If you know anything about the history of the various monarchies around the world, then you know that there was traditionally only one way for a monarch to leave his post: by being carried out. Those who were lucky died of natural causes, a few monarchs died in battle, and many m

If you know anything about the history of the world's various monarchies, you'll know that there was traditionally only one way for a monarch to leave his post: by being carried out. Those who were lucky died of natural causes, a few monarchs died in battle, and many more died from the swords of assassins. While hereditary monarchies usually last for life, occasionally reigning kings and queens voluntarily abdicate. There are many reasons why this happens with

. Being the head of state, church and state, depending on the country, is a backbreaking job filled with onerous responsibilities that ordinary people may not be willing to endure. While voluntary abdication is understandable, it is still a surprising act and is sometimes triggered by a scandalous event. Therefore, giving up one's throne has never been a choice that can be decided by oneself, because the fate of millions of people may depend on this change of regime.

The following content is the story of the monarchs who gave up their thrones, and the reasons why they gave up everything.

Sultan Murad II left the throne of the Ottoman Empire until his son brought him back

Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Murad II resigned in 1444, handing power to his son Mohammed II. Scholars today believe that his voluntary abdication may have been because he wanted to help establish a peaceful continuity of power rather than the dynastic struggles that usually accompanied changes in Ottoman leadership. It is also possible that Murad II simply needed a break from 23 years of fighting to protect the empire from internal and external threats. He also believed (erroneously, as it turned out) that he had reached peace with the European powers after signing peace treaties with King Ladislaw III of Poland and Hungary.

But whatever the reason, Murad retired less than a year ago. Ladislaw broke the peace treaty and led multinational troops into Bulgaria controlled by the Ottomans, intending to completely expel the Ottomans from Europe. With the support of the Ottoman nobles, Muhammad asked his experienced father to return and lead the army against the Crusaders. When Murad refused, Muhammad wrote back: "If you are the Sultan, then please command your army. If I are the Sultan, I order you to command my army."

So Murad reluctantly returned and commanded the Ottoman army, which defeated the invaders at the Battle of Varna. In 1446, he officially restored his status as sultan and ruled for another five years. After his death in 1451, Mohammed II returned to power. Muhammad, now more experienced, went straight to planning the conquest of Constantinople, which he completed two years later.

Japan's Emperor Akihito abdicates, citing old age

Japan's Emperor Akihito's resignation is an example of a modern monarch abdicating, much less scandalous than Spain's King Juan Carlos I's abdication but still historically significant. In 2019, Emperor Akihito, then 85, asked the Japanese government to allow him to resign, citing his advanced age and deteriorating health.

The government approved the request of the nominal head of state, and he became the first Japanese emperor to step down from the throne in 200 years. His son Prince Naruhito succeeded to the throne and became the 126th monarch of Japan.

When he abdicated, Emperor Akihito addressed the Japanese people and said:

Today, I will complete my duties as emperor. I deeply appreciate the speech that Prime Minister Abe just made as a representative of the Japanese people.

In the 30 years since I came to the throne, I have performed my duties as emperor with trust and respect for the Japanese people. This is my good fortune.

Diocletian saved the Roman Empire from collapse before retiring to roam his gardens

In AD 303, Roman Emperor Diocletian suddenly became "very ill" while visiting Rome, which happened to be the 20th anniversary of his accession to the throne. Although it was most likely a stroke, whatever the illness, Diocletian had decided to retire to the fortress-like palace in his hometown of Split (in today's Croatia).

By the time he voluntarily abdicated, Diocletian had accomplished a lot. It is said that he was the son of a freed slave, rose through the ranks in the army, and became emperor in 284 AD. When he ascended the throne, he realized that the Roman Empire had become too big and unwieldy for one person to rule, so he split it in half and ruled the eastern region himself (and then divided the empire into four parts). The divided empire brought territorial and military stability, contained the so-called Third Century Crisis that threatened the empire's disintegration, and extended the empire's existence for nearly more than two centuries.

Considering these achievements, Diocletian probably just needed a break. After retreating to the garden, his fellow ruler Maximilian asked him to return to power. Diocletian is said to have replied: "If you show the cabbage I grew with my own hands to your current emperor, he will never dare to agree with me abandoning peace and happiness and getting involved in political storms again."

Holy Roman Empire Emperor Charles V was disabled by gout and lived in seclusion in a monastery

In August 1556 AD, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V voluntarily gave up his last title because the emperor and ruler of the Netherlands, Bohemia , Hungary, Naples , Sicily and Sardinia had been suffering from health problems for many years. These included gout, insomnia and severe depression that caused him excruciating pain.

The ruler of the Habsburg dynasty first handed over the day-to-day running of the empire to his brother Ferdinand in 1554. Next, he gave the Netherlands to his son Philip of Spain in 1555, followed by Spain, Spanish territories in the Americas, and finally the Holy Roman Empire itself.

After his resignation, Charles V spent the rest of his life in a house near the abbey, where he enjoyed gardening and hunting doves.

Edward VIII chose love over the throne

In 1936, the British monarch was still the leader of the Church of England . Moreover, the tradition at that time stipulated that the monarch could not marry a divorced person. This was a serious problem for Prince Edward of Wales. His father, George V, died that year. He soon became Edward VIII, but at the time he was in love with his American "mistress" Wallis Simpson.

Edward proposed a workaround that would allow Wallis to marry him and retain her status as Duchess of Cornwall. When the British Parliament refused, Edward chose to give up the throne for "the woman I loved," as he said in his address to the nation. Later, the throne was passed to his younger brother, Albert, who became George VI.

For the rest of Edward's life, his relationship with the royal family was full of contradictions and conflicts. The Queen Mother never forgave Simpson for imposing the throne on Albert, because she believed that the arduous task of ruling during World War II shortened Albert's life.

With his abdication, Edward's decision had a major knock-on effect on history, with the succession to the throne passing to George VI, whose daughter Elizabeth would go on to rule for another 70 years. If Edward remained king and had children of his own, Elizabeth would also remain a princess. (However, if her uncle had no children, the throne would still pass to her.)

Byzantine Emperor Justin II became insane and abdicated the throne

In 574 AD, when Byzantine Emperor Justin II voluntarily abdicated, the emperor had been "insane" for several months. This includes randomly attacking his minions, making animal noises, and intermittent self-mutilation.

Although the emperor had his moments of sobriety, he knew that he was no longer able to stand, so he chose to abdicate that year and appointed a general named Tiberius as his successor.

However, it is difficult to know exactly what Justin II's mental illness was.A description of this symptom was written by John of Ephesus, a member of the persecuted Unitarian Christian sect during the reign of Justin II. It is possible that John's narrative was intended as a warning to future rulers who might also persecute the sect. For example, John explains that Justin II's mental condition began when an "evil angel" entered his mind.

Spain's King Juan Carlos stepped down amid scandal after lavishly hunting elephants in Africa

It is well known that modern monarchs will voluntarily leave their thrones. Since most modern monarchs are not heads of government, the risk of their resignation is not as high, but their resignation could still be due to a very serious scandal.

Spain's King Juan Carlos, who had ruled Spain since 1975 and led the country through the post-Franco era, resigned in 2014. Juan Carlos resigned amid several scandals: the corruption trial of his son-in-law Iñaki Urdangarín after he was accused of running a fraudulent charity with which Juan Carlos was implicated; Juan Carlos was accused of embezzling government funds; and a controversial elephant hunting trip during Spain's financial crisis in 2014.

Ivan the Terrible briefly "resigned" and then changed his mind and came back

It is entirely possible that this example of abdication is not as sincere as several of the other examples in this article. On December 3, 1594, Tsar Ivan IV, or "Ivan the Terrible", left the capital Moscow for a pilgrimage to the city of Alexandrova Sloboda and informed the boyars (the nobles who formed his government) that he was resigning. He said he had had enough of the boyars' corruption and treason.

The boyars realized that the citizens of Moscow might revolt without their leader, so they sent a messenger to Ivan and persuade him to return. Ivan agreed on the condition that he be allowed to unilaterally execute the treacherous boyar. Soon after Ivan returned home, he purged the Boyar family that he considered disloyal.

While some scholars today believe that Ivan the Terrible's "voluntary abdication" was a planned power grab, others speculate that the event may have been caused by the Tsar's undiagnosed mental illness.

Pope Benedict XVI Resigned due to health problems and advanced age

The Vatican is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, but it is also a sovereign state. The head of the Church, the Pope, is considered the head of state and absolute monarch, albeit a monarchy in a very small country: Vatican City has an area of ​​only 0.17 square miles, about one-seventh the size of New York's Central Park .

Although the papacy is elected and not inherited at birth, popes typically remain in office for life after being elected. But in 2013, Pope Benedict XVI broke with tradition and decided to resign. Benedict XVI, who was born in 1927, claimed he was resigning due to age and declining health.

He is the first pope to do so since Gregory XII in 1415. But because his abdication occurred shortly after the Vatican leaks scandal broke, some observers speculated that he also wanted to avoid being repercussed.