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. For the sake of this list, however, the term is defined as anyone who forcefully takes power from an established ruler, without consideration to that ruler’s legitimacy.
Contents |
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amasis II | Apries | 570 BC – 526 BC |
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| William I | Harold Godwinson | 1066 – 1087 | |
| 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 knew her father was dead, leading to 20 years of civil war. |
| Henry IV | Richard II | 1399 – 1413 | |
| Edward IV | Henry VI | 1461 – 1470 & 1471 – 1483 |
Was himself deposed, but shortly regained power. |
| Richard III | Edward V | 1483 – 1485 | If Edward V was indeed illegitimate as Richard III's supporters claimed, then Richard was the rightful heir to the throne. |
| Henry VII | Richard III | 1485 – 1509 | |
| Mary I | Jane | 1553 - 1558 | Edward VI named Jane as his legal heir before he died. His half sister Mary I was named heir in an earlier will by their father Henry VIII |
| William III and Mary II | James II | 1689 – 1702 |
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pippin the Younger | Childeric III | 751 – 768 | |
| Napoleon Bonaparte | The Directorate | 1799 – 1814 | In the Coup d'état of 18 Brumaire, (November 9, 1799) Napoleon overthrew the Constitution of the Year III and established his dictatorial rule as First Consul, and five years later as Emperor. |
| Napoleon Bonaparte | Louis XVIII | 1815 – 1815 | Hundred Days |
| Louis Philippe I | Charles X | 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. |
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Bakr | Prophet Muhammed | 632 – 634 | According to both Sunni and Shia sources Prophet Muhammed formally announced Ali ibn Abi Talib as his rightful successor during the farewell Pilgrimage, referred to as Hadith of the pond of Khumm, or the day of Ghadeer Khumm |
| Umar ibn al-Khattab | Abu Bakr | 634 – 644 | After the death of Abu Bakr, the Caliphate was usurped once again from Ali ibn Abi Talib despite Umar ibn al-Khattab being present at Ghadeer Khum |
| Uthman ibn Affan | Umar ibn al-Khattab | 644 – 656 | Ali ibn Abi Talib had to wait another 12 years before finally obtaining his right to govern the Islamic Empire |
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor Temmu | Emperor Kōbun | 672 – 686 |
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor Hailingwang of Jin | Emperor Xizong of Jin | 1150 – 1161 |
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sverre Sigurdsson | Magnus Erlingsson | 1184 – 1202 |
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miguel | Maria II | 1828 – 1834 | Was himself deposed by his brother Pedro I of Brazil, Maria's father, who reinstated Maria. |
| 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. |
| Charles XIII | Gustav IV Adolf | 1809 – 1818 | initially as regent after his nephew's deposition |
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worawongsathirat | Yodfa | 1548 | His kingship is not accepted by most traditional historians |
| 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 |
| Usurper | Predecessor | Reign | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dafydd, Rhodri, & Cynan |
Hywel ab Owain | 1170 – 1195 | Llywelyn the Great, with the senior legitimate claim, overthrew his uncles |