In a time when the only way to rule was to be born into it or to take it by force, there was a great danger in being king. The moment a ruler took his seat on the throne, his life was in jeopardy.

See Also: Top 10 Truly Insane Rulers

Some survived. Some built empires and dynasties and died old, in their sleep, on silk sheets lined in gold. But others weren’t so lucky.

A handful of rulers only ever managed to keep their power for a few days or even hours — and left behind nothing but the incredible tragedy of their brief lives.

10 Prince Milan Obrenovic II: 26 Days

Prince Milan Obrenovic II ruled Serbia for 26 days — and, according to most accounts, he didn’t have any idea he was in power.

He was sick his entire life. It seemed to be a family curse — he was his parent’s sixth child, but the first who’d be healthy enough to survive childhood. By the time he turned 20, he was completely bed-ridden — but to two parents who had already lost five children, he was still their miracle boy.

Milan’s father, Miloš, abdicated the throne in 1839 and named his sickly son ruler of Serbia — but his son, who was dying of pneumonia, didn’t even understand what was happening.

He didn’t sign a single document or give a single rule the entire time. He was too sick to get out of bed, or even grasp the magnanimity (s/b magnitude) of what had happened to him. It’s said that he seemed to think his father was just on a trip and would ask people when he would return.

On the 26th day of his reign, Milan succumbed to his illness and died in his bed. He was 20 years old. When he died, he was in his mother’s arms.^[1]

9 Gordian I and Gordian II: 21 Days

In the year 238 AD, Rome saw six emperors rise and five of them fall. Every reign that year was brief — but none shorter than the reign of Gordian I and Gordian II, the men who ruled the empire as father and son.

Gordian I insisted his son rule with him. The Senate had asked him to rule alone, but the elder Goridan was an old man — already 80 years old — and his son more important to him than anything on earth.

He brought his son with him in everything he did. When he became proconsul of Africa, he made his son his right-hand man; and when he was made emperor, he refused to rule without his boy.

Gordian’s demand was an act of love from a doting father — but it would end costing his son his life. 21 days after the pair took control of Rome, a rebel army attacked Gordian II in Carthage, where they overran his men and killed him in battle.

Gordian I had lost the light of his life. He was an eighty-year-old man who had outlived his son. As soon he heard the news, he retreated to his room, hung a belt around his neck, and ended his own life.^[2]

8 Lady Jane Grey: 9 Days

Lady Jane Grey never expected to become queen. She was just a 15-year-old girl; the cousin of the king, but only fourth in the line of succession. And yet, four days after the death of King Edward VI in 1553, she was awoken with the news that she was to rule England.

Edward VI was supposed to pass his crown to his sister, Mary — but he was a devout Protestant and wouldn’t stand to see his Catholic sister take power. And so, days before his death, he wrote a will appointing Jane Grey his successor, lighting a spark that would ignite England into chaos.

Mary rose an insurrection against her cousin almost immediately. Nine days after her coronation, Lady Jane Grey was thrown in prison for high treason, sentenced to be “burned alive on Tower Hill or beheaded as the Queen pleases.”

It took a year for the Queen’s order to come in, but when it did, they took Jane’s husband first. She had to watch as Mary’s men dragged him out of her room, cut off his head, and rolled his corpse out on a cart.

When it was her turn, she seemed brave, for a moment. She recited a psalm asking God for mercy and, when the executioner asked her for forgiveness, simply asked him to make her death quick.

She didn’t panic until, blindfolded, she was ordered to put her head on the block — and, in that fit of irrationality that comes with fear, became terrified that she couldn’t find it and cried out: “What shall I do? Where is it?”

The Deputy Lieutenant of Tower Hill led her to her place, and the executioner did what she asked him to do.^[3]

7 King Thong Lan: 7 Days

Thong Lan was 15-years-old when he was appointed king of Ayutthaya, an ancient kingdom in Thailand. For one brief week, he was the most powerful man in the nation — but he didn’t have time to do anything burn mourn and die.

In 1388, Thong Lan’s father, Boromrachathirat I, got sick and died en route to a battle. In a matter of days, Thong Lan was forced to deal with the news that his father would never be coming home, that he would have to rule in his place, and — shortly after — that an army was coming to kill him.

A local ruler, Ramesuan, amassed an army the second he heard that young Thong Lan was on the throne, and within days, he was at the door of his palace.

Thong Lan had never done anything to Ramesuan. In fact, by all accounts, Ramsuan and his father had been friends. But for reasons historians can only guess at, Ramesan didn’t hesitate for a second before taking his friend’s young son’s life.

Ramesuan had Thong Lan dragged out to a Buddhist temple, wrapped in a velvet sack, and beaten to death with a club just seven days after his father’s death.^[4]

6 King John I: 5 Days

King John I is the only French king that spent his entire life as the uncontested ruler of France — but he was only king for five days.

John I was the only male son of King Louis X, but when Louis died on June 5, 1316, he was still in his mother’s womb.

Rather than complicate the line of succession, the French rulers decided to wait until John was born and make him king. And so, from the moment he was born on Nov. 15, he was the sovereign ruler of France.

John I, however, lived in a time when child deaths were rampant. As royalty, he had a better chance than most, but it was enough. The baby saw five days of life, then left the world.

There were conspiracy theories about his death — that he’d been murdered by his godmother or his uncle, or even that he’d replaced with a commoner’s baby and lived out a full life as an unknown merchant — but there’s no proof that any of them are true.

Odds are that the story is a simple as it seems: he was a baby who didn’t make it.^[5]

5 Dipendra of Nepal: 3 Days

One of the shortest reigns in history happened just 19 years ago. It was the brief but horrid reign of Dipendra of Nepal: the boy king who massacred his own family.

On June 1, 2001, Dipendra arrived at a family party so drunk that he could barely walk and ready to fight. He went straight into arguing with his father, furious that he and his mother were trying to discourage him from marrying the woman he loved.

He left in fury, then came back, armed with multiple automatic weapons. And to everyone’s horror, he opened fire on them all, starting with his father.

“He went wild and started shooting whoever came in front of him,” a survivor of the massacre, Dr. Shahi, told the New York Times. “How many weapons he used, I’m not sure. I didn’t count. It was too fast.”

Dipendra murdered his father, his mother, his brother, his sister, and five other members of the royal family before turning his weapon and shooting himself in the head.

Nobody knows for sure why he did it. Some say it was because his parents tried to stop his wedding, while others find it all so unbelievable that they’ve built conspiracy theories saying Dipendra was framed.

But Dipendra’s friends say that, in the years before the massacre, his mental health was slipping. Dipendra was on antidepressants, and friends had expressed that he needed help.

The bullet he turned on himself killed him slowly. Instead of dying right away, Dipendra slipped into a coma. For three days, before he stopped breathing, the man who’d killed the royal family was king.^[6]

4 Sultan Sayyid Khalid bin Barghash: 2 Days

The shortest-lived Sultan of Zanzibar saw his reign met an abrupt end in history’s shortest war.

On Aug. 25, 1896, Sayyid Khalid bin Barghash ascended to the throne of Zanzibar — and, almost immediately, was ordered to step down.

The British Empire saw Sayyid as a difficult ruler. They wanted someone more willing to bend to their will in charge, and so — calling on a treaty that required Zanzibar to get permission from the British before naming anyone Sultan — they demanded Sayyid give up his place.

Soon, the British Navy was outside his palace, ordering him to haul down his flag and leave. They gave him until 9:00 on Aug. 27th to comply or the palace would be destroyed.

When Sayyid refused, the British opened fire. For 38 minutes, they shelled his palace, engulfing it into flames and killing 500 people in the process, before the Sultan’s men surrendered.

It was the shortest war in history — and with it ended one of the shortest reigns.^[7]

3 Minshinzaw: 18 Hours

Minshinzaw spent his life in exile. He was cast out of his home country of Pagan, in modern Myanmar, by his own father in 1152 after he criticized him for marrying a foreign woman. But even though his father had kicked him out, he never stopped working to impress him.

In exile, he took control of the land he’d settled in and made it more prosperous than it had ever been. He set up dams and canals that tripled their harvest and developed a focus on education that drew in some of the greatest minds.

But when his father died in 1167, Minshinzaw didn’t hesitate to take up his responsibility to the people of Pagan. He left his land behind and return to what had once been his kingdom to take the throne. He returned home, where his younger brother, Narathu, pronounced him king.

What Minshinzaw didn’t know, though, was that Narathu was after the throne. He had already smothered their father in his sleep with bedsheets.

Minshinzaw didn’t make it through the night. While he slept, his brother poisoned him, wiping out the last person standing in the way of the throne.^[8]

2 Tsar Michael II: 16 Hours

Michael II woke up on the morning of March 15, 1917, to learn that his brother had abdicated the throne and named him Tsar.

It wasn’t a great gift. In 1917, the Russian Revolution was already in swing, and Michael knew no emperor would last long. And so he did what every other person on this list ought to have done: he gave up the throne.

Michael declared that he would only take power if he was elected by universal suffrage and stepped down within 16 hours of being proclaimed Tsar. Then he returned to his villa and hoped for a simple life.

It didn’t work out. He was arrested shortly after abdicating the throne and kept on house arrest for a year. Then, on June 12, 1918, a member of the Secret Police named Gavril Myasnikov broke into his house, forced him into a carriage, rode him out into the forest, and shot him.

Michael’s secretary and closest friend, Nicholas Johnson, was dragged out and shot with him. Johnson was shot first. When they shot Michael, he was reaching out to his wounded friend, trying to give him comfort as he died.^[9]

1 Empress Yuan: Less Than 5 Hours

Nobody knows Empress Yuan’s full name. Nobody ever wrote it down. All that’s recorded is that she was the only child of Emperor Xiaoming, and that, for a few hours in 528 AD, she ruled China.

She was never anything more than a puppet in her grandmother’s game. When she was born, her father was already in ill health, and her grandmother, Empress Dowager Hu, was determined to stay in power. And so, to make sure the succession would fall to baby Yuan, she told the world that the baby was a boy.

Empress Yuan was only 50 days old when her father died and she was named ruler. And immediately, her grandmother used her power to replace her with another child she could control: a 3-year-old name Yuan Zhao.

The plan worked, in a sense — but it infuriated a nation. The people revolted against Empress Dowager Hu almost immediately. The babies she’d manipulated were killed with her.

Empress Dowager Hu and 3-year-old Yuan Zhu were dragged out of the castle and drowned in the Yellow River. And everyone connected to her — some 13,000 people in all — were slaughtered in a horrific massacre.

Only 83 names of the 13,000 killed were ever recorded. We can’t say for sure what happened to Empress Yuan, but the Emperor’s little girl was never heard from again.^[10]

Marriage is a beautiful thing. But, sometimes, things just don’t work out. For ordinary people, a divorce is usually a private affair, but to celebrities, a painful breakup can become trending news in minutes. If you’ve been asking who has the record for the shortest marriages in history, you’re in for a wild ride.

Let’s take a look at the ten shortest marriages in history that might make you think twice before walking down the aisle.

Related: 10 Cases Of Posthumous Marriage

10 Chad Johnson & Evelyn Lozada – 41 Days

This top-ten list kicks off on a sour note, although no divorce or breakup is ever really sweet. When Evelyn Lozada married Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, she pictured a beautiful life in the limelight. They even had a VH-1 reality show in the works where they planned to star together as lovers.

Sadly, the two entered into an argument on one fateful night, after which Johnson allegedly “head-butted” his wife. Lozada, who was hospitalized after the incident, filed for divorce three days later. Her main reason for leaving was the valid argument that she couldn’t tolerate domestic violence. She hoped that her courage would encourage other women to break their silence.

As with all public scandals, the controversy surrounding the domestic incident led to VH-1 pulling out of the planned show. The ripple effects worsened when Ocho was subsequently dropped by his NFL team, the Miami Dolphins.

9 Drew Barrymore & Jeremy Thomas – 29 Days

Sometimes, you can also meet the love of your life at a bar. That’s exactly what happened to Charlie’s Angels star Drew Barrymore when she met Jeremy Thomas.

Barrymore met Thomas, an LA bar owner, in 1994. Six weeks later, the smitten bartender popped the question. While most romantic fellas plan a proposal for weeks, Thomas went to his knees and asked Barrymore to marry her in an alley at 2 am. Of course, Barrymore said yes and went ahead to organize a quickie ceremony three hours later!

The two formalized their whirlwind romance by 5:30 am the same day after paying the officiant $20 more than the usual going rate. Sadly, things started falling apart after the wedding, and while they had planned to go honeymooning in Hawaii, Barrymore left for the islands alone.

Thomas only found out she was in Hawaii after she called him later! Barrymore would later cite “irreconcilable differences”—not her film but their incompatibility—as the major reason behind the divorce.

8 Sinead O’Connor & Barry Herridge – 16 Days

What would force someone to end a marriage held in Las Vegas? A wild trip to find marijuana on the wedding night is one reason that tanked Sinead O’Connor’s marriage to Barry Herridge.

Sinead O’Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter, and when she decided to tie the knot with Herridge, they did it the Vegas way—suddenly. According to O’Connor, the problems with their marriage started three hours after the ceremony. They embarked on a “journey” to find marijuana since Sinead didn’t drink, but the experience rubbed the new groom the wrong way.

As a career psychotherapist, Herridge worked with people battling substance abuse. Perhaps, the drug hunt was a little contrary to his values. Sinead later shared that Herridge’s friends were against their union even before the wedding. The two were from different worlds, an ingredient for disaster. Sinead shared that she decided to end her marriage because she loved him too much. She needed to “set him free.”

7 Tracey Edmonds & Eddie Murphy – 14 Days

Celebrities are known to make hobbies of relationships and marriages, and every so often, the biggest stars are part of the dialogue. Eddie Murphy has five baby mamas in the entertainment industry, and when he married Tracey Edmonds, many wondered how long it would last. As it turns out, 14 days was the new record.

Gladly, the marriage didn’t end badly since nobody actually signed the marriage certificates first. Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds exchanged vows in the Bora Bora region of French Polynesia. The beautiful wedding on a private island is an industry staple, but as it turns out, they needed to finalize things in a formal wedding in the U.S.

After a tumultuous two-week honeymoon, the two jointly decided to forego the ceremony that would make their marriage legal. In a statement, the couple said that the ceremony in Bora Bora was a testament to their friendship, deep love, and respect. They chose to remain friends, and maybe, this is beneficial to them both, given how long marriages last in Hollywood.

6 Pamela Anderson & Jon Peters – 12 Days

Lovebirds usually get married after short stints of dating, but sometimes, things can take longer. Pamela Anderson and Jon Peters first dated in the 1980s but married 35 years later. While most facts about their doomed marriage are surrounded by controversy, we know that their not-quite-official marriage lasted 12 days.

Jon Peters is a celebrated film producer, and his marriage to Baywatch superstar Pamela Anderson was a great twist in their long relationship. But, in what turned out to be a controversial war of words, both stars went their separate ways before signing their marriage certificates. Sharing why the almost-marriage didn’t work for him, the A Star Is Born producer claimed that he needs “a simple life and not an international love affair.”

Before things turned south, Anderson had shared that Peters had always been there for her and “I’m ready now, and he’s ready too.” But that’s just the thing about marriages’ you can prepare all you want, but you can’t control how things eventually turn out.

5 Carmen Electra & Dennis Rodman – 9 Days

Dennis Rodman was stunning as a defensive/rebound basketball player, and as one of the greats, anything he does is worth reporting. Rodman graces this list because of his marriage to Carmen Electra, which lasted nine days.

But, before they decided to marry, Electra and Rodman had a great relationship. The electric relationship between Electra and Rodman started when they met in Los Angeles in 1998. The two enjoyed the bliss of random dates and endless calls as Rodman wooed a smitten Electra. By November 1998, the two took a trip to Las Vegas that ended at the famous Chapel of the Flowers.

At the chapel, the two got married in an event that made headlines globally. Sadly, nine days later, Rodman filed for an annulment, citing that he had not been of sound mind. Perhaps, their short marriage comes with a stern lesson—don’t get a quickie marriage in Vegas.

4 Nigerian Couple – 7 Days

Couples get hitched after dating, and sometimes, religious spouses save the best stuff for the wedding night. In Nigeria, a couple divorced after the woman discovered that her husband’s… member was too big.

While bigger is usually better, Aisha Dannupawa discovered that her husband’s appendage was too gigantic for her to handle. Speaking to the Islamic court in Zamfara, Aisha claimed that intimacy with her partner was too painful of an experience. For the disconcerted woman, even the herbs she had solicited from her mother couldn’t help her cope.

Of course, when asked whether he had any opposition to the divorce request, the gifted groom had nothing to say. He didn’t deny the claims, and we all probably know why—he was suffering from success. Marriage should be a place where everyone is comfortable, and if she didn’t feel at home, there was no reason to keep going.

3 Nicolas Cage & Erika Koike – 4 Days

Nicolas Cage is one of the most famous actors of modern times. So, naturally, we need to know why and who he’s dating at all times. While he’s kept most of his relationships under the wraps, his marriage to Erika Koike blew the shutters wide open. The low-profile marriage (in Las Vegas, of all places) was a culmination of a great relationship between the star and a make-up artist.

Opening up about the marriage, Nicolas Cage revealed that there were several reasons behind his decision to annul the event after four days. The National Treasure actor shared that both of them had been intoxicated before the wedding. He also added that he was unaware of Koike’s relations with another party.

Still, Cage revealed that he was “upset” with the outcome of the event, which was also his fourth marriage.

2 Britney Spears & Jason Alexander – 55 Hours

We all have the idea that weddings should be all about pomp and flair. Britney Spears is a pretty famous person who once did the unthinkable: She showed up to a wedding in blue jeans, a bare midriff, and a baseball cap. Of course, she’s not here because she was arrested by the fashion police—she’s on the list because she asked for an annulment just 55 hours later!

Spears and Alexander exchanged vows in a little white wedding chapel in the best nightlife city… Las Vegas, of course! And this is one story that the tabloids gobbled up like Thanksgiving dinner. Sharing his side of the story, Alexander revealed that Spears flew him out to Vegas, and when he landed, he was hoping for a good time. As it turns out, things were better than good—they were Vegas crazy.

In an ironic twist, what happened in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas… at least not once the couple shared the news with her family. After Spears phoned home to say that she was now married, her mother and managers were shocked. The wedding had no prenup, and Spears asked Alexander to sign the annulment papers after intense pressure.

Britney Spears would later describe the short marriage to Jason Alexander as a time when she was “being silly, being rebellious.”

1 Kuwaiti Couple – 3 Minutes

The pair that takes the crown for the shortest marriage in history is, shockingly, not a celebrity couple. In a story that shook the internet, a Kuwaiti couple divorced less than three minutes after tying the knot.

Marriage is meant to last a lifetime, and in those that work, respect is key. For this Kuwaiti couple, the first three minutes of the marriage showed that they were incompatible. According to reports on the event, the couple had been married in front of a judge, and after they left, something unfortunate happened. The bride tripped and fell on the cold hard floor.

Any new groom would have rushed to rescue his princess, but in this scenario, the knight in shining armor called her “stupid.” A single ridiculous and cruel moment after the wedding bells is not something a bride welcomes. Right after, the bride rushed back to demand a divorce. While we’re definitely stunned by this short marriage, you can imagine how the judge reacted to the fast and furious bridal take-back.

Contrary to popular belief not all wars took years to come to a conclusion. In fact some took minutes, days and even a month to come to an end. These were the shortest wars in history. Yes you might be surprised at some of the reasons why the war happened but it happened and there were consequences.

Wars have being part of human civilization as we fight for resources or land and most wars do take a lot of time to end. They sometimes drag forever that you just wish for them to end now.

But some were pretty short that you’ll be surprised that it actually happened. In this article you’ll find out more about history’s shortest wars.

10. Anglo-Zanzibar war – 38 minutes

This 38 minute war on 1896 was fought between the British and Zanzibar. The story goes like this, Zanzibar was part of the British Empire in East Africa and the British had their own man at the helm of power in Zanzibar.

This man was Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini (Sultan of Zanzibar) who was a supporter of the British. But on 25th August 1896 he died and his nephew Sultan Khalid bin Barghash immediately took power. He was never appointed by the British therefore he wasn’t favored as the ideal successor.

The British assembled their 5 warships to set sail to the island; they had already landed troops ashore the island. Ultimatums and requests’ were sent for the sultan to stand down and move out of the palace. But the sultan did the opposite and fortified the palace with his own troops and artillery guns.

On 26th August 1896 a final ultimatum was sent to the sultan to leave the palace by 9am the following day. The sultan didn’t heed the ultimatum and ignored the British warnings.

At 9.02 am 27th August 1896 the British royal navy started bombarding the palace mostly wooden and by 9.40am the shelling seized. The palace was badly ruined but Sultan Khalid bin Barghash had managed to escape and it was a victory for the British.

This short, 38 minute war resulted in about 500 Zanzibar citizens killed or wounded, and one British soldier wounded. 

9. Libya-Egypt war – 3 days

A 3 day border war that started on 21st July 1977, the Libyan army attacked Egyptian border posts with artillery and mortars. These two states were actually allies when Arab states sought the ouster of Israel from the Middle East. During the Arab-Israeli wars they supported each other with arms and logistical support.

But this closeness ended when President Sadat of Egypt sought peace with Israel. This didn’t go well with Libya’s new leader Muammar Gaddafi who had seized power via a coup in 1969. This peace treaty sought by the Egyptian president was considered a sought of a betrayal to the Arab world.

Muammar Gaddafi ordered all 200,000+ Egyptian nationals to leave Libya. He also organized the March on Cairo which was headed to the Egyptian border. When the Libyans reached the border the march was stopped by Egyptian border guards. This was where things escalated.

The Libyans launched an artillery attack against Sallum, an Egyptian border town. The Libyan troops and air force crossed the border launching attacks against the Egyptians. The Egyptian army and air force launched a counter strike pushing them back to Libya. Libyan military bases and training camps near the border were destroyed and the Libyan army retreated.

A ceasefire was announced on 24th July 1977 where hostilities ended. The president of Egypt didn’t want to invade Libya and create a full scale war. This 3 day war deserves the shortest wars in history label but it led to 400 Libyan troops dead and injured while 100 dead and injured Egyptian troops.

8. Armenia-Azerbaijan war – 4 days

This 4 day war that occurred on 2nd April 2016 when the Azerbaijani Army took military action on the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic which is supported by Armenia.

The Nagorno-Karabakh frontline has always been a hotspot between Azerbaijan and Armenia with clashes experienced occasionally. Tensions between these two states have always been there since the 1992-1994 conflict that led to Nagorno-Karabakh Republic being formed. Azerbaijan has always considered this territory as occupied territory while Armenia considered it as an independent territory.

During this war both sides used all types of weapons from tanks, heavy artillery, rocket launchers, and air power. The war didn’t actually have a clear winner as the Azerbaijan army didn’t take Nagorno-Karabakh while Armenia repelled the Azerbaijan army.

But on the afternoon of 5th April 2016 an agreement was reached for cessation of hostilities between the two sides. A tense relationship still exists between the two sides but this short war resulted in at least 60 soldiers and several civilians dead as admitted by both sides. But it’s possible that the number might be high due to lack of accurate information from the front line.

7. Georgia-Russia war – 5 days

This 5 day war happened in August 2008 when Georgian troops launched an offensive on the breakaway region of South Ossetia. South Ossetia and Abkhazia are two provinces in Georgia that always sought autonomy/independence from the country.

Their independence quest has always been supported by Russia and this created tension with Georgia. There was a peacekeeping mission of both Georgian and Russian troops in the two provinces that was part of the 1992 agreement.

When Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was elected he wanted to bring the South Ossetia region to be part of Georgia. But in 2006 South Ossetia rejected this plan in a referendum.

As all this was happening Georgia was strengthening ties with the European Union (EU) and NATO and was planning to join. While on the other side South Ossetia was strengthening its ties with Russia. Of course neither side liked what the other was doing therefore accusations and small clashes erupted between South Ossetia militia and Georgian troops.

But on 7th August 2008 the Georgian president ordered his troops to take the South Ossetia capital of Tskhinvali. The Georgian troops managed to control most of the city because they were nearly 7,500 troops with tanks and armored personnel carriers compared to 2,500 Ossetia militia.

The tide turned on 8th August 2008 when the Russian army crossed the border into South Ossetia and battled the Georgian troops. The Russians used their air power to their advantage bombing Georgian military installations and vehicles. The Russian ground and air offensive pushed the Georgian army out of South Ossetia and its capital.

The Russian army also stationed its troops in Abkhazia and continued pushing forward and only stopped 45 kilometers from the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. A cease-fire on 12th August 2008 ended the Russia-Georgia War. It was a clear win for Russian and south Ossetia and Abkhazia provinces. The war had a devastating effect with100, 000+ civilians displaced during the war. Also during the five-day conflict nearly 850 people were killed.

6. Six day war/June war – 6 days

This 6 day war happened on 5th June 1967 between Israel and Arab states (Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Jordan). Since the formation of the state of Israel in 1948 and the expulsion of Palestinians most Arab states considered Israel a threat.

There was always tension between Israel and Arab states like Syria but tensions were high when Egyptian president Nasser banned Israeli ships from the Straits of Tiran on 22nd May 1967. This led to an Arab military buildup at a tense time.

But on 5th June 1967 the Israelis launched an aerial assault called Operation Focus that was to target the air force of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. The Arab states lost more than 400 airplanes; whereas Israel lost 20. This was a devastating loss as the Israelis now controlled the airspace.

The ground offensive begun on the same day as Israeli troops and tanks crossed the border into the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. They fought the Egyptian forces that later started retreating as the Israeli forces pushed them back.

But when Jordan started shelling the Israeli troops due to false claims of an Egyptian victory, the Israelis responded with an attack on East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The Jordanian forces suffered serious losses and setbacks and by 7th June the Old City of Jerusalem was under Israeli control.

While on 9th June the Israelis began an offensive against the Syrian forces in the Golan Heights. It was a difficult battle but Israel took control of it as the Syrians withdrew.

On 10th June 1967 the shortest wars in history came to an end due to a United Nation brokered ceasefire between the warring sides. They all accepted the ceasefire and by the end of the war Israel had captured new territories. Israel now had the Golan Heights, the Gaza strip and the area between the Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal. But Israel later returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in 1982 and then withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005.

This war had an effect and still has an effect on the geopolitical nature of the Middle East. The six day war changed the Middle East landscape with countless refugees who were affected by the war still wanting to go back to their lands. The conflict created 350,000 refugees.

Although it was only a 6 day war some 20,000 Arabs and 800 Israelis died in the fighting.

5. El Salvador-Honduras war – 4 days

This was a 4 day war that started on 14th July 1969 between the two Central American states. It’s mostly known as the football war /soccer war/100 hour war. In reality football wasn’t the real reason this two states went to war but it was a launching pad for war.

Honduras and El Salvador had a host of issues between them and these issues led to a tense relationship between the two neighbors. El Salvador is a small country with a high population therefore opportunities for Salvadorans was low in the 1960s. But Honduras was much bigger compared to El Salvador so the potential to find opportunities like work was highly possible.

Most Salvadorans opted to migrate to Honduras and find work and stay there. These migrants were either illegally or legally in the country. The high influx of Salvadorans into Honduras did make most native Hondurans develop hatred/animosity towards the other community (Salvadorans).

When a controversial land reform program was implemented in Honduras that led to Honduras expelling all El Salvador migrants, legal or illegal, tensions were pretty high.

During the 1970 World Cup qualifications rounds which would be held in the countries, fights and riots would occur between the two spectators/fans. When Honduran fans destroyed and attacked Salvadorans homes and shops with most fleeing back to El Salvador. El Salvador demanded action and the perpetrators arrested but nothing was done. Diplomatic ties with Honduras were broken.

On 14th July the El Salvador air force attacked catching the Hondurans by surprise. The army then invaded Honduras with tanks and armored vehicles moving quickly as they approached the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa.

A ceasefire was immediately called for by The Organization of American States (OAS) at the request of Honduras. But El Salvador wanted safety guarantees for their citizens in Honduras and compensation for injuries and damages.

On 18th July 1969 a ceasefire was announced making it a four day war. Although it was a brief war, it led to 900 Salvadorans and 2,100 Honduran killed. The war highlighted how animosity between two communities can lead to wars and consequences.

4. Second Arab-Israeli war – 9 days

This 9 day war happened on 29th October 1956 when Israel, France and Britain launched an attack on Egypt. Tensions were high between Israel and Egypt because Egypt allowed Palestinian militants to launch attacks from Egyptian soil/territory. Also the loss of Egypt to Israel during the June war made relations between them toxic and unfriendly.

While for the British, Egypt was a colony that they still wanted to have control of because some of their troops were still in Egypt, specifically the Suez Canal. For France the support the Egyptian President Nasser gave to Algerians in their independence quest wasn’t ideal for them.

This war is mostly referred to as the Suez crisis or Suez war because the Suez Canal was the main driver to war happening. You see the Suez Canal was still in control of the French and British companies. It was so vital because it was the gateway to transportation of goods and resources to the Middle East and Africa.
But when President Nasser decided to nationalize the canal, it didn’t go down well with the west especially French and British. So on 26th July 1956, Egypt took over the Suez Canal.

Therefore on 29th October Israel, British and France launched an attack against the Egyptians. First the Israeli troops invaded Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula, and then British and French forces bombed Egyptian air bases, leading to Egyptian troops withdrawing from Sinai to protect the canal. By 5th November 1956, the French and British had taken over the Suez Canal area.

The USA had been caught off guard by this war and didn’t want any further escalation as the Soviet Union threatened to come to the aid of Egypt. A ceasefire was agreed and the Israeli, French and British troops had to withdraw. The Suez Canal was handed back to the Egyptians while Israel withdrew from the Sinai. Hostilities stopped on 7th November 1956.

From the war Egypt was considered the winner as it got what it wanted (Suez Canal) and managed to remove British troops from Egypt. Although it was the shortest wars in history it led to causalities with Egypt suffering greatly. There were about 1,650 Egyptian troops killed. 4,900 injured, and 6,000+ missing in action or captured.

3. Bulgaria-Greece war – 10 days

This 10 day border war started on 19th October 1925. It’s most famously known as the War of the Stray Dog because a dog straying away from its owner had something to do with this war.

But before the dog strayed away friction and tensions dominated the relationship between Greece and Bulgaria. During World War 1 Bulgaria was on the losing side with the Germans while Greece was on the winning side with the Allied forces. Therefore after the war, Bulgaria was punished for siding with the Germans. They were forced to give up Western Thrace to Greece therefore they didn’t have access to Aegean Sea.

This left a bitter taste on Bulgaria and tensions continued between the two states. They were occasional border skirmishes and clashes. Things deteriorated when a Greek’s soldier dog ran towards the Bulgarian border. The Greek soldier immediately chased it towards the Bulgarian border.

A soldier on the Bulgarian side took aim and shot the Greek soldier. Both sides immediately started exchanging fire, a Greek captain and a private waved the white flag as they moved into Bulgarian territory to appeal for calm. The Bulgarians shot them both.

Things didn’t end there as the administration in Greece had changed through a coup and Lieutenant General Theodoros Pangalos was in charge. Pangalos heard of the clashes and gave Bulgaria an ultimatum of 48-hours. They were to offer an apology and compensate fallen Greek soldiers families with 2 million French francs.

Bulgaria refused and the general ordered his troops into Bulgaria where they took over towns and villages near the border. The Greeks were formidable compared to the Bulgarians as they didn’t lose territories they had captured. Bulgaria requested the newly formed League of Nations to help out. The League did this diplomatically ordering the Greeks to withdraw and cease hostilities. By 29th October 1925 the war was over.

The general was reluctant to the League’s requests but was forced to adhere to this when troops from France, Britain and Italy were sent to oversee the withdrawal. The League also ordered Greece to pay Bulgaria £45,000 as compensation. This humiliation of Greece led to Lieutenant General Theodoros Pangalos being deposed in a coup by his own soldiers replacing him with the man he previously deposed.

In this war you can’t know who really won, as both sides lost something. Although Greece was formidable militarily, Bulgaria managed to inflict a blow to Greece using the League of Nations. Sometimes military strength can’t win alone, it’s who you know/convince that can influence outcome of a situation.

The war resulted in less than 100 dead from both sides. As for the dog that led to all this happening, it’s still a mystery as there is no historical information as to what actually happened to it. Hope it had a wonderful life.

2. First Franco-Moroccan war – 11 days

This was an 11 day war that started on 6th August 1844. France was a powerful military force in the 1840s that had managed to conquer vast lands/areas and Algeria was one of those places. But they had a constant threat from the Algerian resistance led by Abd al-Qadir.

During a battle between the French and Abd al-Qadir supporters, the resistance leader managed to escape to Morocco. The French chased him into Morocco and requested the leader of Morocco, Sultan Abd al-Rahman to stop supporting Abd al-Qadir and strengthen his border to avoid further incursions.

Among the people that supported the Algerian resistance leader were Alawi tribesmen from Morocco. The French didn’t like this and interpreted it as a statement that Morocco was defying them.

France set up a base for the troops in Lalla-Maghnia. Alawi tribesmen attacked the troops but were repelled by the superior French army. A sense of jihad started spreading across Morocco against the French.

When the French navy bombarded the city of Tangiers, the war had started against Morocco. But when the sultan’s son Sīdī Mohammed assembled a large Moroccan force to fight the smaller French force and lose, the war was almost over.

By 17th August 1844 the French had won this short war and Morocco had no choice but to accept French demands. Sultan Abd al-Rahman outlawed Abd al-Qadir and established a tighter border with Algeria. This war led to 34 French and 870 Moroccans killed.

1. India-China war/Sino-Indian war – 32 days

This was a 32 day border war fought in 1962. China and India were relatively new states as China was coming out from a civil war that led to the communists winning; while India had just gained independence from Britain.

They were all concerned about internal issues and foreign policy was the last thing they needed to deal with. Tensions and confrontations between the two states were about the border in the Himalayan Mountains. Britain had created the Indian border without consulting China therefore this border became a controversial issue.

India laid claim to Aksai Chin region which had been administered by China while the Chinese lay claim to Arunachal Pradesh in India. When China invaded Tibet and annexed it as part of China, India provided a safe haven for Tibet’s exiled leaders like the Dalai Lama. This greatly angered the Chinese administration with tensions continuing to flare up.

Border skirmishes and clashes were always there between the two states. But when India found out that China had built a road in Aksai Chin to connect Tibet and the western province the Indian administration was furious.

Border clashes became more frequent and India managed to enter the Aksai Chin region. But India had no idea that the Chinese army had amassed along the border. Therefore on 20th October 1962 the Chinese army launched an attack with the goal of driving out the Indian army from Aksai Chin. They accomplished this but that wasn’t the end of the story. India launched a counter-strike on a Chinese position at the disputed border.

The war was mostly fought in the mountain regions and this was difficult because it was 14,000 feet. The war eventually ended when the USA threatened to intervene and support India. A ceasefire was called and both forces withdrew to their original positions at the border on 21st November 1962.

The shortest wars in history led to many dead not only from the gunfight but also the harsh conditions they had to endure. There were 1,383 Indian and 722 Chinese military personnel killed. It was a clear win for China and it showed its military strength. Although air and naval power weren’t utilized, the Chinese ground troop’s numerical strength was a great advantage to defeating India.

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Imagine being either chosen or bestowed the mantle of leadership over a nation, kingdom or empire. You would be excited and happy that you have been awarded such kind of power. But for the leaders we are going to look at they never enjoyed that power for long. They had the power but it was taken and transferred either willingly or unwillingly. They were serving leaders with a short reign.

Any kind of leadership position one has there is always the risk that you might be removed forcibly or by mutual understanding. Also the fact that you’re a leader doesn’t mean you are immune to diseases and death. Some of the leaders we are going to look at faced such a situation.

Being a leader isn’t a guarantee of things going your way. Due to the political nature of most leadership positions there is always a surprise waiting for you. Serving ones nation is the most noble and honorable thing but sometimes that isn’t meant to be.

Therefore without further ado this is what I found out on these leaders that made history;

10. King Louis XIX of France – 20 minutes

Like most European countries, France had a fully functioning monarchy with kings and queens at the seat of power. With succession being through hereditary that’s how Louis XIX became the 20 minute king.

Louis XIX was the son of Charles X who was the younger brother to King Louis XVI. Louis XIX also known as Louis Antoine had married the Princess Marie-Thérèse, daughter of King Louis XVI.

During the 1800s it was a tough time for the French monarchy due to the revolution. Many royals were killed or exiled and the monarchy was trying to survive and be relevant.

When the king died in 1824 with no male child, the throne fell to Charles X his younger brother. Charles X tried to save the monarchy from collapsing by instituting reforms but it wasn’t enough to win over the people. The monarchy was unpopular and what people wanted was real change.

Due to all the pressure, Charles X abdicated the throne and chose his son Louis XIX as the new king. But King Louis XIX was not the popular or preferred candidate. 20 minutes later he also abdicated the throne and fled to Scotland where he stayed the reminder of his days.

9. Emperor Mo of Jin Dynasty (China) – 1 day

The Jin Dynasty was a dominant force in Northern China during 1115 CE. As with many ancient world nations or empires there was a person in charge and in the Jin Dynasty that was the emperor.

The emperor had absolute power and one to be an emperor it can either be via succession, force or chosen by the outgoing emperor to be the leader.

Just like any other empire they had enemies who wanted nothing but to conquer this vast empire. Probably the most notable are the Mongols of Genghis Khan from the north and the Southern Song Dynasty.

In the 13th century the Jin Dynasty was engaged in war with both the Mongols and the Song Dynasty. The empire was struggling but Emperor Aizong came to power in 1224 after his father Emperor Xuanzong died.

Emperor Aizong managed to foster peace with all the warring factions including the Mongols. But after the death of Genghis Khan, his successor Ögedei Khan attacked together with the Song Dynasty in 1232.

The emperor fled to Caizhou but it was later besieged by the Mongols and Song Dynasty. Because the emperor didn’t wish to witness the fall of the Jin dynasty he committed suicide and passed the throne to his general as the new leader.

The general became Emperor Mo of Jin Dynasty, but didn’t reign for long because the Mongols and the Song Dynasty conquered Caizhou. The emperor was killed in action, his reign only lasted a day. He joined the band of serving leaders with an unbelievably short time in office.

8. Chancellor Joseph Goebbels of Germany – 1 day

Joseph Goebbels joined the Nazi party in the 1920s and was a close ally of Adolf Hitler before and during the war. Joseph was a writer and journalist who impressed Hitler with his use of words as a form of expression.

In 1933 when Adolf Hitler was the German chancellor, Joseph Goebbels was appointed as the Minister for public enlightenment and propaganda. His role was to foster anti-Semitic feelings among the German population through the use of media and literature. He became the propaganda machine of the Nazi party before and during the war.

When the 2nd World War started, Joseph created propaganda films that were meant to win favor with the German people. They were meant to show that the Nazi party was on the right while the rest are wrong.

But as the war progressed and defeat was imminent, before Hitler committed suicide he appointed Joseph Goebbels as chancellor of Germany. But unfortunately Goebbels followed the same fate as Hitler. He poisoned his six (6) children and Joseph and his wife, Magda committed suicide. This was all done in Hitler’s bunker in Berlin.

Joseph Goebbels was German chancellor for a whole one day.

7. Sultan Khalid Bin Barghash of Zanzibar – 2 days

The East African island of Zanzibar was ruled by sultans who were the authority of the island. Sultan Khalid bin Barghash was one such leader, son of Sultan Sayid Barghash Bin Said Al-Busaid a popular sultan in Zanzibar.

But in the 1890s this island was part of the British Empire, the British wanted a different man at the helm. A person who will be favorable to them and not cause trouble, the British feared the sultan’s popularity among the people.

Sultan Khalid Bin Barghash was reluctant to leave his position for the British chosen sultan. Therefor the British responded by sending warships to the coast of Zanzibar. They bombarded the wooden palace where Sultan Khalid was forcing him to surrender, the British won and had their way.

Sultan Khalid fled to Seychelles and was only sultan of Zanzibar for only 2 days.

6. King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal – 3 days

Before he was king, Dipendra was the crown prince of Nepal. The circumstances that led to him being crowned king are rather shocking.

On June 1st 2001 the crown prince shot his father King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, his mother Queen Aishwarya and 8 other members of the royal family. The story goes that the family didn’t approve of the crown prince interest in marrying a woman from an Indian royal family.

After the crown prince shot his family he pointed the gun towards himself and shot himself in a suicide attempt. However he didn’t die but actually got into a coma. He had tried to commit. Because the king was dead, the throne fell to the crown prince while he was still in coma. But as fate would have it 3 days later he died and his uncle became the new king, King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev.

Therefore King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev reign lasted from June 1st 2001- June 4th 2001. Of all the leaders in Nepal he was one of the serving leaders that impacted Nepal’s history negatively.

5. King John I of France – 5 days

John I of France was son to King Louis X who died in June 1316. In the time of his death John I wasn’t even born so he had the throne before his birth. In that same year of November 15th he was born.

The throne was bestowed on him becoming King John I of France. But unfortunately on November 20th 1316 he was dead; it is unclear on the cause of his death. With rumors of poisoning and kidnapping rife with his uncle Philippe V being the prime suspect.

Therefore King John I of France managed to serve for only 5 days and his uncle became the next king that’s King Philippe V.

4. Prime Minister Frank Forde of Australia – 5 days

Frank Forde was a politician from the Labor party who was Capricornia federal representative for 24 years (1922-1946). He served in the Australian government as deputy prime minister, Minister for the Army, Advisory War Council member and Minister for Customs.

He had a great resume or portfolio. And, that is why when Prime Minister John Curtin died in July 1945 from heart disease; He took over the helm and became the Australian Prime Minister, PM Frank Forde.

But unfortunately the Labor party had other ideas. They were not looking to have him as the permanent prime minister. The party therefore chose Ben Chifley to become prime minister.

Frank Forde was Australia’s PM from 6 July 1945 – 13 July 1945 hence becoming Australia’s 15th prime minister with the shortest time in office.

3. Queen Lady Jane Grey of England – 9 days

She was King Henry VIII’s great niece and 5th in line to the throne. King Henry VIII died in 1537 therefore according to succession laws his son Edward VI became the next king. But young King Edward VI was sick with tuberculosis and it was apparent that he won’t reign for long.

On July 6th 1553 King Edward VI was dead at only 15 years of age. But before his death the king had stated that Lady Jane Grey, her cousin, becomes the new queen or ruler. This was all done because the king wanted to keep the country on the path of a protestant England.

Her cousin was protestant but her half-sister, Mary Tudor, was a catholic. The choice of queen that the king wanted didn’t go well with Mary Tudor. This was because according to succession laws Mary was next in line to the throne after her brother, King Edward VI.

With growing support for Mary, Queen Lady Jane Grey reign ended and she was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Her reign lasted for only 9 days from July 10th 1553 – July 19th 1553.

Queen Mary took the throne and was reluctant to execute Lady Jane Grey. But when Lady Jane Grey’s father joined Sir Thomas Wyatt’s rebellion in January 1554, the queen considered her too dangerous to have around.

Therefore on February 12th 1554 Lady Jane Grey was executed at the tender age of 16 years.

2. Pope Urban VII of the Roman Catholic Church – 12 days

Pope Urban VII birth name was Giovanni Battista Castagna; he was an Italian priest who had been chosen to be pope on September 15th 1590.

But unfortunately he didn’t get to serve the church as pope for that long; he was pope for 12 days that is from September 15th 1590 – September 27th 1590. In his short service he managed to enact a smoking ban within the church.

He died in office and malaria was the culprit here but Pope Gregory XIV did actually took over from him.

1. King Umberto II of Italy – 34 days

Umberto was son to the reigning king, King Vittorio Emanuele III, of Italy and part of the monarchy as the prince. Just like many monarchs in Europe, they were feeling the pressure of people wanting a change in the system. Italy was no different to this wave of change.

In 1946 there was a referendum in Italy to decide whether the country wanted a republic or remain a kingdom. Hoping to sway the public in favor of the monarchy, King Vittorio Emanuele III abdicated the throne in favor of his son Umberto.

He became King Umberto II in May 1946 but due to his father and the monarch being disliked among the Italian people. It was a downward spiral for the Italian monarchy.

When the referendum was over, the people voted overwhelmingly against the monarch. Italy became a republic and that was the end of the Italian monarchy.

King Umberto II was the last crowned king or monarch of Italy. He went into exile in Portugal where he stayed in the remainder of his days. Although 34 days is quite good in comparison to some of the leaders in the list but it is still short of leaders who served years in power. Therefore he deserves to be among the serving leaders.

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History is filled with emperors and rulers that enjoyed long, sometimes prosperous reigns. This list is not about them. Instead, we’re counting down the kings and queens whose rule was cut short long before they could do anything noteworthy for their kingdoms. In fact, other than the dubious distinction of being the shortest-lived rulers ever, most of them would have no major impact on the course of history.

10. Yuan Shikai – 83 Days

Yuan Shikai came into power in the last years of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, before it was overthrown by the popular Xinhai Revolution of 1911. By 1912, he had negotiated the position of the president with the revolutionaries, in exchange for the abdication of the last Qing emperor – a five-year-old child named Pu Yi. It’s a long story.

As president, Shikai attempted to pass reforms that gave him sweeping powers in the new republic, as the new parliamentary system severely weakened his hold on the government. In November 1915, he declared himself the new emperor of China, even floating his own new dynasty called Hongxian. 

The power grab wasn’t received well by the various provinces across China, two of which rose up in open rebellion. Yuan Shikai was forced to give up the throne in March 1916, after reigning for less than three months.

9. Edward V – 78 Days

Edward V succeeded Edward IV as the King of England in April 1483, during one of the most tumultuous times in the country’s history. Now known as the Wars of the Roses, it was a bloody civil war between two royal factions – Lancaster and York – that lasted for over three decades. At the time of succession in April 1483, Edward V was merely 12 years old, making him one of the youngest monarchs in England’s history. 

While the conflict would take many forms in the coming years, Edward V’s story would tragically end barely two and a half months after his succession. He was declared illegitimate by his protector and subsequent king of England, Richard III, in June 1483, and sent to the Tower of London, along with his younger brother. No one knows exactly what happened to them there, though it’s assumed that they were murdered on the order of the king.

8. Gordian I And II – 22 Days

Back in 238 AD, the Roman empire was ruled by Maximinus Thrax – a widely-hated monarch whose military campaigns and strict taxation policies were despised by almost everyone in the empire. In early April, the northern-African province called Africa Proconsularis rose up in revolt, electing its 80-year-old governor, Gordian I, and his son Gordian II as the new joint emperors of Rome. 

The accession was formally supported by the Roman senate in early April, though that wouldn’t help much, as Gordian II was militarily defeated and killed by another Roman governor allied with Maximus. When he got to know about his son’s death, Gordian II committed suicide on May 12, ending the joint reign that lasted only 22 days. 

7. Lady Jane Grey – 9 Days

Lady Jane Grey’s reign in England began more than six decades after the Wars of the Roses, which ended with the military victory of Henry VII and the rise of the Tudor dynasty. While she didn’t have the best claim to the throne – as she was only first cousin to King Edward VI after his death in 1553 – she was a Protestant. The Reformation was still ongoing across Europe, and Edward VI was instrumental in steering England towards Protestantism. 

Lady Jane Grey was crowned on July 10, 1553, though sadly, her reign would end in tragedy almost as soon as it began. On July 19, nine days after her accession, the throne was seized by Edward VI’s sister, Mary, who had a better claim to the throne. As she was a staunch Catholic allied with the other Catholic factions of Europe, her reign is still remembered for mass persecution of Protestants across England. As for Lady Jane Grey, she was charged with treason against the crown in November and executed by beheading in February 1554. 

6. Sayyid Khalid Bin Barghash Al-Busa’id – 3 Days

Sayyid Khalid Bin Barghash Al-Busaid was the grandson of the founding father of Zanzibar, Seyyid Said bin Sultan, who ruled over much of East Africa during the first half of the 19th century. By the time Khalid got the throne in August 1896, Zanzibar was functioning as a protectorate of the British empire.

Around 20 years old at the time, he was loved and supported by the populace, though not the British, who instead elected his pro-British cousin, Hamed bin Thuwein. The reign wouldn’t last, however, as he mysteriously died on August 25. Sensing an opportunity, Khalid declared himself Sultan on August 25. 

Obviously, that wasn’t taken too well by the Brits, and a Royal Navy contingent was sent to resolve the situation, so to speak. On August 27, it began a massive bombardment of the palace and defending artillery batteries, killing around 500 Zanzibari soldiers in a matter of 45 minutes, before the garrison was forced to surrender. Khalid himself had to flee and find asylum at a German consulate – then a British rival in the region. 

5. Dipendra – 3 Days

Born in 1971, Dipendra was the direct heir to the Nepalese throne through his father, King Birendra. On June 1, 2001, he was at the center of one of the most shocking royal feuds in history, when he entered the royal palace with an automatic rifle and shot down ten members of his family, before shooting himself with the same gun. He spent three days in a coma before his death on June 4. 

No one knows the precise motives behind the massacre, though a family dispute related to his marriage might have played a role. In a weird turn of events, the state’s privy council moved to accede him to the throne while he was in the hospital, making him the king of Nepal for about three days. 

4. Victoria Kamamalu – 1 Day

Victoria Kamamalu was the granddaughter of Kamehameha I – the founder and first king of the Kingdom of Hawaii – from her mother’s side. In the line of succession, Victoria was below a long list of people including uncles, cousins, and brothers. She was elected as the head of the King’s privy council and Queen regent – known as Kuhina Nui in the Hawaiian constitution – in 1855.

Victoria would accidentally come into power on Nov 30, 1863, after her brother – King Kamehameha IV – died unexpectedly without leaving a direct heir. As Kuhina Nui and head of the royal council, she proclaimed her brother, Lot Kamehameha, as the new king after only one day of ruling, making her one of the shortest-lived monarchs in history. 

3. Modi – 1 Day

The Jin Dynasty was a short-lived imperial house during 12th and 13th-centuries China, ruling over large parts of northern China and led by the ethnically-Manchurian Jurchen people. It was a time of almost constant warfare in China, as the Jin empire faced threats on multiple fronts, like the powerful Song dynasty ruling in the south. 

In 1232, they were invaded by a combined contingent of Mongol – led by Genghis Khan’s son Ogedei – and Song soldiers. While Emperor Aizong attempted to repel the invasion, his tiny force was no match. The capital Kaifeng was overrun and sacked in 1233, forcing Aizong and his remaining forces to flee to Caizhou.

When the Mongols surrounded the city, Aizong decided that the best course of action was giving up. On February 9, 1234, he passed the throne to his general – Wanyan Chenglin – and committed suicide to avoid capture. Now called Emperor Modi, the last Jin emperor was killed by Mongol soldiers before the day was up, earning him the unofficial title of the shortest-reigning emperor in Chinese history.

2. Mikhail Alexandrovich Romanov – 1 Day

On March 2, 1917, as the Russian Revolution was nearing its last phase, Tsar Nicholas II gave up his throne in favor of his brother, Mikhail Alexandrovich. It was a surprising – even if ultimately futile – decision, as he was expected to pass it to his son, Alexei. While state policy was clear on respecting the will of the abdication tsar, the events of the revolution had complicated the issue a bit, as most of the revolting factions were against the preservation of the monarchy in any form.

For about a day, Mikhail remained in power as the new tsar, before explicitly refusing the throne on March 3. It would matter little in the grand scheme of things, however, as he’d be the first of 18 Romanovs to be executed by the Bolsheviks in June 1918. 

1. Louis XIX – 20 Minutes

Louis Antoine was the nephew of the last French king before the revolution, Louis XVI. Born in 1775, he’d grow up to witness the most brutal phase of the revolution, when almost the entire royal family was executed by the guillotine. A hardcore Royalist, he’d go on to lead counter-revolutionary forces during the post-revolution Vendee Uprising, along with fighting on the side of other European powers in the Napoleonic Wars. 

When the French monarchy was restored in 1815, Louis’s father, Charles Phillippe, was elected as the new king. Unfortunately, at least for the monarchy, there was another revolution in 1830 – now called the July Revolution – triggered by conservative and royalist policies adopted by Charles’s government. 

In the face of growing pressure and revolts in the capital, Charles abdicated the throne to his son, Louis, on August 2, 1830. Perhaps sensing that it wasn’t the best time to be a monarch in France, Louis further abdicated power to his nephew, Henry V, within 20 minutes of his father’s abdication.