History is full of unique and diverse characters that are usually forgotten or unknown. For centuries, history has focused on the lives and deeds of kings and queens all over the world, but even if we focus only on them, we can also se an array of personalities. Still, when we think of them we tend to picture well-educated politicians moving the strings of countries, and in many cases, this couldn’t be farther from reality. Many monarchs, actually ascended the throne at a very early age, some of them couldn’t even walk, speak or even eat proper food when they inherited their thrones.
Here are the youngest recorded monarchs in history. Or we could probably say, here are some fascinating baby/toddler rulers.
Shapur II
Known as Shapur II the Great, this young monarch was still a fetus when he was crowned Emperor of the Sasanian Empire of Persia around 309 AD. When his father, Hormizd II, passed his eldest brother, Adur Narseh, took the crown, but Hormizd had left his empire amid political turmoil. Young Adur was killed by a group of nobles from his court only a few months after raising into power. The following son was blinded and a third one imprisoned. Without any other living offspring, there was no choice but to crown Hormizd’s son, who was still in his mother’s womb. As such, Shapur was crowned before being born; according to the legend, an actual crown was placed on his mother’s belly. The nobles ruled while Shapur was a child, but when he turned 16, he took over to run his empire. He’s remembered for bringing stability and growth (territorial and economic) to the empire.
Alfonso XIII
Like our previous monarch, Alfonso was born after the death of his father and predecessor Alfonso XII. He was named King of Spain in 1886 at birth, but the crown was ruled through a regency until he turned 16 years old in 1902. Unlike Shapur, Alfonso’s story wasn’t one of glory, on the contrary, the government he installed ended up being his doom. At the time, Spain was going through an inner political conflict that would end up turning into the infamous Civil War. Eventually, the Republican parties gained so much power outside and inside the parliament which demanded the abolition of the monarchy. Alfonso was exiled in 1931; he never abdicated, but he never returned to his kingdom. The monarchy was reinstated until 1975.
John I
Going back in time, centuries back, we have John I of France and Navarre. He was born a couple of months after his father, Louis X, death in 1316. However, although he’s listed amongst the youngest monarchs in history, he never got the chance to even envision a long reign. Actually, he might be on the list of the shortest-reigning monarchs in history. He died just five days after his birth. Since then, it’s been speculated that he was killed by no other than his uncle, who succeeded him as Philip V and II.
Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI
She’s one of our favorites, and one with a very tragic life. Mary Stuart, best known as Mary, Queen of Scots, succeeded his father when she was only six days old. She reigned under her mother’s regency until she turned 18. In the mid-time, she was sent to France to marry Francis II, but he died a few years later. She returned to Scotland to take over her crown. However, things turned to tragedy rapidly. She married Henry Stuart and gave birth to James (who would become James I of England and VI of Scotland), but shortly after Henry was killed, and Mary was the main suspect. She fled to England looking for her cousin’s help, but Queen Elizabeth I had other plans. Mary was kept in captivity for the remaining 18 years, and her son was crowned King of Scotland when he was only 1 year old, enough to make it into our list as well. Mary was eventually executed.
Ivan VI
Ivan became Tsar of Russia in October 1740, only two months after coming to this world. He had been named the legitimate heir to the crown by his grandaunt Anna of Russia moments before her death. Like previous monarchs, it was his mother the one who rule on his behalf, and as tragic as it could get it was his mother’s regency that condemned Ivan to a horrid life. Just one year after his “rule,” his cousin Elizabeth plotted a coup d’etat seizing the crown. Ivan and his parents were imprisoned and sent away from court. Ivan spent the next 20 years of his life in captivity developing a terrible mental condition he could never reverse. There were many attempts to free him and give him back his crown, but all failed. During the last attempt, he was killed by his jailers. Ivan was 23 years old.
Henry VI
Henry VI is known as the youngest monarch in English history. He was only nine months old when he ascended the throne in 1422, thus succeeding his father Henry V. It was during his reign that one of the most violent and famous conflicts in the history of England outbroke, the famous War of the Roses. There were two main royal houses hungry for power, the Yorks and the Lancasters (Henry’s house. After years of endless battles, the Lancasters lost, Henry was imprisoned and eventually murdered at the infamous Tower of London. At least, unlike other of the monarchs listed before, Henry VI managed to rule for some decades. He was 50 years old when he passed.
Sobhuza II
Since there’s much more besides Europe, let’s travel now to the African Kingdom of Swaziland. Now, to be precise, let’s also go back to 1899, when the man with the longest verifiable reign in history was born (sorry, Queen Elizabeth II). Sobhuza became king of Swaziland just four months after his birth when his father King Ngwane V passed. His grandmother Labotsibeni and his uncle Prince Malunge, took over the regency until 1921 when Sobhuza was ready to rule by himself. He was known as a great leader, often called names like the Great Mountain, the Bull, the Lion, and many other manly and grand monickers. Among other things, he’s remembered for having ruled for almost 83 years in a prosperous and strong Kingdom. Also, he fought bravely for the independence of his country from the Brits, making him even more memorable. In the gossipy part, Sobhuza had around 70 wives with which he fathered over 100 children.
Puyi
Another monarch whose rule ended abruptly after a social and political movement was Puyi, named Emperor of China in 1908 at the young age of 2 years. However, his ruling was short, not as short as John I’s but quite short still. Just three after being named emperor, he was overthrown by a revolution that ended with the imperial system of China. For a while, Puyi was allowed to keep his luxurious life but eventually, he was forced to flee the country. He settled in Japan but was captured by the Russians at the end of WWII. He was imprisoned in Siberia for five years and was then returned to his natal China, where he remained imprisoned for some time as a war criminal. A decade later, he was pardoned and lived the rest of his days as a gardener in Beijing. He died of cancer in 1967 at the age of 61.
Ivan IV
Doesn’t ring a bell? What about if we add the monicker ‘the Terrible?” Well, when Tsar Vasili III passed in 1533, his son, the infamous Ivan the Terrible, was named grand prince of Russia and the rightful heir to the throne. He was three years old. During his childhood, many nobles acted as regents, and when he was 16 years old, Ivan took up his crown. He ruled for almost four decades in which many of his ruthless actions gained him the nickname of “terrible.” Some of these included inforcing a secret police system to execute disloyal subjects, and the most known one, killing his own son. Ivan died at the age of 51, probably of a heart attack. So, no karma here.
Isabella II
Last but not least, we have another Spanish monarch, Isabella II, who, at the age of 2, was named Queen of Spain in 1833. When her father, King Ferdinand VII, was about to die, having no male heir, he named Isabella his legitimate successor. However, not everyone in court was happy with the decision, one of them being Isabella’s uncle Carlos. Wanting the throne for himself, he plotted against young Isabella and refused to recognize her as their legitimate Queen. This led to an armed conflict known as the Carlist Wars. However, Isabella prevailed with the aid of her mother and regent. At the age of 13, Isabella was officially crowned, not without changes. Spain passed from being an absolute monarchy to a constitutional, one that still prevails. Still, her reign was as convulsed as it started. This was driven mainly by gossip and scandal because it was reported that she wasn’t living with her husband. In 1868, what was known as the Glorious Revolution forced her to exile in Paris. She abdicated in 1870, and her son was crowned Alfonso XII in 1874.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons
