The following
monarchs either lost their thrones through deposition by a
coup d'état, by a
referendum which abolished their throne, or chose to
abdicate during the 20th century. A list of surviving former monarchs appears at the end of the article.
King
Otto was deposed by legislation in 1913, and succeeded by his cousin, Prince Regent Ludwig.
King
Ludwig III went into exile when the
German Empire collapsed in 1918, but did not abdicate; Bavaria was incorporated into the new German Republic in 1919.
Tsar
Simeon II never abdicated but was exiled by the Bulgarian government following a
national referendum in 1946 after which Bulgaria became a
People's Republic. After the
fall of communism in Bulgaria, he returned to the country in 1996, and was elected as
Prime Minister in 2001, serving until 2005. He and
Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia are the only monarchs in recent history to become democratically elected heads of government.
King
Norodom Sihanouk abdicated in 1955, then served in various important positions, including prime minister and head of state, intermittently until 1976, and was eventually restored to the kingship in 1993. He abdicated a second time in favour of his son,
Norodom Sihamoni, on 7 October 2004.
Queen
Sisowath Kossamak was deposed in
1970 with the coup that ended the regime of Prince
Norodom Sihanouk. The monarchy was restored in 1993 with Sihanouk (who had previously reigned from 1941 to 1955) as King.
King
Constantine Iwas deposed in 1917, succeeded by his second-born son,
Alexander. He returned to the throne by
referendum in 1920 after Alexander's death. Then in 1922 he abdicated in favour of his first-born son,
George.
King
Charles IV (Emperor Charles I of Austria) was deposed in 1918 when a
republic was established. Following the restoration of the Hungarian monarchy in 1920, he was refused permission to "assume residency and constitutional functions" in the
Kingdom by the
RegentMiklós Horthy. Charles IV died in exile in 1922. His son
Crown Prince Otto succeeded him but claimed that like his father he was not allowed to enter the Kingdom or assume "residency and constitutional functions", and was not recognised as King. Hungary was proclaimed a republic by the
National Assembly on 1 February 1946.
King
Talal I ruled from July 20, 1951 upon the assassination of his father, King
Abdullah I until August 11, 1952. He was forced to abdicate due to schizophrenia and was succeeded by his son, King
Hussein I.
King
Moshoeshoe II was deposed in 1990 and reinstated in 1995.
King
Letsie III took the throne upon his father's, Moshoeshoe II, deposition in 1990. He later abdicated the throne in favor of his father (1995), and then reclaimed the throne on his father's death in 1996.
King
Tribhuvan went into exile in 1950 and was replaced by his grandson
Gyanendra, but returned in 1951 and was restored as King that year.
King
Gyanendra was removed as King in 1951 following the return of his grandfather. He returned to the throne in 2001 after the
Nepalese royal massacre in which his brother
Birendra was killed, but was forced to abdicate after the Constituent Assembly of Nepal with a huge majority decided to form Nepal a federal democratic Republic, hence dissolving the monarchy on May 28, 2008.
Elizabeth II ceased to be
Queen of Rhodesia in 1970 when the country became a republic by
referendum. The country and the title, however, were not recognised by international community nor The Queen herself. Rhodesia was still considered as a British colony until 1980.
King
Michael I was removed as King in favour of his father
Carol II in 1930. He returned to the throne in 1940, but was forced to abdicate in 1947 by the communist government.
Emperor
Nicholas II abdicated after the
February Revolution of 1917, as did his named successor, his brother
Grand Duke Michael (possibly known for a very short time as Michael II). Both Nicholas II and Michael separately were later murdered, as was all of Nicholas II's immediate family in 1918 (see the
House of Romanov). The monarchy was abolished and replaced by a
Provisional Government which was in turn
overthrown months later by Lenin, which would by 1922 become the
Soviet Union.
The
14th Dalai Lama went into exile to India from
Tibet during the
1959 Tibetan uprising. However Tibet had never claimed to be a sovereign state in modern history. Tibet was considered de facto independent until 1950, which she became an “Autonomous Region” under the
PRC.
He also abdicated from the rest of the
Dominions, but is listed separately under them. The dates of abdication are the same except in
Ireland, where it occurred one day earlier for
technical reasons, and in South Africa, where it was one day later, i.e. on 12 December.
Emperor
Bao Dai abdicated in 1945 when communists, called
Viet Minh, seized control of the nation. Later on
Ho Chi Minh, leader of Viet Minh, proclaimed the creation of
Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Following the Geneva accords, Vietnam was partitioned and Bao Dai became Head of State (Quoc Truong) of the French controlled areas of
Vietnam. He was never restored as emperor, and in 1955 was removed from office via referendum.
The following
monarchs either lost their thrones through deposition by a
coup d'état, by a
referendum which abolished their throne, or chose to
abdicate during the 20th century. A list of surviving former monarchs appears at the end of the article.
King
Otto was deposed by legislation in 1913, and succeeded by his cousin, Prince Regent Ludwig.
King
Ludwig III went into exile when the
German Empire collapsed in 1918, but did not abdicate; Bavaria was incorporated into the new German Republic in 1919.
Tsar
Simeon II never abdicated but was exiled by the Bulgarian government following a
national referendum in 1946 after which Bulgaria became a
People's Republic. After the
fall of communism in Bulgaria, he returned to the country in 1996, and was elected as
Prime Minister in 2001, serving until 2005. He and
Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia are the only monarchs in recent history to become democratically elected heads of government.
King
Norodom Sihanouk abdicated in 1955, then served in various important positions, including prime minister and head of state, intermittently until 1976, and was eventually restored to the kingship in 1993. He abdicated a second time in favour of his son,
Norodom Sihamoni, on 7 October 2004.
Queen
Sisowath Kossamak was deposed in
1970 with the coup that ended the regime of Prince
Norodom Sihanouk. The monarchy was restored in 1993 with Sihanouk (who had previously reigned from 1941 to 1955) as King.
King
Constantine Iwas deposed in 1917, succeeded by his second-born son,
Alexander. He returned to the throne by
referendum in 1920 after Alexander's death. Then in 1922 he abdicated in favour of his first-born son,
George.
King
Charles IV (Emperor Charles I of Austria) was deposed in 1918 when a
republic was established. Following the restoration of the Hungarian monarchy in 1920, he was refused permission to "assume residency and constitutional functions" in the
Kingdom by the
RegentMiklós Horthy. Charles IV died in exile in 1922. His son
Crown Prince Otto succeeded him but claimed that like his father he was not allowed to enter the Kingdom or assume "residency and constitutional functions", and was not recognised as King. Hungary was proclaimed a republic by the
National Assembly on 1 February 1946.
King
Talal I ruled from July 20, 1951 upon the assassination of his father, King
Abdullah I until August 11, 1952. He was forced to abdicate due to schizophrenia and was succeeded by his son, King
Hussein I.
King
Moshoeshoe II was deposed in 1990 and reinstated in 1995.
King
Letsie III took the throne upon his father's, Moshoeshoe II, deposition in 1990. He later abdicated the throne in favor of his father (1995), and then reclaimed the throne on his father's death in 1996.
King
Tribhuvan went into exile in 1950 and was replaced by his grandson
Gyanendra, but returned in 1951 and was restored as King that year.
King
Gyanendra was removed as King in 1951 following the return of his grandfather. He returned to the throne in 2001 after the
Nepalese royal massacre in which his brother
Birendra was killed, but was forced to abdicate after the Constituent Assembly of Nepal with a huge majority decided to form Nepal a federal democratic Republic, hence dissolving the monarchy on May 28, 2008.
Elizabeth II ceased to be
Queen of Rhodesia in 1970 when the country became a republic by
referendum. The country and the title, however, were not recognised by international community nor The Queen herself. Rhodesia was still considered as a British colony until 1980.
King
Michael I was removed as King in favour of his father
Carol II in 1930. He returned to the throne in 1940, but was forced to abdicate in 1947 by the communist government.
Emperor
Nicholas II abdicated after the
February Revolution of 1917, as did his named successor, his brother
Grand Duke Michael (possibly known for a very short time as Michael II). Both Nicholas II and Michael separately were later murdered, as was all of Nicholas II's immediate family in 1918 (see the
House of Romanov). The monarchy was abolished and replaced by a
Provisional Government which was in turn
overthrown months later by Lenin, which would by 1922 become the
Soviet Union.
The
14th Dalai Lama went into exile to India from
Tibet during the
1959 Tibetan uprising. However Tibet had never claimed to be a sovereign state in modern history. Tibet was considered de facto independent until 1950, which she became an “Autonomous Region” under the
PRC.
He also abdicated from the rest of the
Dominions, but is listed separately under them. The dates of abdication are the same except in
Ireland, where it occurred one day earlier for
technical reasons, and in South Africa, where it was one day later, i.e. on 12 December.
Emperor
Bao Dai abdicated in 1945 when communists, called
Viet Minh, seized control of the nation. Later on
Ho Chi Minh, leader of Viet Minh, proclaimed the creation of
Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Following the Geneva accords, Vietnam was partitioned and Bao Dai became Head of State (Quoc Truong) of the French controlled areas of
Vietnam. He was never restored as emperor, and in 1955 was removed from office via referendum.