Abolition of monarchy

The abolition of monarchy is a legislative or revolutionary movement to abolish monarchical elements in government, usually hereditary. The abolition of an absolute monarchy in favour of limited government under a constitutional monarchy is a less radical form of anti-monarchism that has succeeded in some nations that still retain monarchs, such as Sweden, Spain, and Thailand.

Abolition has been carried out in various ways, including via abdication leading to the extinction of the monarchy, legislative reform, revolution, coup d'état, and decolonisation. Abolition became more frequent in the 20th century, with the number of monarchies in Europe falling from 22 to 12 between 1914 and 2015, and the number of republics rising from 4 to 34. Decolonisation and independence have resulted in an abolition of monarchies in a number of former colonies such as those created by the United Kingdom.

Motivations for abolition include egalitarianism and anti-class views, eliminating a rival system potentially opposed to another incoming system (as had occurred in Romania in 1947), opposition to undemocratic and hereditary institutions, perception of monarchy as anachronistic or outdated, and opposition to a particular monarch or dynasty. In many colonies and former colonies, abolishing the influence of the monarchy of a colonising state is considered part of decolonisation. In many Commonwealth realms, the monarchy may be viewed as a foreign institution running counter to the national identity or national sovereignty.

In the 21st century, some countries that are monarchies have significant republican movements, such as Spain and Australia. Since the beginning of the 20th century, restorations of monarchies have been comparatively rare. Examples are the monarchy of Spain, which since 1947 had been nominally a regency with a vacant throne but the Bourbon dynasty was restored in 1975; the reinstatement in 1991 of the Emir of Kuwait following abolition in 1990 and the Gulf War; and a 1993 transition of Cambodia from a Marxist-Leninist republic to an elective monarchy.

Ancient world

Classical Athens

Further information: Classical Athens

The city-state of Athens was ruled by monarchs in a period before the establishment of Athenian Democracy. Most of this is either mythical or semi-historical. The Athenian monarchy was abolished and replaced with lifetime archons around 1068 BC, whose power was reduced over many years.

Roman Kingdom/Republic

The Roman Republic was established after the overthrow of the seventh king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, in 509 BC, after his disrespect for Roman customs and the Senate as well as his use of violence to control Rome.

Civil War and English Republic

Under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell, in 1649, King Charles I was tried for high treason, convicted and executed. This marked the conclusion of the English Civil War which resulted in the Parliament of England overthrowing the English monarchy, and initiating a period of an English republic (known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms). After eleven years, in 1660, a limited monarchy was restored but moderated by an independent Parliament.

In the Kingdom of England, the Glorious Revolution of 1688 furthered the constitutional monarchy, restricted by laws such as the Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701. At the same time, in Scotland, the Convention of Estates enacted the Claim of Right Act 1689, which placed similar limits on the Scottish monarchy.

Atlantic and French Revolutions

Main article: Atlantic Revolutions

American

Main articles: American Revolution and History of the United States

Further information: American Revolutionary War, Patriot (American Revolution), and United States Declaration of Independence

The Spirit of '76, originally titled Yankee Doodle, painted by Archibald Willard in 1875, is an iconic image representing the patriotic sentiment surrounding the American Revolutionary War.

Organized anti-monarchism in what is now the United States developed out of a gradual revolution that began in 1765, as colonists resisted a stamp tax through boycott and condemnation of tax officials. While they were subject to the authority of the Parliament of Great Britain (as the monarchy was a limited monarchy since 1660), the North American citizens increasingly clashed with the Parliament that did not provide seats for parliamentary representatives from North America. With the Declaration of Independence in 1776, anti-monarchical propaganda resulted in violent protests that systematically removed symbols of monarchy. For instance, an equestrian statue of George III in New York City was toppled. Parliamentary loyalists were particularly affected by partisan attacks, with tens of thousands leaving for British Canada. Property that remained was confiscated by each of thirteen newly created States through newly passed laws. Artifacts from the colonial period depicting the British monarchy are seldom found in the United States. However, not all sentiment equated to anti-monarchism. A normality of a monarchy at the head of a polity remained, that some Americans saw a presidency in monarchical terms, a Caesar of the republic, was an early debate in the new republic.

French

Main articles: French First Republic and French Revolution

Further information: French Revolutionary Wars, Proclamation of the abolition of the monarchy, Revolutions of 1830, and Revolutions of 1848

Liberty Leading the People, painted by Eugène Delacroix in 1830, featuring a depiction of the modern French national personification Marianne.

One of the most significant abolitions of monarchy in history—along with the Dutch Republic of 1581–1795—involved the Ancien Régime in 1792 during the French Revolution. The French monarchy was later restored several times with differing levels of authority. Napoleon, initially a hero of the Republican revolution, crowned himself emperor in 1804, only to be replaced by the Bourbon Restoration in 1815, which in turn was replaced by the more liberal July Monarchy in 1830.

The 1848 Revolution was a clearer anti-monarchic uprising that replaced the succession of royal leaders with the short-lived Second French Republic. Louis Napoleon Bonaparte established the Second French Empire (1852–1870), retaining republican aspects while placing himself in the center of the state until the losses in the Franco-Prussian War led to his fall, resulting in the French Third Republic and the definitive end of the monarchy in France. Monarchism, which had held a majority in the National Assembly after the 1871 election, slowly fizzled out over the course of the rest of the century.

Haitian

Main article: Haitian Revolution

19th century

Africa

Madagascar

The monarchy of Madagascar, known as the Merina Kingdom, came to an end in 1897 when France made it a colony and overthrew Queen Ranavalona III.

Zimbabwe

In 1629, the Mwenemutapa attempted to throw out the Portuguese. He failed and in turn he himself was overthrown, leading to the Portuguese installation of Mavura Mhande Felipe on the throne. In 1917, Mambo Chioko, the last king of the dynasty, was killed in battle against the Portuguese.

Americas

Mexico

The First Mexican Empire existed from the September 1821 Declaration of Independence until the emperor's abdication in March 1823. The Provisional Government took power and the First Mexican Republic was proclaimed in 1824. Due to French intervention under Napoleon III, the Second Mexican Empire lasted from 1864 to 1867, when it collapsed and its Emperor, Maximilian I of Mexico, was executed.

Brazil

In Brazil, the monarchy was formally established in 1815 through the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (of which the Kingdom of Brazil was a constituent state), it evolved into the Empire of Brazil in 1822, and was abolished in 1889, when Emperor Pedro II was overthrown by a republican military coup (the status of the republic was confirmed by a plebiscite in 1993 that resulted in 86% of the votes to the republican government).

Asia

Burma

The monarchy of Burma was abolished in 1885 when the last king, Thibaw Min, lost his throne and the country was annexed by Britain.

South Asia

In 1858 the Mughal Empire came to an end after losing a war against Britain, and its Emperor, Bahadur Shah II, lost his throne.

Europe

Italy

Between 1859 and 1861, four monarchies in Southern Europe ceased to exist (Parma, Modena, Tuscany and the Two Sicilies) when they all became part of the new Kingdom of Italy.

Spain

In Spain monarchy was abolished from 1873 to 1874 by the First Spanish Republic, but then restored until 1931.

Pacific

Hawaii

In 1893 foreign business leaders overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani of the Kingdom of Hawaii. They established a republic, which was annexed by the United States in 1898.

Tahiti

The monarchy of Tahiti came to an end in 1880 when France made it a colony and overthrew King Pōmare V.

Manu'a

After ceding sovereignty of the Manu'a islands of modern-day American Samoa to the United States in 1904, the last King of Manu'a, Tui Manu'a Elisara, died on 2 July 1909. All attempts to revive the position since his death have been met with opposition by the United States Government.

20th century

Nationalism

China

The monarchy of China ceased to exist in 1912 when the Xinhai Revolution led by Sun Yat-sen succeeded in overthrowing the young Xuantong Emperor; this marked the end of the Qing dynasty and the start of the Republic of China. In 1915, Yuan Shikai briefly proclaimed the Empire of China with himself as the emperor; the regime failed to gain legitimacy and collapsed three months later. In 1917, the Qing loyalist Zhang Xun sought to revive the Qing dynasty and briefly reinstalled the Xuantong Emperor to the Chinese throne; this attempt is known as the "Manchu Restoration" in historiography. The monarchy in parts of China was restored through the Japanese-sponsored client state known as Manchukuo with the former Qing emperor as its leader until the final abolition in 1945.

The area of Tibet was ruled by the Ganden Phodrang government which continued through the annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China until the Tibetan rebellion in 1959 where the monarchy in Tibet was dissolved although it continued in exile as the Central Tibetan Administration in India.

During the Xinhai Revolution, Outer Mongolia declared independence from the Qing dynasty of China in the Mongolian Revolution of 1911. The Bogd Khanate of Mongolia was subsequently proclaimed, although the Republic of China laid claims to Outer Mongolia and was widely recognized by the international community as having sovereignty over it. In 1924, the Mongolian People's Republic was established, bringing an end to the monarchy in Mongolia.

World War I and aftermath

Russian Empire

World War I led to perhaps the greatest number of abolition of monarchies in history. The conditions inside the Russian Empire and the poor performance in the war gave rise to a revolution which toppled the entire institution of the monarchy, followed by a second revolution against that government in October of the same year that executed Tsar (Imperator (Императоръ)) Nicholas II and implemented a Marxist-Leninist government. The Russian Civil War saw various monarchist, Republican, anarchist, nationalist and socialist factions fight each other with bourgeois independence movements winning in the Baltic States, Poland and Finland and the Bolsheviks winning everywhere else.

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Montenegro

The defeated German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires saw the abolition of their monarchies in the close aftermath of the war, ending the reigns of Wilhelm II, Charles I and Mehmed VI respectively. The monarchs of the constituent states within the German Empire, most importantly Ludwig III of Bavaria, Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and Wilhelm II of Württemberg, soon abdicated. During the war, monarchies were planned for Poland (Kingdom of Poland), the Grand Duchy of Finland (to have a Finnish King), and Lithuania (Mindaugas II of Lithuania), with a protectorate-like suzerainty exercised by the German Empire. Both intended kings renounced their thrones after Germany's defeat in November 1918. King Nicholas I of Montenegro lost his throne when the country became a part of Yugoslavia in 1918.

World War II and aftermath

Italy, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, Croatia

World War II saw another increased number of abolition of monarchies. In 1922, Benito Mussolini's March on Rome led to King Victor Emmanuel III appointing Mussolini Prime Minister. In 1939 Italy invaded Albania and removed the reigning self-proclaimed King Zog and instated their own King Victor Emmanuel III as its new monarch. Italy, along with the eastern European monarchies of Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania were forced to join with Germany by their dictators in World War II against the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Western allies and the Soviet Union. When Yugoslavia fell in 1941 the Independent State of Croatia was established under a nominal monarchy, but it was in fact a one party state under Ante Pavelić and a puppet state of Nazi Germany. With the fall of Mussolini in July 1943, the monarchy in Croatia was abolished. As the Axis powers were defeated in the war, communist partisans in occupied Yugoslavia and occupied Albania seized power and ended the monarchies. Communists in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania removed their monarchies with strong backing by the Soviet Union, which had many troops and supporters placed there during the course of the war. Through this, Peter II of Yugoslavia, Simeon II of Bulgaria and Michael I of Romania all lost their thrones. King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy had remained King after the Fall of the Fascist regime in Italy but transferred most of his powers to his son after the Armistice of Cassibile. After Victor Emmanuel abdicated to save the monarchy, a narrow referendum in 1946 ended the short reign of his son King Umberto II and the Italian monarchy ceased to exist.

Republicanism

Australia (monarchy kept after referendum)

In a 1999 referendum, the voters of Australia rejected a proposal to replace the constitutional monarchy with a republic with a president appointed by Parliament. The proposal was rejected in all states, with only the Australian Capital Territory voting in favour. Though polling consistently showed a majority in favour of a republic, the result of the referendum was attributed to a split among republicans between those who supported the presented model and those who supported a directly elected president.

Greece

In the modern history of Greece, the monarchy was toppled in 1924, as a result of the National Schism and the Asia Minor Disaster. The resulting Second Hellenic Republic led a troubled existence, until a coup restored the monarchy in 1935. The subsequent dictatorial 4th of August Regime was established with the support of King George II of Greece, further delegitimizing the monarchy.

During the Axis occupation of Greece, George II nominally led the Greek government in exile, but the post-war fate of the monarchy was a major dividing issue for Greeks, especially with the rise of the pro-communist National Liberation Front (EAM) as the country's largest resistance movement. As a compromise, the issue was to be determined by a referendum after the war. In the end, the threat of a post-war communist takeover led the Venizelist republicans to ally with the monarchists; with the defeat of EAM in the Dekemvriana, the subsequent White Terror, and the outbreak of the Greek Civil War in 1946 resulted in a monarchist victory in the 1946 referendum and the return of George II to the country.

The last king, Constantine II, interfered in politics during the Apostasia of 1965. The resulting political crisis led to a military coup in April 1967. Constantine II reluctantly accepted the fait accompli and lent it legitimacy, but when he tried to stage a counter-coup later that year, he was defeated and forced into exile. Greece formally remained a monarchy until it was abolished by the military junta in June 1973, followed by a July referendum confirming that decision. The restoration of the monarchy was overwhelmingly defeated, after constitutional legality was restored, by a free referendum in 1974.

Spain

In Spain, the monarchy was again abolished in 1931 by the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1939). In 1947, Francisco Franco declared Spain a monarchy but kept himself as regent for life with the constitutional setup essentially unchanged. Per the right the 1947 law granted him to decide who would be the future Spanish monarch, he appointed Juan Carlos of Bourbon his successor in 1969. The "Prince of Spain" became king at Franco's death in 1975, and during the Spanish transition to democracy, the Spanish constitution of 1978 put the monarchy on a new constitutional basis. The existence of monarchy in Spain is an entrenched clause with much stricter rules for constitutional amendment than other constitutional provisions.

Portugal

The monarchy of Portugal was also overthrown in 1910, two years after the assassination of King Carlos I, ending the reign of Manuel II, who died in exile in England in 1932 without issue.

Communism, socialism, and Islamism

Afghanistan

In 1973, the monarchy of King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan was abolished after a socialist-supported coup d'état led by Mohammad Daoud Khan, from the same Musahiban royal family, who declared himself the first President of Afghanistan.

Ethiopia

Emperor Haile Selassie I was overthrown in 1974 as a result of the Ethiopian Revolution, ending almost three millennia of monarchical rule in Ethiopia.

Indochina

In 1945, during the August Revolution, Bảo Đại abdicated under the pressure of the Việt Minh led by Ho Chi Minh. This marked the end of the Nguyễn dynasty and the Vietnamese monarchy. From 1949 to 1955, Bảo Đại served as the Quốc Trưởng (lit. "Chief of State") of the State of Vietnam and did not receive the title of Hoàng Đế (lit. "Emperor").

Political upheaval and Communist insurrection put an end to the monarchies of Indochina after World War II: a short-lived attempt to leave a monarchical form of government in post-colonial South Vietnam came to naught in a fraudulent 1955 referendum, a military coup overthrew the kingless monarchy in Cambodia in 1970 and a Communist takeover ended the monarchy in Laos in 1975. Cambodia's monarchy later saw an unexpected rebirth under an internationally mediated peace settlement with former king Norodom Sihanouk being restored as a figurehead in 1993.

Iran

The Pahlavi dynasty's rule in Iran ended following the Iranian Revolution of 1979 overthrowing Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and leading to the establishment of an Islamic republic.

Dictatorship

Arab countries

In some Arab countries, coups d'état replaced monarchies with military dictatorships.

The monarchy of Egypt was abolished in 1953, a year after the military overthrow of King Farouk, which caused him to abdicate in favour of his infant son Fuad II. The monarchy of Iraq ended in 1958 when King Faisal II was killed and a republic proclaimed. The monarchy of Yemen was abolished in 1962 when King Muhammad al-Badr was overthrown in a coup, although he continued to resist his opponents until 1970. King Idris of Libya was overthrown by a military coup led by Muammar Gaddafi in 1969.

Imperialism expansion and decolonisation

Commonwealth of Nations

Many monarchies were abolished in the middle of the 20th century or later as part of the process of decolonization. This included several Commonwealth realms, which were sovereign states in personal union with the monarchy of the United Kingdom.

The monarchy of Ireland was not abolished following the Irish war of independence in the 1920s. The Irish Free State was created as a separate state from the United Kingdom; it was nominally a monarchy but transitioned towards a more republican form of government throughout its existence. The Irish Constitution that came into force in 1937 left the question of Republic or monarchy vague, but established a President of Ireland, an office usually absent in monarchies. The monarchy was officially abolished by the Republic of Ireland Act of 1948, which came into force in 1949.

The monarchies of India, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda, Guyana, and Malawi were abolished shortly after they became independent of the United Kingdom, whilst remaining within the Commonwealth. Others waited longer before abolishing their monarchies, such as Pakistan, South Africa, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Malta, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mauritius. The latest country to become a republic within the Commonwealth was Barbados in 2021.

With the exceptions of Ireland and India, in each case the deposed monarch was Elizabeth II. Most realms which abolished their monarchy did so by declaring a new constitution or amending it to remove references to the Crown, with the exception of Fiji, whose monarchy was abolished in 1987 following a series of coups d'état.

Korea

In 1910 the last emperor of Korea, Sunjong, lost his throne when the country was annexed by Japan. However, the Korean royal family was mediatized as a puppet family within the Japanese imperial family. Many of the Korean royals were forcibly re-educated in Japan and forced to marry Japanese royalty and aristocrats to meld the ruling families of the two empires. With the abolition of the Japanese aristocracy and cadet branches of the imperial family, the Korean royals officially lost their remaining status.

South Asia

The independence of India from the United Kingdom in 1947 posed a unique problem. From 1858, when the British government replaced Company rule with direct Crown rule, it had been governed as a quasi-federation, with much of the country under the direct rule of the British monarch, who was styled as the Emperor of India. The remainder of the country, however, was under a form of indirect rule under him through its division into over 500 subnational monarchies, known as princely states; each was ruled by a prince who acknowledged the suzerainty of the Indian Emperor. The princely states ranged from powerful and largely independent principalities such as Hyderabad or Mysore, with a high level of autonomy, to tiny fiefdoms a few dozen acres (in the low tens of hectares) in size.

In 1947, it was agreed that India would be partitioned into the independent British dominions of India and Pakistan, with the princely states acceding to one nation or the other. The accession process proceeded smoothly, with the notable exception of four of the most influential principalities. The Muslim ruler of the Hindu-majority state of Junagadh acceded to Pakistan, but his decision was overruled by the Indian government, while Hyderabad chose to be independent, but was forcibly annexed to India in 1948. The Hindu ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, among the largest and most powerful of the principalities, but with a Muslim-majority population, initially held off on a decision. In the autumn of 1947, an invading force from Pakistan frightened the ruler into acceding to India. The ruler of Kalat, in Baluchistan, declared his independence in 1947, after which the state was forcibly merged with Pakistan, resulting in an insurgency persisting to this day. With the promulgation of the Indian constitution in 1950, India abolished its monarchy under the British crown and became a Republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, followed by Pakistan in 1956; as a result of both developments, the majority of the princes formally lost their sovereign rights. A few remaining principalities in Pakistan retained their autonomy until 1969 when they finally acceded to Pakistan. The Indian government formally derecognized its princely families in 1971, followed by Pakistan in 1972.

Finally, in 1975, King Palden Thondup Namgyal of Sikkim lost his throne when the country became a state of India following a referendum.

New monarchies

The 20th century also saw the formation of a number of new monarchies that still exist to this day such as Bhutan (1907), Jordan (1921), Saudi Arabia (1932), and Malaysia (1957).

21st century

The Kingdom of Nepal was transformed into a republic by the 1st Nepalese Constituent Assembly in 2008. Barbados abolished its monarchy and became a republic on 30 November 2021 following a constitutional amendment by the Parliament.

In addition, protests in support of a republican form of government took place in Malaysia in 2012, and Cambodia the following year. In 2013, an alleged coup plot by Al Islah to overthrow the monarchy of the United Arab Emirates and establish an Islamic republic failed. Following the accession of Charles III in 2022, anti-monarchy protests also occurred in the United Kingdom; some protesters were arrested, but were later released without further action being taken.

Monarchism in former monarchies

In a referendum in Brazil in 1993, voters rejected an attempt to restore the country's monarchy. Unsuccessful efforts to restore the monarchies of some of the Balkan states in the former Eastern Bloc continue. Former King Michael of Romania and Prince Alexander of Serbia had been allowed to return, gained some popularity, played largely apolitical public roles, but never came close to being restored to their ancestral thrones. However, in Bulgaria, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who was deposed from the Bulgarian throne in 1946, was elected and served as the Prime Minister of his country from 2001 to 2005. The only formerly communist country to have held a referendum on the monarchy was Albania, where the claimant to his father's throne, the self-styled Leka I, lost by a two-thirds majority.

Summary table since the 20th century

Country		Last monarch	Year	Notes
1900s
	Songhai	Askia Malla	1901	Abolished by the French and incorporated into French West Africa.
	Rimatara	Tamaeva V		Abolished by the French and incorporated into the Establishments in Oceania.
	Nuku Hiva	Laurent Piukeke Taupotini
	Gumma	Firisa	1902	Annexed by the Ethiopian Empire.
	Aceh	Alauddin Muhammad Da'ud Syah II	1903	Aceh War
	Dahomey	Agoli-agbo	1904	Incorporation into French Dahomey.
	Oyo	Adeyemi I Alowolodu	1905	Last monarch died; the realm was incorporated into the British Southern Nigeria Protectorate.
	Habr Yunis	Nur Ahmed Aman	1907	Incorporation into British Somaliland.
	Bali	Dewa Agung Jambe II	1908	Incorporation into Dutch East Indies.
	Mwali		1909	Incorporation into the French Comoros.
1910s
	Portugal	Manuel II	1910	Republican coup d'état
	Korea	Sunjong		Native monarchy abolished; replaced by Japanese rule through 1945.
	Angoche			Incorporation into Portugal.
	Nri	Eze Nri Òbalíke	1911	Abolished by the British and incorporated into Southern Nigeria Protectorate.
	Kasanje			Incorporation into Portuguese West Africa.
	Riau-Lingga	Abdul Rahman II		Abolished by the Dutch.
	China	Xuantong	1912	Xinhai Revolution – Emperor ousted by warlords and republicans. (Briefly restored in 1917)
	Wadai	Dud Murra of Wadai		French annexation of Wadai Empire.
	Ndzuwani	Saidi Mohamed bin Saidi Omar		Incorporation into the French Comoros.
	Samos	Grigorios Vegleris		Incorporation into Greece.
	Kongo	Manuel III of Kongo	1914	Position abolished by Portuguese after an unsuccessful revolt.
	Mbunda	Mwene Mbandu Kapova I of Mbunda
	Sultanate of Sulu	Sultan Jamalul-Kiram II	1915	Split into American Insular Government over the Philippine islands, British North Borneo and the Dutch East Indies.
	Darfur	Ali Dinar	1916	Re-incorporation into Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.
	China	Hongxian		Monarchy dropped, shortly after the outbreak of the National Protection War.
	Russia	Nicholas II	1917	Russian Revolution
	Finland			Finnish Declaration of Independence
	Montenegro	Nicholas I	1918	Referendum uniting Montenegro with Serbia.
	Germany	Wilhelm II		All on account of German defeat in World War I and the following German Revolution.
	Prussia
	Bavaria	Ludwig III
	Württemberg	William II
	Saxony	Frederick Augustus III
	Hesse	Ernest Louis
	Baden	Frederick II
	Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach	William Ernest
	Mecklenburg-Schwerin	Frederick Francis IV
	Mecklenburg-Strelitz	Adolphus Frederick VI
	Oldenburg	Frederick Augustus II
	Brunswick	Ernst Augustus
	Anhalt	Joachim Ernst
	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha	Charles Edward
	Saxe-Meiningen	Bernhard III
	Saxe-Altenburg	Ernst II
	Waldeck-Pyrmont	Friedrich
	Lippe	Leopold IV
	Schaumburg-Lippe	Adolf II
	Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt	Günther Victor
	Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
	Reuss Elder Line	Heinrich XXIV
	Reuss Younger Line	Heinrich XXVII
	Austria	Charles I		Charles I "renounced participation" in state affairs, but did not abdicate. Monarchy officially abolished by the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, on 10 September 1919.
	Hungary			Monarchy restored in 1920, although the throne remained vacant with a regent.
	Finland	Frederick Charles I		Monarchy never in effect.
	Lithuania	Mindaugas II
	Poland	Vacant (ruled by Regency Council)
	United Baltic Duchy	Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg
	Courland and Semigallia	Vacant
	Serbia	Peter I		Throne transferred to the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, then Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
	Ukraine	Pavlo Skoropadskyi		Removed from power, following an uprising led by Symon Petliura and the withdrawal of German forces from Kyiv.
1920s
	Bukhara (Uzbekistan)	Mohammed Alim Khan	1920	Monarchy deposed by an invasion by the Red Army (Bukhara operation).
	Khiva (Uzbekistan)	Abdallah Khan of Khiva		Monarchy deposed by a communist uprising aided by the Red Army (Khivan Revolution).
	North Caucasian Emirate	Uzun Hajji Saltinsky		Abolished by the Bolsheviks.
	Syria	Faisal I		Monarchy deposed following the Siege of Damascus.
	Upper Asir	Al-Hasan Bin Ayad		Incorporation into Nejd.
	Jabal Shammar	Muhammad bin Talal Al Rashid	1921
	Ottoman Empire	Mehmed VI	1922	Sultanate abolished in 1922.
	Wituland	Fumo 'Umar ibn Ahmad	1923	Sultanate abolished by the British and incorporated into the Kenya Colony.
	Greece	George II	1924	Restored 1935 and later abolished again in 1973 (see below).
	Mongolia	Bogd Khan		Communist People's Republic proclaimed after the Bogd Khan's death.
	Albania	William I	1925	Monarchy restored in 1928 (Albanian Kingdom).
	Mohammerah	Khaz'al al-Ka'bi		Sheikhdom abolished by Persia.
	Hejaz	Ali bin Hussein, King of Hejaz		Conquered by the Nejd.
	Kurdistan	Mahmud Barzanji		Kingdom of Kurdistan reconquered by the British.
	Orungu	Rogombé-Nwèntchandi	1927	Abolished by the French and incorporated into French Equatorial Africa.
	Hobyo	Ali Yusuf Kenadid		Incorporation into Italian Somaliland.
	Afghanistan	Habibullāh Kalakāni	1929	After the fall of Kalakani on 13 October 1929, the Emirate ended, and was replaced by the revived Kingdom of Afghanistan.
1930s
	Baidah		1930	Incorporation into the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen.
	Asir	Sayyid al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Idrisi al-Hasani		Incorporation into Saudi Arabia.
	Kumul	Maqsud Shah		Upon Maqsud Shah's death in March 1930 Jin Shuren replaced the Khanate with three normal provincial administrative districts Hami, Yihe, and Yiwu. This set off the Kumul Rebellion, in which Yulbars Khan attempted to restore the heir Nasir to the throne.
	Spain	Alfonso XIII	1931	Later restored (see below).
	Jimma	Abba Jofir	1932	Deposed and incorporated into the Ethiopian Empire.
	Najran	Ali II ibn Muhsin ibn Husayn	1934	Incorporation into Saudi Arabia.
	Albania	Zog I	1939	Throne usurped by Victor Emmanuel III, after Italian invasion.
1940s
	Greece	George II	1941	The end of the monarchy was announced by Georgios Tsolakoglou after taking over as prime minister of the Hellenic State, which was collaborating with the Third Reich and not recognized by the Allies.
	Albania	Victor Emmanuel III	1943	Relinquished throne after Italian armistice in 1943.
	Croatia	Tomislav II		Abdicated after withdrawal of Italian support in 1943.
	Iceland	Christian X	1944	Referendum; official result: 99.5% in favour of termination of personal union with Denmark, 98.5% in favour of new republican constitution.
	Montenegro	Vacant (ruled by a governor)		Monarchy abolished after takeover by Yugoslav Partisans
	Yugoslavia	Peter II	1945	Monarchy abolished by the Communist regime of Josip Broz Tito
	Manchukuo	Kangde		Monarchy abolished after the surrender of Japan. Territories returned to the Republic of China.
	Gowa	Muhammad Tahur Muhibuddin		Sultanate abolished.
	Vietnam	Bảo Đại		Monarchy abolished after the surrender of Japan.
	Gypsy	Janos I		The king abdicated and no successor was elected.
	Hungary	Miklós Horthy as Regent	1946	Decision of the parliament without a referendum.
	Italy	Umberto II		Referendum; official result: 54.3% in favour of republic.
	Bulgaria	Simeon II		Referendum; official result: 95% in favour of republic. Tsar Simeon II was exiled by the Communist Fatherland Front regime. Simeon later served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2001 to 2005.
	Sarawak	Charles Vyner Brooke		White Rajahs ceded Sarawak to the British Crown, which created the Colony of Sarawak
	Deli	Amaluddin Al Sani Perkasa Alamsyah		Acts of violence against the nobility reached their peak during the bloody incident known as the Social Revolution in 1946. Many kings and members of royal families in North Sumatra were murdered and robbed of property and belongings, including Tengku Amir Hamzah, the Indonesian poet who was beheaded in Kuala Begumit. The family of the Sultanate of Deli and Serdang survived thanks to the protection of the Allied soldiers who were there to accept the surrender of the Japanese.
	Asahan	Shaibun Abdul Jalil Rahmad Shah
	Langkat	Mahmud Abdul Jalil Rahmad Shah
	Serdang	Sulaiman Syariful Alam Shah
	Princely States		1947–1974	Political integration of India
	Romania	Michael I	1947	Forced to abdicate and exiled by the Communists.
	Ireland	George VI	1949	Abolished the last "monarchy of Ireland" under the terms of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 as from 18 April 1949, which also saw Ireland become a republic outside the British Commonwealth. Ten days later, the London Declaration was enacted to allow republics and native monarchies to become members of the newly renamed Commonwealth of Nations.
	Mangkunegaran	Mangkunegara VII		Integration with Indonesia.
	Siak	Kasim Abdul Jalil Syaifudin I		The Sultan also handed over his property for the struggle of independence of the Republic of Indonesia.
	Surakarta Sunanate	Pakubuwono XII		During the Indonesian National Revolution, the Surakarta Sunanate and Mangkunegaran Princedom sent a letter of confidence to Sukarno to demonstrate their support for the newly declared Republic of Indonesia. They were subsequently awarded the status of Daerah Istimewa (Special Region, similar to today's Yogyakarta Sultanate) within the Indonesian state. However, because of political agitation and opposition from Indonesian communists that led to an anti-monarchy movement and rebellion in early 1946, both monarchies had their Special Region status revoked and were then merged into the province of Central Java.
1950s
	Pontianak	Syarif Hamid II of Pontianak	1950	Integration with Indonesia.
	Kotawaringin
	India	George VI		Abolished its monarchy after adopting a new republican constitution. India became the first republic in the Commonwealth of Nations.
	Jaisalmer	Giridhar Singh Bhati		Merged with the Republic of India.
	Mysore	Jayachamaraja Wodeyar
	Tibet	Tenzin Gyatso	1951	Annexed by the People's Republic of China.
	Egypt	Fuad II	1953	Republic proclaimed the year after the 1952 Egyptian revolution.
	Pakistan	Elizabeth II	1956	Abolished its monarchy after adopting a new republican constitution.
	Tunisia	Muhammad VIII	1957	Ordered by parliament.
	Ashanti	Prempeh II	1957	Entered into state union with Ghana after independence from the United Kingdom.
	Iraq	Faisal II	1958	coup d'état
	Bima	Muhammad Salahuddin		In 1958, the Sumbawan principalities were abolished by the Indonesian republic and replaced by a modern bureaucratic structure
1960s
	Buton	Falihi of Buton	1960	Integration with Indonesia.
	Ghana	Elizabeth II		Abolished its monarchy pursuant to a referendum; official result: 88% in favour of republic.
	South Africa		1961	Abolished its monarchy pursuant to a referendum; official result: 53% in favour of republic. South Africa also withdrew from the Commonwealth, but was readmitted on 1 June 1994.
	Rwanda	Kigeli V		coup d'état, followed by referendum; official result: 80% in favour of abolishing monarchy.
	Tanganyika	Elizabeth II	1962	Abolished its monarchy after adopting a new republican constitution.
	Yemen	Muhammad al-Badr		coup d'état
	South Kasai	Albert Kalonji		Status of the head of state was complicated, Albert Kalonji used the title of Mulopwe (God-king/Emperor).
	Nigeria	Elizabeth II	1963	Abolished its monarchy after amending its constitution.
	Uganda			Abolished its monarchy after amending its constitution.
	Kenya		1964	Abolished its monarchy after amending its constitution.
	Zanzibar	Jamshid bin Abdullah		Zanzibar Revolution
	Burundi	Ntare V	1966	coup d'état
	Malawi	Elizabeth II		Abolished its monarchy after adopting a new republican constitution.
	Fadhli Sultanate	Nasser bin Abdullah bin Hussein bin Ahmed Alfadhli	1967	Incorporation into the newly created People's Republic of South Yemen.
	Qu'aiti Sultanate in Hadhramaut	Ghalib II bin Awadh bin Saleh Al Qu'aiti
	Sultanate of Upper Yafa	Muhammad ibn Salih Harharah
	Sultanate of Lower Yafa	Mahmud ibn Aidrus Al Afifi
	Muflahi Sheikhdom	al Qasim ibn Abd ar Rahman
	Audhali Sultanate	Salih ibn al Husayn ibn Jabil Al Audhali
	Emirate of Beihan	Saleh al Hussein Al Habieli
	Dathina Sheikhdom
	Emirate of Dhala	Shafaul ibn Ali Shaif Al Amiri
	Wahidi Sultanate of Balhaf in Hadhramaut
	Sheikhdom of Shaib	Yahya ibn Mutahhar al-Saqladi
	Alawi Sheikhdom	Salih ibn Sayil Al Alawi
	Aqrabi Sheikhdom	Mahmud ibn Muhammad Al Aqrabi
	Wahidi Sultanate of Haban in Hadhramaut	Husayn ibn Abd Allah Al Wahidi
	Qutaibi Sheikhdom
	Hadrami Sheikhdom
	Mausatta Sheikhdom
	Busi Sheikhdom
	Dhabi Sheikhdom
	Haushabi Sultanate	Faisal bin Surur Al Haushabi
	Kathiri Sultanate in Hadhramaut	Al Husayn ibn Ali
	Mahra Sultanate
	Sultanate of Lahej	Ali bin Abd al Karim al Abdali
	Sheikhdom of al-Hawra
	Sheikhdom of al-`Irqa
	Lower Aulaqi Sultanate	Nasir ibn Aidrus Al Awlaqi
	Upper Aulaqi Sultanate	Awad ibn Salih Al Awlaqi
	Upper Aulaqi Sheikhdom	Amir Abd Allah ibn Muhsin al Yaslami Al Aulaqi
	Ankole	Gasiyonga II		Abolished by the government of President Milton Obote. It remains officially inexistant, as President Yoweri Museveni has opposed the kingdom's restoration.
	Tidore	Zainal Abidin Syah		Sultanate abolished.
	Maldives	Muhammad Fareed Didi	1968	Referendum; official result: 81.23% in favour of republic.
	Libya	Idris I	1969	coup d'état
	Saloum	Maad Saloum Fode N'Gouye Joof		Last monarchs died; the realms were incorporated into the newly independent Republic of Senegal.
	Sine	Maad a Sinig Mahecor Joof
1970s
	Guyana	Elizabeth II	1970	Abolished its monarchy after adopting a resolution establishing a republic.
	Cambodia	Norodom Sihanouk		Later restored (see below).
	Rhodesia	Elizabeth II		Abolished its unrecognised monarchy. An unrecognised government of the British colony of Southern Rhodesia had unilaterally declared independence as Rhodesia in 1965, proclaiming Elizabeth II as Queen, but she did not accept the title, nor was it recognised by any other state. Following a referendum in 1969, in which 81% voted to abolish the monarchy, a republic was declared in 1970. Rhodesia continued to be internationally recognised as a British colony through 1979, when it was disestablished and the independent republic of Zimbabwe was founded in 1980, which was a member of the Commonwealth until December 2003.
	The Gambia			Abolished its monarchy pursuant to a referendum; official result: 70.45% in favour of republic.
	Sierra Leone		1971	Abolished its monarchy after adopting a new republican constitution.
	Ceylon		1972	Abolished its monarchy after adopting a new republican constitution; country renamed to "Sri Lanka".
	Afghanistan	Mohammed Zahir Shah	1973	coup d'état
	Greece	Constantine II	1974	Referendum; official result: 69.18% against monarchy. A prior referendum had been organised by the military junta with 78.57% in favour of a republic, but was annulled after the junta was overthrown earlier in 1974.
	Malta	Elizabeth II		Abolished its monarchy after amending its constitution.
	Ethiopia	Haile Selassie I / Amha Selassie	1975	Abolished the monarchy following a coup d'état in 1974.
	Sikkim	Palden Thondup Namgyal		Referendum; official result: 97% to become a state of India.
	Laos	Savang Vatthana		Communist takeover by the Pathet Lao
	Trinidad and Tobago	Elizabeth II	1976	Abolished its monarchy after adopting a new republican constitution.
	Iran	Mohammad Reza Pahlavi	1979	Iranian Revolution
	Central Africa	Bokassa I		Dethroned by a French military operation to restore the deposed president to power.
1980s
	Rwenzururu	Charles Mumbere	1982	Forced to abdicate by the government of Uganda; declaration of independence of Rwenzururu was annulled.
	Fiji	Elizabeth II	1987	Abolished its monarchy as a result of the September 1987 coup d'état by Sitiveni Rabuka. Elizabeth II remained recognized as Paramount Chief by the Great Council of Chiefs until the council's de-establishment on 14 March 2012 by Frank Bainimarama. Additionally, the Queen's portrait continued to feature on Fijian coins and banknotes until 2013.
1990s
	Kuwait	Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah	1990	Dethroned due to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Restored in 1991 (see below).
	Mauritius	Elizabeth II	1992	Abolished its monarchy after amending its constitution.
2000s
	Samoa	Malietoa Tanumafili II	2007	Died in office, triggering a transition to subsequent O le Ao o le Malo (heads of state) being elected for five-year terms. The country is a de jure republic, although all heads of state have been members of the high lineage tamaʻāiga dynasties. A proposal to elect future officeholders for life has been made.
	Nepal	Gyanendra	2008	Establishment of a federal republic approved by the 1st Nepalese Constituent Assembly.
	Lo	Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista		Abolished by order of the Government of Nepal.
2020s
	Barbados	Elizabeth II	2021	Abolished its monarchy after adopting the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2021, which created the office of the President of Barbados.

Monarchies that were abolished, restored, and continue to exist in the 21st century

Country		Year abolished	Notes	Year restored	Years of republic
	England	1649	Commonwealth of England established, then Parliament reversed itself and invited the return of the monarchy.	1660	11
	Scotland	1652	Commonwealth	1660	8
	Spain	1873	First Spanish Republic established.	1874	1
		1931	Second Spanish Republic established; restored (de jure) under the regency of Francisco Franco.	De jure: 1947 De facto: 1975	De jure: 16 De facto: 44
	Kuwait	1990	Republic of Kuwait proclaimed prior to annexation by Iraq; restored in the Gulf War.	1991	1
	Cambodia	1970	The Khmer Republic established; restored as an elective monarchy.	1993	23

Many other monarchies continue to exist in the 21st century, never having been abolished.

See also

• Alliance of European Republican Movements
• Criticism of monarchy
• Democratization
• List of countries by date of transition to a republican system of government
• List of last scions
• List of monarchy referendums
• List of monarchs who lost their thrones before the 17th century
• List of monarchs who lost their thrones in the 17th century
• List of monarchs who lost their thrones in the 18th century
• List of monarchs who lost their thrones in the 19th century
• Debate on the monarchy in Canada
• 2009 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines constitutional referendum
• 2008 Tuvaluan constitutional referendum