List of usurpers
The following is a list of usurpers – illegitimate or controversial claimants to the throne in a monarchy. The word usurper is a derogatory term, and as such not easily definable, as the person seizing power normally will try to legitimise his position, while denigrating that of his predecessor.
Belgium
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leopold I of Belgium | William I of the Netherlands | 1831–1865 | The southern provinces of the Netherlands declared independence from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands with Leopold I being proclaimed King and sovereign ruler of the newly established Kingdom of Belgium in 1831. King William I of the Netherlands refused to accept the illegal separation of Belgium and launched the Ten Days' Campaign, a large military offensive by the Dutch to recapture the renegade southern provinces. Although initially successful for the Dutch, the French however backed the Belgians militarily and thereby forced the Dutch to accept diplomatic mediation. In 1839, the two countries signed the Treaty of London, officially recognizing the Kingdom of Belgium as an independent and sovereign state, and Leopold I as its legitimate ruler. |
China
England
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| William I | Harold Godwinson | 1066–1087 | When Edward the Confessor died, Harold crowned himself Harold II; William then invaded England with his own army. William's army was victorious at the Battle of Hastings, during which Harold II was killed. William then crowned himself King of England. |
| Stephen | Henry I | 1135–1154 | Henry I named his daughter Matilda his heir, and she was recognised as such by the barons of England. On Henry's death, Stephen took the crown before Matilda learned that her father was dead, which led to 20 years of civil war. |
| Henry IV | Richard II | 1399–1413 | A period of crisis emerged in 1398–1399 under Richard II as he enacted revenge on leading nobles for a dispute ten years previously. He took action against the Lords Appellant, murdering a leader and banishing Henry Bolingbrooke. On the death of Bolingbrooke's father, John of Gaunt, the son wished to return to claim his inheritance as the Duke of Lancaster, which Richard II denied. Henry returned from his exile in France whilst Richard II was away in Ireland. With the support of prominent Northern noble families, Henry took the throne. |
| Edward IV | Henry VI | 1461–1470
1471–1483 |
After the death of his father, Richard of York at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460, Edward took over leadership of the Yorkist faction. His father had been declared the king's heir by parliament, but Edward took the further step of proclaiming himself king in March 1461. He subsequently defeated Lancastrian forces at the Battle of Towton, forcing Henry VI into exile in Scotland. |
| Richard III | Edward V | 1483–1485 | When his brother King Edward IV died in April 1483, Richard was named Lord Protector of the realm for Edward's eldest son and successor, the 12-year-old Edward V. Arrangements were made for Edward's coronation on 22 June 1483; but, before the young king could be crowned, the marriage of his parents was declared bigamous and therefore invalid, making their children officially illegitimate and thus barring them from inheriting the throne. On 25 June, an assembly of Lords and commoners endorsed a declaration to this effect and proclaimed Richard the rightful king. |
| Henry VII | Richard III | 1485–1509 | Forces under Henry Tudor won the Battle of Bosworth Field, during which Richard III was killed. Henry then became Henry VII and married the daughter of Edward IV, which is claimed to have ended the War of the Roses, though relatives of Richard made various attempts to remove him from power. |
| William III and Mary II | James II | 1689–1702 | James II fled after the arrival of William and Mary along with their army. This became known as the Glorious Revolution. |
France
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepin the Short | Childeric III | 751–768 | |
| Napoleon Bonaparte | The Directorate | 1799–1814 | In the Coup d'état of 18 Brumaire, (9 November 1799) Napoleon overthrew the Constitution of the Year III and established his rule as First Consul, and five years later as Emperor. |
| Napoleon Bonaparte | Louis XVIII | 1815–1815 | Hundred Days |
| Louis Philippe I | Henri V | 1830–1848 | Louis Philippe took the throne in the aftermath of the July Revolution, which had resulted in the abdication of King Charles X in favor of his grandson, a young child. |
Gwynedd (Wales)
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dafydd, Rhodri, & Cynan |
Hywel ab Owain | 1170–1195 | Llywelyn the Great, with the senior legitimate claim, overthrew his uncles |
India
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya | Thimma Bhupala | 1485–1491 | |
Iran (Persia)
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahmud Hotak | Sultan Husayn | 1722–1725 | Mahmud, an Afghan ruler of the Hotak dynasty who overthrew the heavily declined Safavid dynasty to briefly become the Shah of Persia from 1722 until his death in 1725. |
| Ashraf Hotak | Mahmud Hotak | 1725–1729 | Ashraf, also an Afghan ruler of the Hotak dynasty, who took the throne in 1725 after killing his cousin Mahmud Hotak. Ashraf himself was killed in the Battle of Damghan in 1729 thereby restoring the rule by the Safavid dynasty (Tahmasp II, son of Sultan Husayn, subsequently became Shah of Persia). |
| Nader Shah Afshar | Tahmasp II | 1736–1747 | Nader, from humble origin and member of the Afshar tribe, became an important Persian army leader during the reign of Tahmasp II, Safavid Shah of Persia. In 1732 he forced Tahmasp III to abdicate in favour of the Shah's baby son, Abbas III, to whom Nader became regent (de facto ruler). In 1736, he proclaimed himself Shah of Persia in which Abbas III was killed. Nader Shah Afshar was founder and first Shah of the Afsharid dynasty. |
| Adel Shah Afshar | Nader Shah Afshar | 1747–1748 | Adel, member of the Afsharid dynasty and nephew of Nader Shah Afshar, took the throne in 1747 after rebelling against his uncle who was killed in the process. |
| Ebrahim Afshar | Adel Shah Afshar | 1748 | Ebrahim, member of the Afsharid dynasty and brother of Adel Shah Afshar, took the throne in 1748 after deposing, blinding & then killing his brother. |
| Shahrokh Mirza Afshar | Ebrahim Afshar | 1748– 1750, 1750–1796 | Shahrokh, member of the Afsharid dynasty and grandson of Nader Shah Afshar, took the throne in 1748 after the deposition and murder of Ebrahim Afshar. His throne was restored in 1750, but at the end of his life, the Afsharid rule was confined to a small local state in Khorasan (with the bulk of his former empire divided between the Zand dynasty, the Qajar dynasty, and tribes from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Georgia and the Caucasus). In 1796, Shahrokh died from torture ordered by Qajar ruler Agha Mohammad Khan (who himself became Shah of Persia in 1789). |
| Suleiman II of Persia | Shahrokh Mirza Afshar | 1749–1750 | Suleiman II, pretender to the former Safavid throne, took the throne in 1749 after deposing & blinding Shahrokh Afshar. Suleiman II himself was blinded and removed from the throne in 1750, whereby Shahrokh Afshar was restored to his power. |
| Ali Mardan Khan Bakhtiari | Shahrokh Mirza Afshar | 1750–1751 | In 1950, Chahar Lang chieftain Ali Mardan Khan Bakhtiari and the Zand chieftain Karim Khan conquered the former Safavid capital Isfahan and installed Ismail III, the last prince of the Safavid dynasty, as a figurehead and "puppet shah of Persia" in order to legitimize their rule over Persia. Ali Mardan took the title of Vakil-e, i.e. "deputy" or "regent" of the Persian state, which ended with the overthrown of his regime in 1751. |
| Karim Khan Zand | Ali Mardan Khan Bakhtiari | 1751–1779 | After killing Ali Mardan Khan Bakhtiari in 1751, Karim Khan Zand appointed himself Vakil-e (regent) of the Persian state. However, albeit de facto ruler of all of Persia (except for Khorasan which was still ruled by Shahrokh Mirza Afshar), he never officially adopted the title of Shah for himself. Although, in retrospection he can be considered founder and first Shah of the Zand dynasty. Ismail III continued to be "puppet shah of Persia" in order to legitimize Karim Khan's rule over Persia; he was kept in safe custody at the stronghold of Abadeh till his death in 1773. |
| Zaki Khan Zand | Karim Khan Zand | 1779 | With the natural death in 1779 of Karim Khan Zand, ruler of the Zand dynasty, a power struggle followed. Karim Khan's brother Zaki Khan Zand installed Mohammad Ali Khan Zand, the younger son of Karim Khan who was also his son-in-law, as Shah of the Zand dynasty; although according to male primogeniture Abol-Fath Khan Zand, the eldest son of Karim Khan should have become Shah. Later on, both sons Mohammad Ali Khan and Abol-Fath Khan Zand were declared co-shahs, but they were only puppet rulers with nominal power; the real power was taken into the hands of their uncle Zaki Khan who was the de facto ruler. However, his reign was short-lived being murdered by rebellious tribal leaders after a few months. |
| Sadeq Khan Zand | Abol-Fath Khan Zand | 1779–1781 | With Zaki Khan Zand being killed in June 1779 and Mohammad Ali Khan Zand died of a heart attack in the same month, Abol-Fath Khan Zand was proclaimed the sole official (3rd) Shah of the Zand dynasty by his uncle Sadeq Khan Zand. However, Sadeq held the real power with Abol-Fath only as puppet-monarch not taking part in the administration of the empire. This situation did not however suit Sadeq Khan for long; after two months he proclaimed himself Shah with deposing, blinding & later killing his nephew Abol-Fath. |
| Ali-Morad Khan Zand | Sadeq Khan Zand | 1781–1785 | Ali-Morad Khan, a distant member of the Zand dynasty, took the throne in 1781 after capturing the capitol Shiraz and murdering Sadeq Khan Zand, the 5th Shah of the Zand dynasty. |
| Jafar Khan Zand | Ali-Morad Khan Zand | 1785–1789 | Jafar Khan Zand, son of the 5th Shah Sadeq Khan Zand, took the throne in 1785 after murdering Ali-Morad Khan Zand, the 6th Shah of the Zand dynasty. |
| Sayed Morad Khan Zand | Jafar Khan Zand | 1789 | Sayed Morad Khan, son of the 6th Shah Ali-Morad Khan Zand, took the throne in 1789 after murdering Jafar Khan Zand, the 7th Shah of the Zand dynasty. |
| Lotf Ali Khan Zand | Sayed Morad Khan Zand | 1789–1794 | On hearing of the murder of his father Jafar Khan Zand, Lotf Ali Khan marched to the capital Shiraz and took the throne in 1789 after forcing to surrender and executing Sayed Morad Khan, 8th Shah of the Zand dynasty. |
| Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar | Lotf Ali Khan Zand | 1789–1797 | Agha Mohammad Khan was a eunuch who served at a Persian court and was enthroned as the Shah of Persia in 1789, but was not officially crowned until March 1796, having deposed, blinded & then killed Lotf Ali Khan (9th and last Shah of the Zand dynasty) in 1794, and killing Shahrokh Mirza Afshar (last Shah of the Afsharid dynasty) in 1796. Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar was founder and first Shah of the Qajar dynasty, and with him Persia became again centralized and unified. |
| Reza Shah Pahlavi | Ahmad Shah Qajar | 1925–1941 | Reza Shah Pahlavi was a former brigadier-general of the Persian Cossack Brigade who came to power after the 1921 Persian coup d'état and deposition of Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last Shah of the Qajar dynasty. Reza Pahlavi was founder and became first Shah of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1925. |
| Mohammad Reza Pahlavi | Reza Shah Pahlavi | 1941–1979 | Mohammad Reza Pahlav took the throne after the forced abdication of his father Reza Shah Pahlavi during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on 16 September 1941. He was the 2nd and last Shah of the Pahlavi dynasty, being himself overthrown by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979. |
Japan
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor Tenmu | Emperor Kōbun | 672–686 | |
Korea
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taejo of Goryeo | Gung Ye | 918–943 | |
| Taejo of Joseon | Gongyang of Goryeo | 1392–1398 | |
Netherlands
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| William I, Prince of Orange | Philip II of Spain | 1572–1584 | With the "Act of Abjuration" (Plakkaat van Verlatinghe) during the Dutch Revolt, the northern provinces of the Netherlands declared them-self independent from the rule of King Philip II of Spain, who also was Lord of the Netherlands. Prince William I of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt, was proclaimed Stadtholder (thereby de facto ruler) of the renegade Netherlands in 1572. This intensified the Eighty Years' War in which Philip II deployed his armies and tried to regain control over most of these provinces. William of Orange was assassinated in 1584 by Balthasar Gérard, a loyalist to Philip II. |
| Maurice, Prince of Orange | Philip III of Spain | 1585–1625 | In 1585, Prince Maurice of Orange was proclaimed Stadtholder (thereby de facto ruler) of the renegade Netherlands after the death of his father William of Orange. During this period, King Philip III of Spain was the de jure Lord of the Netherlands. |
| Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange | Philip IV of Spain | 1625–1647 | In 1625, Prince Frederick Henry of Orange was proclaimed Stadtholder (thereby de facto ruler) of the renegade Netherlands after the natural death of his brother Maurice of Orange. During this period, King Philip IV of Spain was the de jure Lord of the Netherlands. |
| William II, Prince of Orange | Philip IV of Spain | 1647–1650 | In 1647, Prince William II of Orange was proclaimed Stadtholder (thereby de facto ruler) of the renegade Netherlands after the natural death of his father Frederick Henry of Orange. With the Peace of Münster in 1648, the Dutch republic was recognized as an independent and sovereign state, herewith officially legitimizing and solidifying the rule of William II in this country. |
Norway
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sverre Sigurdsson | Magnus Erlingsson | 1184–1202 | Illegitimate claimant to the throne after a civil war. |
| Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte | Christian Frederick | 1814–1844 | A French general who seized the throne after invasion with Swedish forces. |
| Prince Carl of Denmark | Oscar II | 1905–1957 | Proclaimed king after a coup d'état by the parliament and privy council against king Oscar II Bernadotte. |
Roman Empire
Russia
Sweden
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric the Saint | Sverker the Elder | 1156–1160 | Involvement in Sverker's murder is uncertain. |
| Magnus Henriksen | Eric the Saint | 1160–1161 | |
| Charles Sverkerson | Magnus Henriksen | 1161–1168 | |
| Canute Ericson | Boleslas Sverkerson | 1168–1195 | |
| Erik Knutsson | Sverker the Younger | 1208–1216 | |
| Canute the Tall | Eric the Lisp and Lame | 1229–1234 | |
| Charles IX | Sigismund III Vasa | 1604–1611 | As regent from 1599 – 1611. |
Thailand
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worawongsathirat | Yodfa | 1548 | His kingship is not accepted by most traditional historians. |
Vietnam
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dương Tam Kha | Ngô Quyền | 944–950 | |
| Ngô Xương Văn | Dương Tam Kha | 951–965 | |
| Mạc Đăng Dung | Le Chieu Tong | 1527–1529 | |
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