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. Only monarchs with a reign lasting 3 months or less are listed here, while popes are mentioned in their own article.

Monarch	Reign	Length	Short summary	Ref.
Philip Antipope	31 July 768	Less than a day	Elected after the death of Pope Paul I. His election was declared invalid, and he was declared guilty of simony; having been stripped of the pontifical garments, he was then personally forced to return to his monastery.	^[1]
Emperor Mo Emperor of Jin	9 February 1234	Less than a day	Emperor Aizong abdicated in his favor while they were still besieged by the Mongols at Caizhou, then committed suicide by hanging. Killed while leading a charge in the streets of Caizhou	^[2]
Celestine II Pope-elect	13/14 December 1124	Less than a day	Elected after the death of Pope Callixtus II. Abdicated a couple of hours into his papacy due to factional violence breaking out during the investment ceremony	^[3]
Min Shin Saw King of Burma	1167	Less than a day	Succeeded after the death of his father Sithu I, who was smothered by his younger son Narathu. Min Shin Saw was assassinated that same night on his brother's order.	^[4]
Vira Bahu I King of Polonnaruwa	1196	Less than a day	Succeeded after the death of his father Nissanka Malla and crowned at night. He was assassinated at dawn by the commander-in-chief Tavuru Senevirat.	^[5]
Michael Emperor of Trebizond (first reign)	30 July 1341	Less than a day	Acclaimed emperor after arriving with the intention to marry Irene Palaiologina, who had been overthrown by Anna Anachoutlou while the voyage was underway. He was deposed and imprisoned on that same night by Anna. He recovered the throne in 1344 and reigned for five years.	^[6]
Soththisena King of Anuradhapura (Sinhala Kingdom)	434	Less than a day	He succeeded his father Mahanama as king and was succeeded by his stepsister, Chattagahaka Jantu. According to the Lesser Chronicle (Cūḷavaṃsa) of Sri Lanka, King Soththisena, the shortest reigning king of Sri Lanka, ascended the throne in the morning and was assassinated that evening in a palace conspiracy.	^[7]
Khalid bin Barghash Sultan of Zanzibar	25–27 August 1896	2 days	Succeeded after the death of his cousin, Hamad bin Thuwaini, who was likely poisoned by Khalid. He was forced to flee during the Anglo-Zanzibar War, which only lasted less than an hour.	^[8]
Dục Đức Emperor of Vietnam	20–23 July 1883	3 days	Succeeded after the death of his uncle and adoptive father, Tự Đức. He was deposed and imprisoned by his regents Nguyễn Văn, Tôn Thất and Tran Tien. He died of starvation three months later.	^[9]
Xiaowen King of Qin (China)	250 BC	3 days	Succeeded after the death of his father, King Zhaoxiang. It is speculated that he was poisoned by chancellor Lü Buwei.	^[10]
Inayatullah Khan King of Afghanistan	14–17 January 1929	3 days	Succeeded after the abdication and flight of his brother, Amanullah Khan, during the uprising of Habibullāh Kalakāni. Abdicated in favour of Kalakani after he captured Kabul	^[11]
Dipendra King of Nepal	1–4 June 2001	3 days	Proclaimed king after the murder of his father Birendra and most of his family in the Nepalese royal massacre, where he also shot himself and was left in a coma. Died of his injuries without regaining consciousness	^[12]
Lê Long Việt Emperor of Vietnam	1005	3 days	Succeeded after the death of his father, Lê Đại Hành. Assassinated on orders of his brother Lê Long Đĩnh, who succeeded him.	^[13]
Lê Quang Trị Emperor of Vietnam	1516	3 days	Succeeded at the age of 8 after the murder of Lê Tương Dực. Murdered.	^[14]
John II King of Portugal (first reign)	11–15 November 1477	4 days	King of Portugal for a brief period following his father's retirement to a monastery. After he returned, John abdicated. He became the monarch again in 1481.	^[15]
John I King of France and Navarre	15–19 November 1316	4 days	Posthumous child of Louis X; king for the four days he lived.	^[16]
Mahinda VI King of Polonnaruwa	1187	5 days	Took the throne after killing Vijayabahu II. He was killed by Vijayabahu II's sub-king, Nissanka Malla.	^[17]
Thong Lan I King of Ayutthaya, King of Thailand	1388–1389	7 days	Death of his father, Borommarachathirat I. Deposed and executed by Ramesuan	^[18]
Zein Pun King of Martaban	April–May 1330	7 days	Assassinated King Saw Zein, later Assassinated by Sanda Min Hla, widow of Saw Zein	^[19]
Zimri King of Israel	885 BC or 876 BC	7 days	Assassinated King Elah. Zimri later committed suicide while under siege by Omri, who disputed the crown. His name became a byword for traitor.	^[20]
Muhammad al-Badr King of Yemen	19–26 September 1962	8 days	Proclaimed king upon the death of his father, Ahmad bin Yahya. After the monarchy was abolished he led the pro-monarchist forces during the North Yemen Civil War, until 1970
Saad Emir of Kuwait	15–24 January 2006	9 days	Saad was deposed by the National Assembly on the grounds of poor health.
Igor II Grand Prince of Kiev	2–13 August 1146	11 days	Death of his brother Vsevolod II, announced on 1 August and proclaimed on 2 August. Forced to abdicate and replaced by Iziaslav II
Xuantong Emperor of Great Qing (second reign)	1–12 July 1917	11 days	Restored by monarchist general Zhang Xun; he had last been emperor in 1912. Restoration failed due to lack of support. Later became Emperor of Manchukuo
Louis II King of Holland	1–13 July 1810	13 days	Abdication and flight of Louis I after being pressured by Napoleon. His kingdom was ultimately annexed into the French Empire by the latter.
Eleanor Queen of Navarre	28 January – 12 February 1479	14 days	Eleanor had a brief reign as queen before dying 2 weeks later.
Ali Ahmad Khan Emir of Afghanistan	17 January – 1 February 1929	15 days	Proclaimed Emir in Jalalabad in protest for Inayatullah Khan's abdication on Habibullah Kalakani. Later captured and ransomed to Kalakani, who had him executed.
Napoleon II Emperor of the French (second reign)	22 June – 7 July 1815	16 days	Abdication of his father, Napoleon I. Empire abolished, replaced by the Kingdom of France
Shang Emperor of Tang	8–25 July 710	17 days	Assassination of his father, Emperor Zhongzong, by Empress Wei and her daughter Li Guo'er who wanted to use the young Shang as their puppet Later deposed; Wei and Li Guo'er were murdered. Most traditional historians did not consider him legitimate and do not include him in the list of emperors of the Tang dynasty, but modern historians usually do.
Anikanga King of Polonnaruwa	1209	17 days	Assassinated his son, King Dharmasoka, who was an infant. Assassinated by General Vikkantacamunakka, who then surrendered control to former queen Lilavati
Gordian II Roman Emperor	March–April 238	22 days	Father and son co-emperors proclaimed in rebellion against Maximinus Thrax in the so-called Year of the Six Emperors. Gordian the elder committed suicide upon learning of his son's death.
Gordian I Roman Emperor	March–April 238	22 days
Diadumenian Roman Emperor	May – June 218	23 days	Death of his father Macrinus, later killed by Elagabalus.
Rǫgnvaldr Óláfsson King of Mann and the Isles	6–30 May 1249	24 days	Death of his brother Haraldr Óláfsson in a shipwreck. Later assassinated by his cousin and successor, Haraldr Guðrøðarson.
Milan Obrenović II Prince of Serbia	25 June – 8 July 1839	26 days	Abdication of his father, Miloš Obrenović I. Later died of tuberculosis.
Nepotianus Roman Emperor	3–30 June 350	27 days	Proclaimed emperor in Rome, later assassinated by Magnentius.
Liu He Emperor of Han	74 BC	27 days	Installed by regent Huo Guang, later deposed by Huo Guang.
Taichang Emperor of Great Ming	28 August – 26 September 1620	29 days	Death of his father, the Wanli Emperor, later died of disease.
Napoleon I King of Spain	6 May – 6 June 1808	31 days (1 month)	Forced abdications of Charles IV and Ferdinand VII in Bayonne, and their subsequent imprisonment in France. Designated his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain. Usually not counted as a King of Spain unlike his brother
Zhongzong Emperor of Tang (first reign)	23 January – 26 February 684	34 days (1 month, 3 days)	Death of his father, Emperor Gaozong. Deposed by his mother, Empress Dowager Wu
Umberto II King of Italy	9 May – 12 June 1946	34 days (1 month, 3 days)	Abdication of his father, Victor Emmanuel III. Monarchy abolished after republican victory in the 1946 Italian institutional referendum
Athittayawong I King of Ayutthaya, King of Thailand	1629	36 days (1 month, 5 days)	Death of his older brother, Borommaracha II, with the help of Marquess Sriworawong who later became Sanphet V. Executed by Marquess Sriworawong, later Sanphet V
Salomon III Emperor of Ethiopia (Second reign)	16 June – 25 July 1799	39 days (1 month, 9 days)	Restored by Ras Mare'ed and Ras Guebre while Tekle Giyorgis I was campaigning in Begemder. Deposed by Dejazmach Gugsa and Dejazmach Alula, who were part of the army that defeated Salomon's supporters
Sweyn Forkbeard King of England	25 December 1013 – 3 February 1014	40 days (1 month, 9 days)	Declared king after conquering London
Li Zicheng Emperor of Great Shun	25 April – 4 June 1644	40 days (1 month, 10 days)	Proclaimed himself Emperor after his capture of Beijing and the suicide of the Chongzhen Emperor. Abandoned Beijing after his defeat by the Manchus at the Battle of Shanhai Pass. He was killed under unclear circumstances around 1645, likely in battle.

Monarch	Reign	Length	Short summary	Ref.
Louis XIX King of France	2 August 1830	About 20 minutes	Heir-apparent of Charles X, who was forced to abdicate during the July Revolution. His abdication and his father's were announced through the same document, which refers to him as dauphin only. Louis Antoine is said to have been king between his father's signature and his own, but this does not appear to be historically accurate.	^[21] ^[22] ^[23] ^[24]
Luís II King of Portugal	1 February 1908	About 20 minutes	Carlos I was murdered in the Lisbon Regicide; his heir-apparent Prince Luís Filipe was also fatally wounded in the attack. Because Luís Filipe survived his father by about 20 minutes, the Guinness Book of Records identifies him as the second-shortest reigning monarch. However, according to the Portuguese tradition, the new monarch must be proclaimed by the Cortes Gerais; thus, the reign of Luís Filipe is disputed and not officially recognised. His younger brother, Manuel, who survived the attack, became the new king following his acclamation in the Cortes.	^[21] ^[25]
Daughter of Xiaoming Emperor of Northern Wei	1 April 528	Less than a day	Proclaimed "Emperor" as an infant by her grandmother, Empress Dowager Hu, who passed her off as male. Later that same day, Hu admitted she was actually female and proclaimed Yuan Zhao as emperor. Official historical records never listed her as a legitimate sovereign.	^[26] ^[27] ^[28]
Michael II Emperor of Russia	15 March 1917	Less than a day	Succeeded after the abdication of Nicholas II. Made his accession conditional on the decision of the Provisional Government, contrary to the wishes of Nicholas, who abdicated without informing either. Numerous questions surround the existence of any "reign", starting with the legality, or lack thereof, of Nicholas's abdication to his brother while bypassing his son Alexei.	^[29]
Napoleon II Emperor of the French	4–6 April 1814 (first reign)	2 days	His father Napoleon Bonaparte was declared deposed by the French senate on 4 April 1814, but his formal abdication was not proclaimed until two days later. On 6 April, Napoleon renounced all personal rights to the throne and also those of his descendants. The French Empire was subsequently replaced by the restored Kingdom of France under Louis XVIII.	^[30]
Louis Philippe II King of the French	24–26 February 1848	2 days	His grandfather Louis Philippe I abdicated on 24 February 1848, following the French Revolution of 1848. The Second Republic was proclaimed two days later. He was later recognized by monarchist loyalists as "Louis Philippe II" or "Philip VII".	^[31]^[32]
Ioan Joldea Prince of Moldavia	September 1552	2–8 days	Succeeded after the assassination of Stephen VI by his boyars after a failed invasion of Transylvania. His reign length is disputed.	^[33]
Henry V King of France	2–9 August 1830	7 days	Abdications of Charles X and Louis XIX, his grandfather and uncle, during the July Revolution. Proclamation hijacked by regent Louis Philippe of Orleans who chose not to announce it as expected. The National Assembly then proclaimed Louis Philippe the King of the French, and Henry marched into exile.
Indra Bhattaraka King of Eastern Chalukyas	673	7 days	Made himself the monarch following the death of his elder brother Jayasimha I. Succeeded by his son Vishnuvardhana II, likely abdicated or was deposed
Sigeric King of the Visigoths	16–22 August 415	7 days	Assassination of Ataulf by a former retainer of Sigeric's slain brother, Sarus. Sigeric was in turn assassinated and replaced by Ataulf's relative Wallia. Some lists of kings exclude him for considering him a usurper.
Irina Godunova Tsarina of Russia	17–26 January 1598	9 days	Proclaimed after the death of her husband and distant cousin Feodor I. Ruled for 9 days as nominal tsar. Abdicated in favour of her brother Boris Godunov. Her reign is sometimes counted as having ended on February 21, when her brother Boris was formally elected tsar by the Boyars.
Jane Queen of England and Ireland	10–19 July 1553	9 days	Proclaimed at the Tower of London, per the will of her cousin Edward VI. Deposed and executed by Edward's sister, Mary I
Henry II King of Haiti	8–18 October 1820	10 days	Suicide of his father, Henry I. Murdered before being formally proclaimed. The kingdom was subsequently annexed by the Republic of Haiti.
Bel-shimanni King of Babylon	484 BC	c. 14 days^[a]	Proclaimed king in Borsippa and Dilbat, in rebellion against the Achaemenid Empire. Succeeded by Shamash-eriba, either after giving up his claim voluntarily or being defeated by him
Ælfweard King of Wessex	17 July – 2 August 924	16 days	Death of his father, Edward the Elder. Died. May have reigned in dispute with his elder brother Æthelstan, who succeeded him
Cem Sultan of the Ottoman Empire	28 May – 20 June 1481	23 days	Proclaimed himself Sultan in Anatolia after the death of his father, Mehmed II. Fled to Mamluk Egypt after being defeated by his brother, Bayezid II.
Constantine I Emperor of Russia	1–25 December 1825	24 days	Proclaimed after the death of his brother, Alexander I. Refused to assume the throne because he had secretly renounced all rights in 1823 in order to marry Joanna Grudzińska. His younger brother became Nicholas I.
Zhao Fu Emperor of Song	26 March 1129 – 20 April 1129	25 days	Ascended the throne after his father, Emperor Gaozong, was forced to abdicate amidst a mutiny. Forced to abdicate in favour of his father. He is not considered a legitimate emperor by most historians.
António King of Portugal	23 July – 25 August 1580	33 days (1 month, 2 days)	Proclaimed after the death of his uncle Henry due to popular support. Forced to abdicate after being defeated by his cousin Philip I. Reigned in the Azores until 1583
Ciubăr Vodă Prince of Moldavia	c. December 1448 – January 1449	2 months	A Croatian-Hungarian aristocrat sent by John Hunyadi to depose Roman II in favor of Peter III, but said to have reigned himself as Prince after Peter III fled. Alexander II became Prince in February 1449. Some historians believe he merely occupied the country on Hunyadi's behalf and did not actually claim the throne.

Monarch	Reign	Length (assumed)	Notes	Ref.
Crateuas King of Macedon	399 BC	3 / 4 days	Succeeded Archelaus I as king; little is known about him. Some historians believe that Crateuas was one of several conspirators in Archelaus' death and that the claim that Crateuas held the throne after him is an embellishment.	^[34] ^[35]
Baeda Maryam III Emperor of Ethiopia	April 1826	Few days	Placed on the throne by Dejazmach Haile Maryam, the governor of Semien, but was deposed by Ras Marye of Yejju a few days later, who restored Gigar to the throne.	^[36]
Muawiya II Caliph of Islam	683–684	20 days to 4 months	Death of his father, Yazid I. Later died of disease
Quintillus Roman Emperor	270	≈27 days^[b]	Death of his brother, Claudius Gothicus, later assassinated or committed suicide.	^[37]^[38]
Alexios V Emperor of Trebizond	April 1460	<1 month	Death of his father, John IV of Trebizond. Deposed by his uncle David
Ptolemy XI Pharaoh of Egypt	80 BC	<1 month	Installed as husband and co-ruler of Berenice III. Later murdered Berenice and was killed by a mob.
Praudha Raya King of Sangama dynasty	1485	<1 month	Deposed by Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya
Antipope Victor IV Pope	March–May 1138	≈1 month	Proclaimed after the death of Antipope Anacletus II. Through the influence of Bernard of Clairvaux, he was induced to make his submission to Pope Innocent II. Innocent initially restored him as cardinal of SS. Apostoli, but in the Second Lateran Council of April 1139, all former adherents of Anacletus II were condemned and deposed. He then retired to the priorate of S. Eusebio in Fontanella.
Reccared II King of the Visigoths	February–March 612	≈1 month	Death of his father, Sisebut
Charles II Duke of Parma (second reign)	April – 17 May 1849	≈1 month	Restored by Austrian troops after fleeing during the Revolutions of 1848. Abdicated in favour of his son, Charles III
Shallum King of Israel	752–745 BC	1 month^[c]	Assassinated King Zechariah, later in turn assassinated and replaced by Menahem.
Nabu-suma-ukin II King of Babylon	732 BC	1 month, 2 days^[c]	Deposed Nabu-nadin-zeri, later deposed by Nabu-mukin-zeri.
Tirigan King of Sumer	c. 2050 BC	40 days^[c]	Succeeded Si'um. Sumer annexed by Utu-hengal of Uruk
Umor Khan of Bulgaria	766	40 days^[c]	Likely elected after the deposition and flight of Sabin. Could have died or been deposed by Toktu
Antipater Etesias King of Macedon	279 BC	45 days^[c]	Became king after the abdication of Meleager. Deposed by Sosthenes

Monarch	Reign	Length	Reason for accession	Reason for reign's end
Ala ud-din Sikandar Shah Tughlaq dynasty	22 January − 8 March 1394	45 days (1 month and 14 days)	Succeeded Muhammad Shah III	Died of natural causes
Xerxes II Shah of Persia and Pharaoh of Egypt	424 BC	45 days (1 month, 15 days)	Death of his father, Artaxerxes I	Assassinated by Sogdianus, his illegitimate half-brother and successor
Ying Ziying King of Qin	October–December 207 BC	46 days	Enthroned by Zhao Gao after the assassination of Qin Er Shi	Assassinated by Xiang Yu
Abd al-Rahman V Caliph of Cordoba	2 December 1023 – 17 January 1024	46 days (1 month, 15 days)	Overthrew Al-Qasim al-Ma'mun	Assassinated by Muhammad III
Ferdinand VII King of Spain (first reign)	19 March – 6 May 1808	48 days (1 month, 17 days)	Abdication of his father, Charles IV, as a result of the Mutiny of Aranjuez	Forced to abdicate on his father by Napoleon I, who unbeknownst to Ferdinand, had been forced to abdicate his rights on Napoleon himself on the same day. The abdications were declared null by the Council of Castile on 11 August, recognizing him as king despite being imprisoned by the French at Château de Valençay. Napoleon recognized him on 11 December 1813, by the Treaty of Valençay, and he remained on the throne until his death in 1833.
Saw E King of Martaban	April–June 1330	49 days	Assassination of Zein Pun by former queen consort Sanda Min Hla	Assassinated by Sanda Min Hla
Magnus the Strong King of Denmark	15 April – 4 June 1134	50 days (1 month, 19 days)	Appointed as co-king of Denmark with his father king Niels as senior king. Crowned as king of Denmark by Emperor Lothair III 15 April 1134	Killed at the Battle of Fotevik
Ningzong Khagan and Emperor of Great Yuan	23 October – 14 December 1332	52 days (1 month, 22 days)	Elected after the death of his uncle Emperor Wenzong	Died
Pedro IV King of Portugal	10 March – 2 May 1826	53 days (1 month, 23 days)	Death of his father, John VI	Abdicated in favour of his daughter, Maria II, and returned to Brazil where he reigned as Pedro I until 1831.
Charles II King of Hungary and Croatia	31 December 1385 – 24 February 1386	55 days (1 month, 24 days)	Deposed Queen Mary	Assassinated by Mary's mother, Elizabeth of Bosnia
Feodor II Tsar of Russia	23 April – 20 June 1605	58 days (1 month, 28 days)	Death of his father, Boris I	Assassinated by boyars supporting False Dmitry I
Khusrau Khan Sultan of Delhi	10 July – 5 September 1320	58 days	Assassination of his homosexual partner and emperor Mubarak Shah	Assassinated by Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq who founded the Tughlaq dynasty
Al-Mansur Abu Bakr Sultan of Egypt and Syria	7 June – 5 August 1341	59 days (1 month, 29 days)	Death of his father, An-Nasir Muhammad	Deposed and executed
Joachim Ernest Duke of Anhalt	13 September – 12 November 1918	60 days (1 month, 30 days)	Death of his father, Edward	Monarchy abolished
Diadumenian Roman co-emperor	after 16 May 218 – after 8 June 218	1–2 months	Made co-emperor by his father, Macrinus	Assassinated after the deposition of Macrinus; he was also declared Enemy of Rome and subjected to Damnatio memoriae.
Herennius Etruscus Roman co-emperor	May–June 251	1–2 months	Made co-emperor by his father, Decius	Killed at the Battle of Abritus
Edgar II King of the English	after 14 October 1066 – early December 1066	1–2 months	Elected by the Witenagemot after Harold II's death	Submitted to William the Conqueror
Ragibagh Khan Khagan and Emperor of Great Yuan	October – 14 November 1328	1–2 months	Installed following the death of his father, Yesün Temür	Died after a civil war broke out, probably murdered by a rival claimant
Labashi-Marduk King of Babylon	556 BC	1–3 months	Succeeded his father, Neriglissar	Assassinated by Belshazzar
David Tiberius Eastern Roman emperor	September – 5 November 641	<2 month	Made co-emperor of his brother Heraclonas by their mother, Empress Martina.	Deposed by supporters of Constans II
Yuan Zhao Emperor of Wei	2 April – May 528	<2 months	Proclaimed by Empress Dowager Hu	Deposed and executed along with Hu. Traditional historians treat him ambiguously, and subsequent Northern Wei emperors never explicitly declared whether he was an emperor or not. He was not given an imperial posthumous name or temple name, but neither was his imperial status declared null.
Amyntas II King of Macedon	394/393 BC	<2 months	Death of his relative Aeropus II	Assassinated and succeeded by Aeropus II's son Pausanias
John IV Prince of Moldavia	November–December 1577	<2 months	Deposed Peter IV	Deposed and executed after an Ottoman-Polish-Wallachian invasion restored Peter IV
Salim II Sultan of Ndzuwani	February – 2 April 1891^[39]	<2 months	Succeeded his father Abdallah III	Unknown
Sanphet VII King of Ayutthaya, King of Thailand	1656	<2 month	Overthrowing Sanphet VI	Executed by Ramathibodi III the Great
Peter VII Prince of Moldavia	August – September/October 1592	<2–3 months	Deposed Alexander V	Deposed and mutilated by Aaron I, who then handed him to the Ottomans to be executed
Mamia I King of Imereti (third reign)	November 1713 – 5 January 1714	2 months	Recovered the throne after defeating George VII at the Battle of Kutaisi	Died
Meleager King of Macedon	279 BC	2 months	Death of his brother Ptolemy Keraunos	Forced to abdicate by his troops
Trịnh Cán Lord of Tonkin	September–October 1782	≈2 months	Death of his father, Trịnh Sâm	Forced to abdicate on Trịnh Khải
Gyanendra King of Nepal (first reign)	7 November 1950 – 7 January 1951	61 days (2 months)	Proclaimed when he was 4 years old by Prime Minister Mohan Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, in defiance of Gyanendra's grandfather Tribhuvan, who wanted to end the Rana family's hereditary occupation of the government. Afterward, Tribhuvan and most Nepalese royals, including Gyanendra, departed for India.	Tribhuvan returned and resumed rule after the Ranas agreed to his terms. Gyanendra would become the last king of Nepal five decades later, after the Nepalese royal massacre.
Ibrahim ibn al-Walid Caliph of Islam	4 October – 4 December 744	61 days (2 months)	Death of his brother, Yazid III	Abdicated in favour of Marwan II, who murdered him in 750
Radu IX Prince of Wallachia (second reign)	April – May 1611	2 months	Restored by Ottoman troops	Deposed by Radu X
Didius Julianus Roman Emperor	28 March – 1 June 193	65 days (2 months, 4 days)	Bought the throne in auction after the assassination of Pertinax	Deposed and executed. Also subjected to Damnatio memoriae
Frederick Charles King of Finland and Karelia	9 October – 14 December 1918	66 days (2 months, 5 days)	Elected by the Parliament of Finland	Renounced the throne without entering the country, which later became a republic
Staurakios Eastern Roman Emperor	26 July – 2 October 811	68 days (2 months, 6 days)	Death of his father, Nikephoros I Logothetes	Forced to abdicate by Michael I Rangabe
Frederick Christian Elector of Saxony	5 October – 17 December 1763	74 days (2 months, 12 days)	Death of his father, Frederick Augustus II	Died
Muhammad II Caliph of Cordoba (second reign)	10 May – 23 July 1010	74 days (2 months, 13 days)	Deposed Sulayman ibn al-Hakam	Assassinated and replaced by Hisham II
Petronius Maximus Western Roman Emperor	17 March – 31 May 455	75 days (2 months, 14 days)	Elected by the Roman Senate after assassinating Valentinian III	Murdered by a mob while trying to flee Rome from the impending Vandal attack
Alexios V Eastern Roman Emperor	27 January – 12 April 1204	76 days (2 months, 16 days)	Deposed co-emperors Isaac II and Alexios IV	Fled Constantinople during the Latin Sack of 1204. Later captured by Crusaders and executed
Edward V King of England	9 April – 25 June 1483	77 days (2 months, 16 days)	Death of his father, Edward IV	Deposed and imprisoned by his uncle Richard III, who claimed he was illegitimate. He is presumed murdered in captivity.
Chūkyō Emperor of Japan	13 May – 29 July 1221	78 days (2 months, 17 days)	Enthroned following the deposition of his father, Emperor Juntoku, in preparation for the Jōkyū War	Due to the Jōkyū War, the imperial court army was defeated by the Kamakura Shogunate army and he was deposed. Not officially recognized as Emperor until 1870 because of doubts raised by his short reign
Tupac Huallpa Sapa Inca	Began c. 26 July 1533, ended 12–27 October 1533	c. 78–93 days	Installed as puppet Inca by the Spanish after the assassination of Atahualpa	Died of disease or poison^[40]
Stephen II Despot of Serbia	1 April – 20 June 1459	80 days (2 months, 19 days)	Married a daughter of the late Despot Lazar Branković	Serbia annexed by the Ottoman Empire. Later became King of Bosnia for two years
Cuitláhuac Great Speaker of the Triple Alliance	c. 29 June – September 1520	80 days (2 months, 19 days)	Elected soon before or after leading a revolt against the Spanish who were holding his brother Moctezuma II hostage in Tenochtitlan	Died of smallpox
Hongxian Emperor of China	1 January – 22 March 1916	81 days (2 months, 21 days)	Offered the throne after unanimous vote by the Representative Assembly	Empire abolished after the monarchical restoration proved unexpectedly unpopular. Continued as President of the Republic of China until his death on 6 June
Amanullah Khan King of Afghanistan (second reign)	March – 23 May 1929	83 days	Returned to contest the throne during the Afghan Civil War (1928–1929), in opposition to Habibullah Kalakani	Fled to British India
Pertinax Roman Emperor	1 January – 28 March 193	86 days (2 months, 27 days)	Proclaimed after the assassination of Commodus	Assassinated by his Praetorian Guards, who then auctioned off the throne to the highest bidder.
Berengaria Queen of Castile	6 June – 31 August 1217	86 days (2 months, 25 days)	Death of her brother, Henry I	Abdicated in favour of her son, Ferdinand III
Christian Frederick King of Norway	17 May – 14 August 1814	89 days (2 months, 28 days)	Elected by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly	Abdicated by the Convention of Moss and returned to Denmark, where he became king (as Christian VIII) in 1839. The Crown of Norway was assumed by his rival, Charles XIII of Sweden.
Shajar al-Durr Sultan of Egypt^[d]	2 May – 30 July 1250	89 days (2 months 28 days)	Placed on the throne by the Mamluks after the assassination of Turanshah, the last member of the direct male line of the Ayyubid dynasty. Shajar al-Durr was previously the wife of the penultimate sultan As-Salih Ayyub (who died in 1249) and was chosen to provide the Mamluks with a link to the legitimate Ayyubid dynasty.	Abdicated in favour of Aybak, her second husband
Philip I King of Castile	27 June – 25 September 1506	90 days (2 months, 29 days)	Recognized as regnant king with equal authority to his wife, Queen Joanna, by the Treaty of Villafáfila	Died of typhoid or poison
Gebre Krestos Emperor of Ethiopia	24 March – 8 June 1832	2–3 months (except for a short time during the first reign of Sahle Dengel)	Proclaimed emperor by Ras Ali II of Yejju	Died, possibly poisoned^[42]
Florianus Roman Emperor	July–September 276	<3 months	Proclaimed after the death of his half-brother, Tacitus	Assassinated by his own troops while campaigning against the rebel Probus
Maha Thammarachathirat III King of Ayutthaya, King of Thailand	1758	<3 months	Death of his father, Maha Thammarachathirat II	Asked to abdicate by his brother, Borommaracha III, and went into monkhood. During the Burmese–Siamese War (1759–1760), Maha Thammarachathirat III was recrowned as a de facto co-king (not viceroy), in which he was forced to abdicate after the fall of Ayutthaya. He spent his last 29 years of exile in Mandalay, Third Burmese Empire. Living concuerently alongside 2 more iteration of the Siamese (Thai) state: Thonburi Kingdom and Rattanakosin Kingdom.
Sinmu King of Silla	839	<3 months^[e]	Assassinated Minae of Silla	Died from disease
Alexander III Prince of Moldavia	December 1540 – February 1541	<3 months	Assassination of Stephen V	Deposed and later assassinated by Peter IV
Alexander V Prince of Moldavia	June–August 1592	<3 months	Aaron I deposed by the Ottoman Empire	Deposed by Peter VII. In November he became the equally brief Prince of Wallachia, as Alexander III.
Alexander II Prince of Moldavia (third reign)	February – March or May 1455	2–4 months	Deposed Peter Aaron	Deposed by Peter Aaron and forced into exile, where he died on 25 May 1455
Shihabuddin Omar Emperor of Khalji dynasty	5 January – April 1316	~3 months	Deposed	Deposed by his elder brother Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah, later died in exile
Tekle Giyorgis I Emperor of Ethiopia (Sixth reign)	24 March – June 1800	~3 months	Placed on the throne multiple times during the Zemene Mesafint.

List of shortest-reigning monarchs

Historically attested

Disputed

Unknown length

Other monarchs who reigned for less than three months

See also

Notes

References

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