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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 or 21st century. A list of surviving former monarchs appears at the end of the article.
A monarch is a sovereign head of state in a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power in the state, or others may wield that power on behalf of the monarch. Typically a monarch either personally inherits the lawful right to exercise the state's sovereign rights or is selected by an established process from a family or cohort eligible to provide the nation's monarch. Alternatively, an individual may become monarch by conquest, acclamation or a combination of means. A monarch usually reigns for life or until abdication.
A coup d'état, also known as a putsch, a golpe, or simply as a coup, means the overthrow of an existing government; typically, this refers to an illegal, unconstitutional seizure of power by a dictator, the military, or a political faction.
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new law. In some countries, it is synonymous with a plebiscite or a vote on a ballot question.
See also: Abolished monarchy, List of current monarchs, List of non-sovereign monarchs who lost their thrones in the 20th and 21st centuries
The monarchy of Australia concerns the form of government in which a hereditary king or queen serves as the nation's sovereign and head of state. Australia is governed under a form of constitutional monarchy, largely modelled on the Westminster system of parliamentary government, while incorporating features unique to the Constitution of Australia. The present monarch is Elizabeth II, styled Queen of Australia, who has reigned since 6 February 1952. She is represented in Australia as a whole by the Governor-General, in accordance with the Australian Constitution and letters patent from the Queen, and in each of the Australian states, according to the state constitutions, by a governor, assisted by a lieutenant-governor. The monarch appoints the Governor-General and the governors, on the advice respectively of the Commonwealth government and each state government. These are now almost the only constitutional functions of the monarch with regard to Australia.
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication on 11 December the same year, after which he became the Duke of Windsor.
In 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire arose when King-Emperor Edward VIII proposed to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who was divorced from her first husband and was pursuing the divorce of her second.
Inayatullah Khan Seraj was the King of Afghanistan for three days in January 1929. He was the son of former Afghan Emir, Habibullah Khan. Inayatullah's brief reign ended with his abdication.
King Habibullah Kalakani, , was King of Afghanistan from January to October 1929 after deposing Amanullah Khan He was executed nine months later by Mohammed Nadir Shah. Khalilullah Khalili, a Kohistani poet laureate, depicts King Habibullah Kalakani as a best king of Afghanistan, "and best manager of govermental imports and exports." Kalakani was nicknamed Bacha-e Saqaw and bandit king.
Mohammed Zahir Shah was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973. He expanded Afghanistan's diplomatic relations with many countries, including with both Cold War sides. In the 1950s, Zahir Shah began modernizing the country in line with Turkey. His long reign was marked by peace and stability that was lost afterwards.
(Tanganyika was later united with Zanzibar, and Tanzania was formed.)
(Zanzibar was later united with Tanganyika, and Tanzania was formed.)
Country | Monarch | Born | Reign | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tsar Simeon II | 1937 | 28 August 1943 – 15 September 1946 | He later served as Prime Minister (2001–2005). | |
King Fuad II | 1952 | 26 July 1952 – 18 June 1953 | ||
Queen Elizabeth II | 1926 | 10 October 1970 – 7 October 1987 18 February 1965 – 24 April 1970 6 March 1957 – 1 July 1960 26 May 1966 – 23 February 1970 12 December 1963 – 12 December 1964 6 July 1964 – 6 July 1966 21 September 1964 – 13 December 1974 12 March 1968 – 12 March 1992 1 October 1960 – 1 October 1963 6 February 1952 – 23 March 1956 27 April 1961 – 19 April 1971 6 February 1952 – 31 May 1961 6 February 1952 – 22 May 1972 9 December 1961 – 9 December 1962 31 August 1962 – 1 August 1976 9 October 1962 – 15 April 1966 | Currently Queen of 16 other nations | |
King Constantine II | 1940 | 6 March 1964 – 1 June 1973 | ||
King Gyanendra | 1947 | 7 November 1950 – 8 January 1951 4 June 2001 – 28 May 2008 | ||
Sultan Ghalib II | 1948 | 10 October 1966 – 17 September 1967 | ||
Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah | 1929 | 1 July 1963 – 12 January 1964 | ||