History's shortest reigns

There have been many Emperors throughout history that enjoyed long prosperous reigns. This list is not about long and prosperous reigns rather than them, we're counting down the top 5 King and queens who's reigns were cut short before they had the chance to act for their Kingdoms, this was noteworthy With the exception of being the shortest lived rulers ever most have no major impact on the course of history.

5. Juan Shikai came into power in the last years of the Chinese Qing Dynasty before it was overthrown by the popular Shin-hye revolution of 1911. In 1912 he negotiated the position of president with the rebels in exchange for the abdication of the last Qing Emperor a five-year-old child named Puyi 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 Hong Jiang the power grab wasn't received well by the various provinces across China two of which rose up in open rebellion and Shakai was forced to give up the throne in March 1916.

4. Lady Jane Gray reign began in England more than six decades after the wars of the Roses which ended with a 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 the first cousin to King Edward VI, after his death in 1553 she was a Protestant when the reformation was still ongoing across Europe and Edward VI was instrumental in steering England towards Protestantism. Lady Jane Gray was crowned on the 10th of July 1553 though sadly her Reign would end in tragedy almost as soon as it began on July the 19th nine days after a recession. 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 well as Jane gray she was charged with treason against the crown in November and executed by beheading in February 1554. 562 390

3. Saeed Khalid bin Bagash Alba Saeed, who was the grandson of the founding father of Zanzibar, Saeed bin Sultan. Saeed Khalid bin Bagash Alba Saeed became the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1896. However, the British, who controlled Zanzibar as a protectorate, supported his pro-British cousin, Ahmed bin Thawain. After Ahmed's mysterious death on August 25th, Saeed Khalid bin Bagash Alba Saeed declared himself Sultan, which led to a British Royal Navy contingent bombarding the palace and forcing the Garrison to surrender in this incident over 500 zandabari soldiers were killed. Saeed Khalid bin Bagash Alba Saeed had to seek asylum at the German consulate.

2. Victoria Kamāmalu she was the granddaughter of Kamehameha I, the founder of the Kingdom of Hawaii, through her mother's side. In the line of succession, she was below several individuals, including uncles, cousins, and brothers. In 1855, Victoria was elected as the head of the king's privy council and became the queen regent known as Kuhina Nui under the Hawaiian constitution. However, her time in power as queen regent was cut short. On November 30th, 1863, her brother, King Kamehameha IV, unexpectedly passed away without leaving a direct heir. As Kuhina Nui and head of the royal council, Victoria proclaimed her brother's son, Lot Kamehameha (also known as Lot Kamehameha II), as the new king. Her reign as queen regent and monarch lasted for just one day, making her one of the shortest-reigning monarchs in history.

1. Louis XVI was the last French king before the French Revolution. He was born in 1754 and became king in 1774. During the revolution, which started in 1789, Louis XVI and his family were captured and imprisoned. Eventually, in January 1793, Louis XVI was executed by guillotine.