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.
England
| Usurper |
Predecessor |
Reign |
Comments |
|---|
| William I |
Harold Godwinson |
1066–1087 |
When Edward the Confessor died, Harold crowned himself Harold II; William then invaded England with his own army. William's army was victorious at the Battle of Hastings, during which Harold II was killed. William then crowned himself King of England. |
| 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 learned that her father was dead, leading to 20 years of civil war. |
| Henry IV |
Richard II |
1399–1413 |
A period of crisis emerged in 1398-1399 under Richard II as he enacted revenge on leading nobles for a dispute ten years previously. He took action against the Lords Appellant, murdering a leader and banishing Henry Bolingbrooke. On the death of Bolingbrooke's father, John of Gaunt, the son wished to return to claim his inheritance as the Duke of Lancaster, which Richard II denied. Henry returned from his exile in France whilst Richard II was away in Ireland. With the support of prominent Northern noble families, Henry took the throne. |
| Edward IV |
Henry VI |
1461–1470
1471–1483 |
After the death of his father, Richard of York at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460, Edward took over leadership of the Yorkist faction. His father had been declared the king's heir by parliament, but Edward took the further step of proclaiming himself king in March 1461. He subsequently defeated Lancastrian forces at the Battle of Towton, forcing Henry VI into exile in Scotland. |
| Richard III |
Edward V |
1483–1485 |
When his brother King Edward IV died in April 1483, Richard was named Lord Protector of the realm for Edward's eldest son and successor, the 12-year-old Edward V. Arrangements were made for Edward's coronation on 22 June 1483; but, before the young king could be crowned, the marriage of his parents was declared bigamous and therefore invalid, making their children officially illegitimate and thus barring them from inheriting the throne. On 25 June, an assembly of Lords and commoners endorsed a declaration to this effect and proclaimed Richard the rightful king. |
| Henry VII |
Richard III |
1485–1509 |
Forces under Henry Tudor won the Battle of Bosworth Field, during which Richard III was killed. Henry then became Henry VII and married the daughter of Edward IV, which is claimed to have ended the War of the Roses, though relatives of Richard made various attempts to remove him from power. |
| William III and Mary II |
James II |
1689–1702 |
James II fled after the arrival of William and Mary along with their army. This became known as the Glorious Revolution. |
Portugal
| 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. |
| João IV |
Felipe III |
1640–1656 |
Tired of the dual monarchy, the Portuguese elite, decided restore the independence of kingdom, more enthroning John, they ended betraying the king Felipe III; more as the new king was good, the designation of usurper, never was determined for the new sovereign. |
|
Thailand
| Usurper |
Predecessor |
Reign |
Comments |
|---|
| Worawongsathirat |
Yodfa |
1548 |
His kingship is not accepted by most traditional historians |
|