 1503	18 October 1503	27 days
Prince Milan Obrenović II	Serbia	Obrenović	25 June 1839	8 July 1839	26 days	Succeeded with the abdication of his father, Miloš Obrenović I, although, due to ill health, he may never have been aware of his own rule, dying after 26 days.
Rögnvaldr Óláfsson	Kingdom of Mann and the Isles	Crovan dynasty	6 May 1249	30 May 1249	24 days	Slain by an apparent accomplice of his first cousin once removed, Haraldr Guðrøðarson, a man who certainly succeeded Rögnvaldr.
Pope Damasus II	Holy See		17 July 1048	9 August 1048	24 days
Emperor Constantine	Russian Empire	Romanov	1 December 1825	25 December 1825	24 days	Succeeded his elder brother Alexander I and abdicated in favour of his younger brother Nicholas I leading to the Decembrist revolt.
Pharaoh Amenemhet VI	Egypt	Thirteenth dynasty	c.1780 BC	c.1780 BC	23 days[1]	Pharaoh of the Second Intermediate period
Pope Marcellus II	Holy See		9 April 1555	1 May 1555	22 days
Emperor Gordian I	Roman Empire	Gordianan	22 March 238	12 April 238	21 days	Proclaimed joint Augustus with his son Gordian II after leading a revolt against Maximinus I. Gordian I hanged himself on hearing the news that Gordian II had fallen in battle against Maximinus I.
Emperor Gordian II	Roman Empire	Gordianan	22 March 238	12 April 238	21 days	Proclaimed joint Augustus with his father Gordian I after leading a revolt against Maximinus I. Gordian II was killed at the Battle of Carthage.
Pope Sisinnius	Holy See		15 January 708	4 February 708	21 days
Pope Theodore II	Holy See		December 897	December 897	20 days
Emperor Shang	China	Tang	8 July 710	25 July 710	18 days	Installed by Empress Wei to succeed Emperor Zhongzong, but was deposed 18 days later in a coup.
King Anikanga Mahadipada	Polonnaruwa		1209	1209	17 days	Governor of Maya Rata, who put to death the 3 months old Infant King Dharmasoka Deva and became king.
Pope Celestine IV	Holy See		25 October 1241	10 November 1241	17 days	Died before Consecration
Pope Boniface VI	Holy See		April 896	April 896	16 days
Emperor Napoleon II	Emperor of the French	Bonaparte	22 June 1815	7 July 1815	16 days	Succeeded with the abdication of Napoleon I and deposed with the restoration of Louis XVIII.
Pope Urban VII	Holy See		15 September 1590	27 September 1590	13 days	Shortest reigning Pope of all time. (See full list)
King Lodewijk II	Holland	Bonaparte	1 July 1810	13 July 1810	12 days	Succeeded with the abdication of his father Lodewijk Napoleon only to have his kingdom annexed by Napoleon I of the French.
Emperor Puyi	China	Qing	1 July 1917	12 July 1917	12 days	Restored by Zhang Xun in a coup, but the republic was restored by Duan Qirui 12 days later.
Lady Jane Grey	England and Ireland	Tudor	10 July 1553	19 July 1553	9 days	Proclaimed Queen four days after the death of Edward VI only to be removed and later executed by Mary I.
Emir Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah	Kuwait	Al-Sabah	15 January 2006	24 January 2006	9 days	Succeeded with the death of Jaber III Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and voted out of office by parliament due to ill health before being able to issue his abdication in favour of Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
King Henry V	King of France	Bourbon	2 August 1830	9 August 1830	7 days	Succeeded with the abdications of Charles X and then Louis XIX 20 minutes later, only to be rejected by the National Assembly in favour of Louis-Phillipe.
King Thong Lan	Ayutthaya Kingdom	Suphannaphum	1370	1370	7 days	Succeeded with the death of Borommarachathirat I and then Ramesuan's forces quickly took the palace and executed King Thong Lan. King Ramesuan then held the throne.
Pharaoh Hor I	Egypt	Thirteenth Dynasty	c.1775 BC	c.1775 BC	7 days	Pharaoh of the Second intermediate Period. Attested 7 days on the Turin Canon
King Sigeric	Spain	Visigothic Kingdom	415	415	7 days	Usurped the throne after the assassination of king Ataulf, but his cruelty raised high opposition, leading to his murder.
King Zimri	Israel		c. 885 BC or c. 876 BC	c. 885 BC or c. 876 BC	7 days	A biblical king from the Books of Kings.

Less than a week

Note: Some of the following have been disputed as genuine monarchs

Name	Country	Royal house/dynasty	Reign began	Reign ended	Length	Comments
Pharaoh Seth	Egypt	Thirteenth Dynasty	c.1755 BC	c.1755 BC	6 days[1]	Pharaoh of the Second Intermediate period. His existence is disputed, being that he is only attested on the Turin Papyrus
King John I	France and Navarre	Capet	15 November 1316	20 November 1316	5 days	Posthumous son of Louis X, died aged 5 days.
Pharaoh Imyremeshaw	Ancient Egypt	Thirteenth Dynasty	c.1765 BC	c.1765 BC	4 days[1]	Pharaoh of the Second Intermediate period
King Crateuas	Macedon	Argead Dynasty	399 BC	399 BC	4 days	Assassinated Archelaus I during a hunt. Succeeded by Archelaus's son Orestes.
Pope-elect Stephen	Holy See		23 March 752	26 March 752	3 days	Not normally recognized as a genuine Pope, Stephen died of apoplexy 3 days after his election, missing his consecration. The numbering of Stephens from Stephen I (254–257 AD) to Stephen II (752–757 AD) skips him over, and he was removed from the 1961 List of Popes.
Lê Trung Tông	Vietnam	Lê	October 1005	October 1005	3 days	Assassinated by order of his successor Lê Ngoạ Triều.
Lê Quang Trị	Vietnam	Lê	1516	1516	3 days
King Karposh	Kumanovo		October 1689	October 1689	3 days	Leader of an uprising against the Ottoman Empire.
Emperor Dục Đức	Vietnam	Nguyễn	20 July 1883	23 July 1883	3 days	Executed for failing to observe Confucian mourning etiquette, and for having intimate relations with his predecessor's concubines.
King Inayatullah Khan Seraj	Afghanistan	Barakzai	14 January 1929	17 January 1929	3 days	Inayatullah Khan Seraj replaced his brother King Amanullah Khan who had abdicated. Inayatullah Khan Seraj then abdicated himself three days later in favour of Habibullah Ghazi who was deposed 8 months later.
King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev	Nepal	Shah	1 June 2001	4 June 2001	<56 hours	Succeeded to the throne after the murder of his father Birendra during the Nepalese royal massacre in which Dipendra allegedly inflicted mortal wounds upon himself.
Sultan Sayyid Khalid bin Barghash	Zanzibar	Al Bu Sa'id	25 August 1896	27 August 1896	2 days	Seized power after the death of Sayyid Hamad bin Thuwaini Al-Busaid resulting in the 38 minute Anglo-Zanzibar War. Replaced by Sayyid Hamoud bin Mohammed Al-Said after surrender.

Less than a day

Due to the ephemeral nature of their reigns, the following have been disputed as genuine monarchs:

Name	Country	Royal house/dynasty	Reign began	Reign ended	Length	Comments
Emperor Michael I Megas Komnenos	Empire of Trebizond	Komnenos	30 July 1341	31 July 1341	Less than 24 hours	First reign : as the legitimate male descendant of the ruling family, Michael received the support of much of the populace and was acclaimed emperor. Some of the nobility, led by the Metropolitan Akakios received him as their lord and escorted him into the palace. As soon as night fell, however, the nobles imprisoned Michael, not wishing to be ruled by a mature and forceful monarch.
Tsar Michael II	Russian Empire	Romanov	15 March 1917	16 March 1917	16 hours	Deferred acceptance. Later killed.
Emperor Mo	Jurchen Empire	Jin	9 February 1234	9 February 1234	12 hours	Crowned while under assault by Mongolians at the Siege of Caizhou and killed after the coronation.
Victoria Kamāmalu	Hawaii	Kamehameha	30 November 1864	30 November 1864	5 hours and 45 minutes	As Kuhina Nui, she effectively became head of state upon her brother Kamehameha IV's death at 9:15 a.m. until her other brother Kamehameha V's declaration as the actual successor at 3 p.m. the same day.[10]
Daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei	Northern Wei	Xianbei dynasty	1 April 528	1 April 528	Less than 5 hours	Soon after her birth, her grandmother, the Empress Dowager Hu, falsely declared she was a boy and ordered a general pardon. Emperor Xiaoming died soon afterwards. On 1 April 528, Empress Dowager Hu installed the infant on the throne for a matter of hours before replacing her with Yuan Zhao the next day.[11]

Less than an hour

Due to the ephemeral nature of their reigns, the following have been disputed as genuine monarchs:

Name	Country	Royal house/dynasty	Reign began	Reign ended	Length	Comments
Prince Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angouleme, "King Louis XIX"	Kingdom of France	Bourbon	2 August 1830	2 August 1830	20 minutes	Succeeded according to the order of succession with the abdication of his father Charles X only to abdicate in favour of his nephew, Henri V. However, since the abdication documents were signed at nearly the same time, albeit Louis contemplated his future for twenty minutes before actually signing, the question of whether Louis actually had a 'reign' is a philosophical one. His father had already de facto been deposed when the signings took place.

See also

• List of shortest reigning Popes
• Current reigning monarchs by length of reign
• List of longest-reigning monarchs
• List of the oldest living state leaders

References

1. "The political situation in Egypt during the second intermediate period", by K. S. B. Ryholt, page 192
2. Edwin Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, (1st ed.; New York: Macmillan, 1951; 2d ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965; 3rd ed.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan/Kregel, 1983). ISBN 0-8254-3825-X, 9780825438257
3. 2 Kings 15:8
4. "Annals of the World" by James Ussher, section 797
5. 2 Chronicles 36:9
6. "Annals of the World" by James Ussher, sections 760–761
7. 2 Chronicles 36:2
8. "Annals of the World" by James Ussher, section 569
9. 2 Kings 15:13
10. Dutton, Meiric Keeler; Harris, Charles Coffin (1957). The Succession of King Kamehameha V to Hawaii's Throne: Including a Recently-Discovered Private Memorandum Written by Attorney-General C. C. Harris. Honolulu: Loomis House Press. p. 11.
11. 历史上短命的皇帝有哪些 [Short-lived emperors in history]. Shangdu.com (in Chinese). Henan Culture Web (河南文化网). 2013-07-16. Retrieved 2013-11-17.