text | Geng Geng
editor | Geng Geng
Throughout history, there have been countless monarchs, some good, some bad, and many others who have been basically forgotten. Some monarchs, such as Queen Elizabeth II, rule for decades, but many others reign for much shorter periods.
While we tend to think of being a monarch as a lifelong job, the reality is that many monarchs have abdicated, essentially resigned.
Sometimes they are coerced and sometimes they do it for personal reasons. Here, we pick out ten monarchs throughout history who decided to abdicate and give up their throne.
Roman Emperor Diocletian
As Roman emperors go, Diocletian has an impressive record. Diocletian was reportedly the son of a slave who worked hard and rose through the military ranks until he came to power in 284 AD.
After taking power, he realized that the empire had grown too big and was increasingly likely to collapse. Emperor Diocletian knew that no one could rule such a vast empire, so he split the empire in two and claimed the eastern half for himself.
Later he divided it into four points. History shows that his plan worked, dividing the empire and stabilizing it, allowing it to survive for another 200 years.
In AD 303, Diocletian fell seriously ill during a visit to Rome. It is thought he may have suffered a stroke. This sounded the alarm for Diocletian, who decided to retire in order to spend the rest of his life in his hometown of Split, Croatia.
His co-ruler Maximian asked Diocletian to return to power, but Diocletian responded that he would rather spend the rest of his life in his garden than return to power. Diocletian lived out the rest of his life in peace.
Byzantine Emperor Justin II
Anyone who has studied monarchy will quickly come to the conclusion that monarchy and poor mental health often seem to go hand in hand.
Maybe it was the pressure of ruling a huge empire, maybe it was the often limited gene pool , but more than a few monarchs have collapsed. In 574 AD, Justin II voluntarily abdicated . Why did he choose to hand over the throne? He had been suffering from "insanity."
In the months before his abdication, he attacked his followers at will, made animal noises at will, and began to harm himself.
In one of his increasingly rare moments of clarity, Emperor Justin II realized that his position was untenable and that he needed to do what was right for his empire: abdicate. He adopted one of his generals, Tiberius, as his son and heir, then abdicated.
Ottoman Empire Sultan Murad II
Sometimes abdication does not stick, and Sultan Murad II tried his best to withdraw from leadership affairs, but was dragged directly back. Murad abdicated in 1444 AD and handed the keys of the kingdom to his son Muhammad II.
Historians today believe that he sought to avoid the common bloodshed that occurred after a change of leadership in the Ottoman Empire.
He hopes a peaceful transfer of power to his son will stop any dynastic drama. He has ruled for 23 years, spending much of that time battling internal and external threats.
One of his last acts as ruler was to sign a peace treaty with Poland and King Ladislaw III of Hungary.
He believed that his son's reign would be more peaceful than his own. Thinking his kingdom was safe, there seemed no better time to abdicate.
He was wrong. Less than a year after Murad abdicated, Ladislaw broke his promise and led a multinational army into what is now Bulgaria controlled by the Ottoman Empire.
Ladislaw planned to expel the Ottoman Empire completely from Europe and believed that the inexperienced Mehmet II would not be able to stop him.
It seems that King Ladislaw is very shrewd. Muhammad recognized his limitations and asked his father to return to power, once again leading the Ottoman army.
Murad tried to refuse, but his son ignored him, saying, "If you are the Sultan, command your army. If I were the Sultan, I order you to command my army."
It worked, Murad soon defeated the Crusaders in the Battle of Varna. He was restored as sultan in 1446 and ruled until his death in 1451.
After the death of his father, Mohammed II returned to power and was now ready to lead. Two years later he went on to capture Constantinople, learning much from his father.
Roman EmpireEmperorCharles V
Charles V had a lot going for him, as the 16th century ruler of the Holy Roman Empire he was the most powerful ruler in Europe and, by extension, one of the most powerful men in the world.
This earned him many enemies, and his reign was characterized by an almost endless war between and . The problem is that Charles spent most of his life in poor health, suffering from migraines and gout.
As his health deteriorated, it began to affect his ability to dominate. When the French captured Metz in 1552, Charles was in poor health and was unable to cope, allowing one of his greatest enemies to score a major victory.
Shortly after this defeat, he chose to abdicate. He passed his throne to his brother Ferdinand I and gave all his property to his son Philip I. He left royal life and spent the rest of his life in a monastery.
Tsar Ivan IV
Like Murad II, Ivan IV was a monarch who abdicated without holding on. However, unlike Murad, there is much debate as to whether Ivan's abdication was genuine, a political maneuver, or the result of mental illness.
Ivan the Terrible abdicated on December 3, 1594. He announced to the nobles that he planned to leave Moscow for a pilgrimage to Alexandrova Sloboda.
He told them that he was tired of their constant embezzlement, plotting, and treason, so he was leaving. The nobles soon realized that Ivan's abdication was a problem. They feared that citizens would rebel without their leaders.
Boyar sent an envoy to Ivan to demand his return, promising that they would behave themselves if he returned. Ivan agreed on the condition that he could execute any boyar he suspected of treason without any repercussions.
This was no idle threat, as soon as he returned, Ivan purged any noble families he considered disloyal, and there were a lot of them.
Historians are confused as to whether Ivan's abdication was simply a plot to gain more power. If so, that's genius.
However, other historians believe the abdication was the result of undiagnosed mental illness. Ivan's abdication was less a political move than a temper tantrum that ultimately turned against him.
John II Casimir of Sweden
Sometimes a monarch is treated unfavorably. John II's reign was fraught with bad hands: significant losses of territory, constant wars, and many, many defeats.
In 1660 he lost his claim to the Swedish throne, and in 1667 he had to hand over much of his eastern territory to Russia after a major military defeat.
Unsurprisingly, all these failures made poor John increasingly unpopular at home. By the end of 1667, he was fending off various rebellions at home as well as ongoing foreign conflicts.
When his wife Mary Louise Gonzaga died in 1667, the monarchy collapsed.
John II Casimir Vasa decided enough was enough and abdicated on September 16, 1668. He left Poland and returned to France, where he became abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris.
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II
It’s safe to say that Tsar Nicholas II of Russia was not a popular monarch. The financial and human costs of Russia's role in World War I greatly damaged Nicholas' reputation and prompted significant criticism of his rule.
In 1917, the Russian people faced severe food shortages and massive strikes. The people were indignant and called for a socialist revolution.
As dissatisfaction turned to violence, riots broke out and Nicholas's government lost all control. On March 15, 1917, he was forced to abdicate.
Nicholas and his family were exiled. If Nicholas thought his abdication would save his family, he was sadly mistaken.
The Bolsheviks later executed Nicholas and his family, fearing that they would one day be used as puppets for the counterrevolution against them.
Gustav IV of Sweden Adolf
Gustav IV Adolf served as King of Sweden from 1792 until he was deposed and forced to abdicate in 1809.
Gustav IV's reign started off well , at least in comparison to the reign of his predecessor Gustavus III was a complete disaster.
Gustav III led a costly war against Russia, which nearly bankrupted Sweden . When Gustavus III was assassinated and Gustavus IV was crowned, both the nobility and the people rejoiced in having a new leader.
Things began to turn south for New Gustavus in 1798, when two years of widespread crop failure exacerbated his kingdom's financial woes.
Things got worse in 1805, when he joined the Third Coalition against Napoleon . This was a war that Sweden was not prepared for and could not afford.
The campaign did not go well, The French quickly occupied Swedish Pomerania. Russia then betrayed the alliance and made peace with France in 1807.
Things got worse in 1808 when Russia invaded today's Finland which was then ruled by Sweden. As if Gustav's plate wasn't enough, Denmark then joined the party and declared war on Sweden.
In almost no time, Finland was completely lost to Russia. On September 17, 1809, Sweden gave its eastern third to Russia. Apparently this is very unpopular in Sweden.
Gustavus IV's handling of the war led to the 1809 coup in which military officers deposed him. He agreed to voluntarily abdicate so that his son could inherit the throne in his place.
However, his son would never see the throne. The revolutionaries were worried that Gustave's son would become a threat in the future, so they put Gustave's uncle Charles on the throne .
Gustav spent the rest of his days in a small hotel in Switzerland. He remained lonely and miserable until he eventually died of a stroke. He didn't really have much choice, but he always regretted abdicating.
King of England Edward VIII
Perhaps the most famous abdication in history was King Edward VIII, who abdicated for love . When King George V died in 1936, his son Edward VIII was preparing to take the throne.
The British monarch is also the head of the Church of England . This comes with many rules and traditions about how a monarch should live, one of which is that a monarch cannot marry someone who has been divorced.
This was a problem for Edward, who was in a long-term relationship with divorced American actress Wallis Simpson.
Initially, Edward proposed to Parliament a workaround that would allow him to marry Simpson and still become king, The English Parliament flatly rejected it.
Edward chose Simpson instead of the crown and announced his abdication . The crown therefore passed to his brother Albert, who became George VI.
In a speech to the nation, Edward announced that he would choose the woman he loved over the crown. Edward's abdication had a huge impact on the royal family. It changed the order of succession, with George VI's daughter Elizabeth becoming Queen after his death.
Elizabeth went on to become Britain's longest-reigning monarch until her death in 2022.
Japanese Emperor Akihito
In 2016 Emperor Akihito planned to abdicate so that his son, then Prince Naruhito, could ascend the throne. His reasoning was that he was old and in failing health, so he felt it was time for someone younger to take over. There's just one problem with
; according to Japanese law, Akihito cannot abdicate. Abdication requires changes to the "Royal Family Law" .
In May 2017, the Japanese cabinet issued a bill allowing Akihito to abdicate. It was passed and became law on June 8, 2017.
Emperor Akihito abdicated on April 30, 2019, becoming the first Japanese emperor to abdicate since 1817 .
Conclusion
These ten rulers left power under a variety of circumstances. Even those who choose to abdicate do so for different reasons. The problem of
abdicating has appeared more frequently in recent years. Many existing monarchies around the world have age issues . With more figureheads than dictators, the survival of these monarchies depends more than ever on their popularity.
