A common motif in medieval art is the Wheel of Fate: a spoked wheel with a king perched at the top, only to be toppled and shown as a beggar when the wheel turns. The opposite side of that wheel, however, tells a different story—how a beggar can rise to sit upon the throne. Throughout history, a handful of the most unexpected individuals have spun the wheel in their favor, climbing from obscurity to the pinnacle of power. In this roundup, we explore 10 unlikely people who managed to become monarchs against all odds.
10 Unlikely People Who Became Monarchs
10 Claudius
Born into the illustrious Claudian clan, Tiberius Claudius Drusus should have been destined for a prominent role in Rome’s imperial machine. His grandmother Livia was wed to Augustus, his great‑uncle Tiberius ascended to the purple, and his nephew Caligula followed suit. Yet, a crippling disability turned him into a societal outcast: he limped, stammered, drooled, and his hands trembled, earning his own mother’s scornful label of “monster.” Caligula, his nephew, delighted in mocking the frail uncle throughout his reign.
When Caligula’s reign of terror finally provoked a conspiracy, assassins struck the emperor in hopes of reviving the Republic—there was no clear heir. In the chaotic aftermath, soldiers ransacking the palace discovered Claudius cowering behind curtains. Mistaking his quiet presence for a sign, they dragged him out and proclaimed him emperor on the spot.
Scholars still debate Claudius’s effectiveness. Some argue he was a puppet of low‑born officials and his wives, while others credit him with the successful conquest of Britain. After his death, he was deified, suggesting his legacy was respectable enough to earn divine honor.
9 Ivaylo The Cabbage
Ivaylo’s ascent proves that royal blood isn’t a prerequisite for a throne. Emerging from the Bulgarian peasantry—perhaps even as a swineherd—he dreamed of grandeur. In the thirteenth‑century Balkans, Mongol incursions plagued the land, prompting Ivaylo to rally fellow disgruntled peasants into an army that pushed the invaders back. His victories alarmed both the reigning Bulgarian tsar, Constantine, and the Byzantine emperor, prompting a showdown.
Ivaylo’s forces met Constantine’s troops on the battlefield, and the tsar suffered a crushing defeat, possibly at Ivaylo’s own hands. To solidify his claim, Ivaylo married the widowed consort of the slain tsar. Yet his reign was immediately contested by Byzantine interests and fresh Mongol raids. Though he continued to win battles, the Bulgarian aristocracy eventually exiled him among the very Mongols he’d once fought, where he met his end. His rule lasted barely a year, yet he remains a beloved folk hero, derisively nicknamed “the Cabbage” or “the Radish” to mock his modest origins.
8 Basil I
Even the Byzantine Empire, with its imperial pedigree, wasn’t immune to the rise of a commoner. Basil, born to a peasant family, leveraged his striking looks to secure a position in the imperial stables. A wrestling triumph earned him the eye of Emperor Michael III, known as “the Drunkard.” The two quickly became inseparable, and Michael married Basil to one of his favored mistresses as a token of favor.
Under Michael’s orders, Basil eliminated the emperor’s uncle, catapulting himself to the position of second‑most powerful man at court and eventually earning the title of co‑emperor. When Michael began to dote on a new favorite, Basil seized the moment: at a drunken banquet, he ordered his men to slay both Michael and the newcomer, thus becoming sole ruler of the Byzantine realm.
His reign, lasting nineteen years, was marked by prosperity and territorial expansion. Basil’s life ended tragically when, during a hunt, his belt became entangled in a stag’s horns, delivering a fatal wound.
7 Justin I
Before Basil’s ascent, the Eastern Roman Empire already witnessed a swineherd’s rise to imperial power. Born Istok in Thrace, Justin fled a barbarian onslaught with two companions, carrying only a sack of bread and tattered garments. His formidable strength earned him a place among the imperial bodyguards, a position that set the stage for his future.
After decades of diligent service, Justin rose to command the emperor’s guard. When Emperor Anastasius I died, the empire faced a power vacuum with no clear successor. The restless populace turned to the only military leader with troops at hand—Justin. He was acclaimed emperor, rewarding his soldiers generously to secure loyalty. His reign paved the way for his nephew, the famed Justinian the Great, who would later be celebrated as one of history’s most influential rulers.
6 Toyotomi Hideyoshi
The early life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi is shrouded in mystery, but legend holds that he emerged from a peasant background. Some accounts suggest he was sent to a temple only to run away in search of adventure. He later served as a low‑ranking soldier under a powerful warlord, quickly earning recognition for his martial skill. His ascent began with a humble appointment as a sandal‑bearer, a position that placed him close to the commander’s feet.
By 1582, Hideyoshi commanded armies for his lord, Oda Nobunaga. During a siege, he called for reinforcements; when Nobunaga arrived, he was betrayed by another general and forced to commit suicide. In the ensuing chaos, Hideyoshi seized the initiative, avenging his master’s betrayal and subduing rebellious provinces. He later married into a noble family, gaining the right to hold high court positions, and ultimately became Japan’s regent, unifying the fractured nation.
5 Zhu Yuanzhang
Zhu Yuanzhang’s childhood was marked by hardship. Born in the 1320s during a period of recurrent famines, he was the youngest of seven or eight sons in a destitute peasant family. To alleviate the family’s burden, several brothers were given away. Zhu himself was considered unattractive, and at sixteen, a devastating flood destroyed his home, killing many relatives. He sought refuge in a monastery, only to find it unable to feed him; soon after, Yuan troops razed the monastery as well.
Rather than surrender to despair, Zhu joined a rebel band. As the uprising against the Yuan dynasty grew, he emerged as a charismatic leader. His forces helped topple the Yuan, and after defeating rival rebel leaders, Zhu proclaimed himself the first emperor of the new Ming Dynasty in 1368. By 1381, he had unified all of China under his rule, overseeing the reconstruction of the Great Wall into its iconic stone form and instituting brutal purges of officials and even artists who dared to depict his unconventional appearance too realistically.
4 Charles XIV John Of Sweden
Jean‑Baptiste Bernadotte was the son of a French lawyer, born in 1763. Rejecting the pen for a sword, he pursued a military career, rising swiftly during the French Revolution. Within a few years he attained the rank of general, and his reputation caught the eye of Napoleon Bonaparte. Bernadotte married into the Bonaparte family, eventually becoming one of Napoleon’s marshals and a prince.
In 1810, Sweden faced a succession crisis: King Charles XIII had no heirs. The Swedish government scoured Europe for a suitable successor and chose Bernadotte, impressed by his military prowess. Accepting the offer, he adopted the name Charles XIV John upon Charles XIII’s death, swapping his republican ideals for royal responsibilities. His famous declaration from the 1790s—“Being a republican both by principle and by conviction, I want to fight all royalists to my death”—was set aside as he embraced the crown. The Bernadotte dynasty still reigns in Sweden today.
3 Catherine The Great
Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt‑Zerbst, later known as Catherine the Great, hailed from a modest Prussian princely line. Though her family carried a title, they possessed little wealth or influence. Through her mother’s connections, she was related to powerful aristocrats, and a political marriage was arranged to bind Prussia and Russia. She wed Grand Duke Peter, the heir to the Russian throne, converting to Orthodoxy and adopting the name Catherine.
The marriage proved disastrous. Catherine loathed Peter’s appearance and his habit of playing with toy soldiers in bed. Peter, unable to govern effectively, was sidelined by his mother, Empress Elizabeth, who refused to relinquish power. After Elizabeth’s death, Peter briefly ruled for six months before Catherine orchestrated a coup, proclaiming herself empress. Within eight days, Peter died under mysterious circumstances, solidifying Catherine’s grip on power.
Catherine reigned for thirty‑four years, overseeing a period of cultural flourishing and territorial expansion, before being succeeded by her son.
2 Abdalonymus
When Alexander the Great embarked on his conquests, he faced the logistical challenge of governing the vast territories he seized. To maintain control, he often installed loyal rulers in conquered lands. In the city of Sidon, however, there was no obvious candidate for kingship. Alexander’s confidant Hephaestion was tasked with finding a suitable replacement.
Hephaestion discovered a humble gardener—Abdalonymus—who, though a distant relative of the former royal house, had lived a quiet life tending his garden, unaware of the surrounding wars. Impressed by his honesty and diligence, Hephaestion and the city’s nobles approached him while he was pulling weeds, offering him the royal insignia. Initially believing they were jesting or mad, Abdalonymus eventually accepted the throne, becoming king of Sidon.
1 James Brooke
Sir James Brooke was born at the height of the British Empire and would go on to establish one of its most unconventional domains. Raised in India but sent to school in England, he famously ran away and returned to India, where he joined the East India Company’s army, developing a taste for warfare. When his father died, leaving him £30,000, Brooke purchased a sizeable vessel named the Royalist, intending to explore, trade, and adventure.
At the time, the Sultan of Brunei was battling a rebellion in Sarawak on Borneo. Brooke sailed his ship to assist, and the sultan offered a striking deal: crush the rebels, and the entire region of Sarawak would be granted to him as ruler. Brooke accepted, swiftly suppressing pirates and insurgents. In 1842, the sultan proclaimed him the Rajah of Sarawak. The title passed through his family, creating a line of “white rajahs” until the last abdicated in 1946, ceding the territory to Britain as a colony.