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Timeline of European royal history

120 events the houses on the tree lived through, from 800 to 1999.

800s

800 Charlemagne crowned emperor. Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish king Charlemagne emperor in Rome on Christmas Day. The Carolingians now claimed the title of the old Roman emperors in the west. Charlemagne
843 Treaty of Verdun. The three surviving sons of Louis the Pious divided the Carolingian Empire. Lothair I took the middle kingdom and kept the title of emperor, Louis the German took the east, and Charles the Bald the west. Lothair I, Louis the German, Charles the Bald, Louis the Pious
862 Rurik comes to Novgorod. According to the Primary Chronicle, the Varangian chieftain Rurik was invited to rule Novgorod. His descendants, the Rurikids, ruled Rus' and then Muscovy until 1598. Rurik
887 Charles the Fat deposed. The East Frankish nobles deposed Emperor Charles the Fat in favour of his nephew Arnulf of Carinthia. The Carolingian Empire was never reunited under one ruler again. Charles the Fat, Arnulf of Carinthia

900s

911 Rollo granted Normandy. Charles the Simple, king of West Francia, granted land around Rouen to the Viking leader Rollo. Rollo's descendants became the dukes of Normandy. Charles the Simple, Rollo
919 Henry the Fowler elected king. The Saxon duke Henry the Fowler was elected king of East Francia at Fritzlar. He was the first of the Ottonian kings, who ruled Germany until 1024. Henry I the Fowler
962 Otto I crowned emperor. Pope John XII crowned Otto I emperor in Rome. The imperial title passed to the kings of Germany, the start of what became the Holy Roman Empire. Otto I the Great
966 Baptism of Mieszko I. Mieszko I, the Piast ruler of the first Polish state, was baptised with much of his court. His Bohemian wife Dobrawa is often credited with the decision. Mieszko I, Doubravka of Bohemia
987 Hugh Capet elected king. After the last Carolingian king of West Francia, Louis V, died, the nobles elected Hugh Capet. His family, the Capetians and their branches, ruled France until 1848. Hugh Capet of France, Louis V of France
988 Vladimir of Kiev baptised. Vladimir the Great of Kiev was baptised and married Anne, sister of the Byzantine emperor Basil II, as the price of his military help. Rus' took its Christianity from Constantinople. Vladimir the Great, Anna Porphyrogenita, Basil II

1000s

1016 Cnut becomes king of England. The Danish prince Cnut won the English crown after Edmund Ironside died. He later ruled Denmark and Norway as well. Cnut the Great, Edmund II of England
1024 Conrad II elected king. Henry II, the last Ottonian emperor, died childless. The German princes elected Conrad II, the first of the Salian kings. Conrad II, Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
1066 Norman Conquest. Duke William of Normandy defeated and killed Harold Godwinson at Hastings and was crowned king of England on Christmas Day. William the Conqueror, Harold Godwinson
1077 Henry IV at Canossa. Excommunicated in a fight over who appointed bishops, the Salian king Henry IV crossed the Alps in winter and waited as a penitent at Canossa until Pope Gregory VII lifted the ban. Henry IV

1100s

1138 Conrad III elected king. After the death of Lothair III, Conrad III was elected king at Koblenz. He was the first German king of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, rivals of the Welfs. Conrad III of Germany
1138–1153 The Anarchy. Stephen of Blois and Empress Matilda fought over the English crown. Under the Treaty of Wallingford, Matilda's son Henry Plantagenet was named Stephen's heir. Stephen, King of England, Empress Matilda, Henry II of England
1152 Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Henry. Weeks after her marriage to Louis VII of France was annulled, Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet. Aquitaine joined his lands, and he became king of England in 1154. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II of England, Louis VII of France
1194 Henry VI crowned in Palermo. Emperor Henry VI claimed Sicily through his wife Constance, aunt and heir of the last Hauteville king, William II. He entered Palermo and was crowned there on Christmas Day. Henry VI, Costanza I of Sicily

1200s

1214 Battle of Bouvines. Philip II of France defeated Emperor Otto IV and the allies of King John. Otto was deposed in favour of Frederick II, and John had to give up Anjou, his family's home county. Philip II of France, Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor, John, King of England
1215 Magna Carta. Rebel barons forced King John to seal a charter at Runnymede limiting royal power. Pope Innocent III annulled it and war followed; the regents of John's son Henry III reissued it in 1216. John, King of England
1268 Conradin beheaded in Naples. Charles of Anjou captured and beheaded Conradin, the 16-year-old last legitimate Hohenstaufen, after defeating him at Tagliacozzo. Anjou kept Sicily. Conradin, Charles I of Naples
1273 Rudolf of Habsburg elected king. After the Great Interregnum, the German princes elected Rudolf, Count of Habsburg, King of the Romans. He was the first Habsburg to hold the crown. Rudolph I of Germany
1282–1302 War of the Sicilian Vespers. Sicily rose against Charles of Anjou, and Peter III of Aragon, whose wife Constance claimed the island, took it. The Peace of Caltabellotta left Sicily a kingdom under the House of Barcelona. Charles I of Naples, Peter III of Aragon
1291–1292 The Great Cause. With the Scottish royal line extinct, thirteen claimants came forward and Edward I of England was asked to judge. The court chose John Balliol over Robert de Brus, Lord of Annandale. John of Scotland, Edward I of England
1296–1328 First War of Scottish Independence. England invaded Scotland and deposed John Balliol. Robert the Bruce took the crown in 1306, won at Bannockburn, and was recognised as king by the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton. Edward I of England, Edward II of England

1300s

1306 Wenceslaus III murdered. The 16-year-old King Wenceslaus III was stabbed to death in Olomouc while preparing to invade Poland. He was the last Přemyslid king of Bohemia, and his killer was never identified. Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
1309–1376 Popes at Avignon. Pope Clement V moved the papal court to Avignon, and seven popes in a row lived there instead of Rome. Gregory XI left for Rome in 1376. Philip IV of France
1328 Philip VI, first Valois king. Charles IV died, the last of the senior Capetian line. The French chose his cousin Philip of Valois over Edward III of England, who claimed through his mother. Philip VI of France, Charles IV of France, Edward III of England
1337–1453 Hundred Years' War. The Plantagenet and later Lancastrian kings of England fought the Valois for the French crown. England lost every French possession except Calais. Edward III of England, Philip VI of France, Henry V of England, Charles VII of France
1346–1353 Black Death. Bubonic plague killed up to 50 million people, 30 to 60 per cent of the population of Europe, among them kings, queens and heirs.
1351–1369 Castilian Civil War. Peter of Castile fought his illegitimate brother Henry of Trastámara for the crown. Henry captured and killed Peter after the Battle of Montiel and became Henry II, the first Trastámara king. Peter of Castile, Henry II of Castile
1356 Golden Bull. Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg named the seven prince-electors who chose the German king and fixed majority voting. The rules lasted more than four hundred years. Charles IV
1378–1417 Western Schism. Rival popes in Rome and Avignon, and from 1409 a third line from Pisa, each claimed office, backed by different kings. The Council of Constance ended the split.
1383–1385 Portuguese interregnum. When Ferdinand I died, Castile claimed Portugal through his daughter. John of Aviz beat the Castilians at Aljubarrota and founded the House of Aviz. John I of Portugal, John I of Castile and Leon, Beatrice of Portugal
1385 Union of Krewo. Grand Duke Jogaila of Lithuania agreed to be baptised and marry Jadwiga, the young queen of Poland. He became Władysław II Jagiełło, founder of the Jagiellons. Władysław II Jagiełło, Jadwiga I of Poland
1397 Kalmar Union. Margaret I had her great-nephew Eric of Pomerania crowned king of Denmark, Norway and Sweden at Kalmar. The union lasted, with breaks, until 1523. Margaret I of Denmark, Eric of Pomerania
1399 Richard II deposed. Henry Bolingbroke returned from exile, captured Richard II and took the throne as Henry IV, the first Lancastrian king. Richard died in prison the next year. Richard II of England, Henry IV of England

1400s

1412 Compromise of Caspe. Martin of Aragon died without an heir. Nine delegates chose his nephew Ferdinand of Castile, putting the Trastámaras on the throne of Aragon. Ferdinand I of Aragon, Martin of Aragon
1415 Hohenzollerns get Brandenburg. At the Council of Constance, King Sigismund made Frederick, Burgrave of Nuremberg, Margrave and Elector of Brandenburg. He was the first Hohenzollern to rule there. Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg, Sigismund
1420 Treaty of Troyes. Charles VI of France named Henry V of England his heir, disinheriting his own son, and gave Henry his daughter Catherine. Both kings died in 1422. Henry V of England, Charles VI of France, Catherine of Valois
1438 Albert II elected king. Albert II of Habsburg was elected King of the Romans at Frankfurt, succeeding his father-in-law Sigismund. He died the next year without being crowned emperor. Albert II of Germany, Sigismund
1453 Fall of Constantinople. Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II took Constantinople after a 53-day siege. Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Byzantine emperor, led the defence. Mehmed made the city his capital. Konstantinos XI Palaiologos
1455–1487 Wars of the Roses. Two branches of the Plantagenets, Lancaster and York, fought for the English crown. Henry Tudor won it in 1485 and married Elizabeth of York. Henry VI of England, Edward IV of England, Richard III of England, Henry VII of England
1469 Ferdinand and Isabella marry. Isabella, heir to Castile, secretly married Ferdinand, heir to Aragon, in Valladolid. Their marriage joined the two crowns that became Spain. Isabella I of Castile, Ferdinand II of Aragon
1477 Mary of Burgundy marries Maximilian. Charles the Bold died at Nancy. His heiress Mary married Maximilian of Habsburg, bringing the Low Countries to the Habsburgs. Mary of Burgundy, Maximilian I, Charles the Bold
1485 Battle of Bosworth. Henry Tudor defeated Richard III, the last Plantagenet king, who was killed in the battle. Henry became Henry VII. Richard III of England, Henry VII of England
1492 Fall of Granada. Muhammad XI, known as Boabdil, the last Nasrid ruler, surrendered Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella, ending the last Muslim state in Iberia. Isabella I of Castile, Ferdinand II of Aragon
1494–1559 Italian Wars. Valois France and the Habsburgs fought over Italy. Under the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis France was largely expelled, and Spain held Naples, Sicily and Milan. Charles VIII of France, Francis I of France, Charles V
1496 Philip the Handsome marries Joanna. Maximilian's son Philip married Joanna, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella. After a run of deaths she became heir, and their son Charles inherited Spain. Philip I of Castile, Juana I of Castile

1500s

1503 James IV marries Margaret Tudor. James IV of Scotland married Margaret, daughter of Henry VII. A century later her great-grandson James VI inherited the English throne through her. James IV of Scotland, Margaret Tudor
1515 Vienna double wedding. Emperor Maximilian I and the Jagiellon brothers agreed a double wedding: Louis of Hungary married Maximilian's granddaughter Mary, and his grandson Ferdinand married Louis's sister Anna. Maximilian I, Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary, Sigismund I the Old, Louis II, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia
1519 Charles V elected emperor. Charles of Habsburg, already king of Spain, beat Francis I of France and Henry VIII in the imperial election, helped by huge payments to the electors. Charles V, Francis I of France
1523 Gustav Vasa elected king. After leading a revolt against Christian II of Denmark, Gustav Vasa was elected king of Sweden. Sweden left the Kalmar Union. Gustav I of Sweden, Christian II of Denmark
1526 Battle of Mohács. The Ottomans defeated Hungary and King Louis II drowned in flight. Bohemia and the Hungarian crown passed to his brother-in-law Ferdinand of Habsburg. Louis II, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
1534 Henry VIII breaks with Rome. Parliament declared Henry VIII supreme head of the Church of England after the Pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Henry VIII of England, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn
1547 Ivan IV crowned tsar. Ivan IV of Moscow, later called the Terrible, was crowned the first Tsar of All Rus'. Ivan the Terrible
1556 Charles V abdicates. Charles V gave Spain, Italy and the Low Countries to his son Philip II and the empire to his brother Ferdinand. The Habsburgs split into Spanish and Austrian lines. Charles V, Philip II of Spain, Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
1562–1598 French Wars of Religion. Catholics led by the Guises fought Huguenots led by the Bourbons while the last Valois kings lost control. The Bourbon Henry IV ended it with the Edict of Nantes. Catherine de' Medici, Charles IX of France, Henry III of France, Henry IV of France
1568–1648 Eighty Years' War. The northern Netherlands rose against Philip II of Spain, led by William of Orange. Spain recognised the Dutch Republic in 1648. William the Silent, Philip II of Spain
1569 Union of Lublin. Sigismund II Augustus, the last Jagiellon king, merged Poland and Lithuania into one Commonwealth with an elected king. Sigismund II Augustus
1572 St Bartholomew's Day massacre. Six days after the Protestant Henry of Navarre married Margaret of Valois in Paris, Catholic mobs began killing Huguenots. Estimates of the dead across France run from 5,000 to 30,000. Henry IV of France, Margaret of Valois, Charles IX of France, Catherine de' Medici
1580–1640 Iberian Union. After King Sebastian died in Morocco and his great-uncle Henry died soon after, Philip II of Spain took the Portuguese crown. Spain and Portugal shared a king for sixty years. Philip II of Spain, Sebastian of Portugal, Henry I of Portugal
1587 Mary, Queen of Scots executed. After eighteen and a half years in English captivity, Mary Stuart was found guilty of plotting to kill her cousin Elizabeth I and was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle. Mary, Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I of England
1589 Henry III of France assassinated. A Dominican friar stabbed Henry III, the last Valois king. The crown passed to his Protestant cousin Henry of Navarre, the first Bourbon king. Henry III of France, Henry IV of France
1598–1613 Time of Troubles. Feodor I died, the last Rurikid tsar. Famine, pretenders and Polish invasion followed until an assembly, the Zemsky Sobor, elected Michael Romanov tsar. Feodor I of Russia, Michael I of Russia

1600s

1603 Union of the Crowns. Elizabeth I died, the last Tudor monarch. Her cousin James VI of Scotland became James I of England, and one Stuart king held both crowns. James VI and I, Elizabeth I of England
1618–1648 Thirty Years' War. A Bohemian revolt against the Habsburgs became a European war fought in Germany. Sweden's Gustavus Adolphus and Bourbon France fought the Habsburgs. Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick V of the Palatinate, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
1640–1668 Portuguese Restoration War. Portuguese nobles proclaimed the Duke of Braganza king as John IV. After 28 years of war, Spain recognised Portugal's independence and the House of Braganza. John IV of Portugal, Philip IV of Spain
1642–1651 English Civil War. Charles I fought Parliament for control of the government and lost. His son Charles II fought on and was defeated at Worcester in 1651. Charles I of England, Charles II of England
1648 Peace of Westphalia. Emperor Ferdinand III, France, Sweden and their allies signed treaties at Osnabrück and Münster that ended the Thirty Years' War. Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, Christina of Sweden, Louis XIV of France
1649 Charles I executed. A court set up by Parliament found Charles I guilty of tyranny, and he was beheaded outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall. England had no king until 1660. Charles I of England
1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees. France and Spain made peace, and Louis XIV was to marry Maria Theresa, daughter of Philip IV. She gave up her Spanish claim for a dowry that was never paid. Louis XIV of France, Philip IV of Spain, Maria Theresa of Spain
1660 Restoration of Charles II. Parliament invited Charles II back from exile, and he entered London on his 30th birthday. Charles II of England
1688–1689 Glorious Revolution. William of Orange landed in Devon and his father-in-law, the Catholic James II, went into exile in France. William and Mary were made joint monarchs. James II of England, William III of England, Mary II of England

1700s

1701 Act of Settlement. Parliament barred Catholics from the English throne and settled it on Sophia of Hanover, a granddaughter of James I, and her Protestant heirs. William III of England, Sophia of Hanover
1701 Frederick I crowned in Prussia. Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg, crowned himself King in Prussia at Königsberg. The Hohenzollerns were now kings. Frederick I of Prussia
1701–1714 War of the Spanish Succession. Charles II of Spain left his crown to Louis XIV's grandson Philip. Austria, Britain and the Dutch went to war. Philip kept Spain, the first Spanish Bourbon. Philip V of Spain, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, Louis XIV of France, Charles II of Spain
1713 Pragmatic Sanction. Emperor Charles VI, who had no sons, decreed that the Habsburg lands could pass whole to a daughter. He spent decades getting other powers to accept it. Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, Maria Theresa of Austria
1714 George I becomes king. Under the Act of Settlement, George, Elector of Hanover, inherited the British throne after the deaths of his mother Sophia and Queen Anne. A Jacobite rising against him failed. George I of Great Britain, Anne of Great Britain
1733–1735 War of the Polish Succession. France backed Stanisław Leszczyński for the Polish throne, Russia and Austria backed Augustus III of Saxony. Augustus won, and Stanisław got Lorraine. Augustus III of Poland, Louis XV of France
1736 Maria Theresa marries Francis Stephen. The Habsburg heiress married Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, who gave up Lorraine for Tuscany. Their children founded the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Maria Theresa of Austria, Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
1740–1748 War of the Austrian Succession. Prussia seized Silesia and Bavaria claimed the empire when Maria Theresa inherited the Habsburg lands. She kept her throne but lost Silesia. Maria Theresa of Austria, Frederick II of Prussia, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor
1745–1746 Jacobite rising of 1745. Charles Edward Stuart landed in Scotland to claim the throne for his father and reached Derby. His army was destroyed at Culloden. Charles Edward Stuart, George II of Great Britain, Prince William, Duke of Cumberland
1756–1763 Seven Years' War. Austria, France and Russia fought Prussia and Britain. Prussia was close to collapse when Elizabeth of Russia died and her pro-Prussian successor Peter III made peace. Frederick II of Prussia, Maria Theresa of Austria, Elizabeth I of Russia, Peter III of Russia
1762 Catherine II seizes power. Catherine overthrew her husband Peter III in a coup and became Empress Catherine II. Eight days later Peter died in custody at Ropsha. Catherine II of Russia, Peter III of Russia
1770 Louis and Marie Antoinette marry. The French dauphin, later Louis XVI, married Marie Antoinette, youngest daughter of Maria Theresa, at Versailles, to bind the Bourbons to their old enemies the Habsburgs. Louis XVI of France, Marie Antoinette
1772–1795 Partitions of Poland. Russia, Prussia and Austria divided Poland–Lithuania between them in three partitions. The last king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, abdicated in 1795. Catherine II of Russia, Frederick II of Prussia, Maria Theresa of Austria
1789–1799 French Revolution. The Estates-General became a National Assembly, the Bastille fell, and in 1792 France abolished its monarchy. Napoleon Bonaparte took power in 1799. Louis XVI of France, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon
1793 Louis XVI executed. The National Convention tried Louis XVI as citizen Louis Capet and guillotined him in Paris. Marie Antoinette followed in October. Louis XVI of France, Marie Antoinette

1800s

1804 Napoleon crowned emperor. At Notre-Dame, with Pope Pius VII present, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French and then crowned Joséphine. Napoleon, Joséphine de Beauharnais
1806 Holy Roman Empire dissolved. Under pressure from Napoleon, Francis II gave up the title of Holy Roman Emperor. He kept the title Emperor of Austria he had taken in 1804. Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Napoleon
1810 Napoleon marries Marie Louise. Having divorced Joséphine, who had not given him a son, Napoleon married the 18-year-old daughter of the Austrian emperor. Their son was born in 1811. Napoleon, Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
1814–1815 Congress of Vienna. After Napoleon's defeat, the great powers redrew Europe. The Bourbons were restored in France, Spain and Naples, and the Orange-Nassaus got a Kingdom of the Netherlands. Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Alexander I of Russia, Frederick William III of Prussia, Louis XVIII of France
1818 A French marshal becomes king of Sweden. Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, one of Napoleon's marshals, adopted as heir by the childless Charles XIII, became King Charles XIV John, the first of the Bernadotte dynasty. Charles XIV John of Sweden, Charles XIII of Sweden
1830 July Revolution. Three days of fighting in Paris drove out Charles X, the last senior Bourbon king. His cousin Louis Philippe of Orléans became King of the French. Charles X of France, Louis-Philippe I
1837 Victoria succeeds; Hanover splits off. William IV died and his niece Victoria became queen. Hanover did not allow female rule, so its crown went to her uncle Ernest Augustus. Victoria, William IV, Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover
1840 Victoria marries Albert. Queen Victoria married her first cousin Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Their nine children married into the royal houses of Europe. Victoria, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
1848–1849 Revolutions of 1848. Revolts spread across Europe. Louis Philippe fled France, Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated for his nephew Franz Joseph, and Prussia's king refused a crown offered by the Frankfurt parliament. Louis-Philippe I, Ferdinand I of Austria, Franz Joseph I of Austria, Frederick William IV of Prussia
1861 Kingdom of Italy proclaimed. Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia, of the House of Savoy, was proclaimed King of Italy. The Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies disappeared into the new state. Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Francis II of the Two Sicilies
1863 Christian IX becomes king. Christian of Glücksburg succeeded Frederick VII, the last of the senior Oldenburg line. Through his children's marriages he became known as the father-in-law of Europe. Christian IX of Denmark, George I of Greece, Alexandra of Denmark, Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark)
1866 Austro-Prussian War. Prussia invaded Hanover and Saxony and defeated Austria. Under the Peace of Prague it annexed four of Austria's allies, and Austria was shut out of German affairs. Wilhelm I, Franz Joseph I of Austria
1867 Austro-Hungarian Compromise. Franz Joseph was crowned King of Hungary in Budapest, and the Habsburg empire became a dual monarchy with separate governments in Vienna and Budapest. Franz Joseph I of Austria, Empress Elisabeth of Austria
1870–1871 Franco-Prussian War. A Hohenzollern candidacy for the Spanish throne started a war. Napoleon III was captured at Sedan and the Second French Empire fell. Wilhelm I, Napoleon III
1871 German Empire proclaimed. Wilhelm I of Prussia was proclaimed German Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, after Bavaria, Württemberg and the other southern states joined the Prussian-led union. Wilhelm I, Ludwig II of Bavaria
1889 Mayerling. Crown Prince Rudolf, only son of Franz Joseph, was found dead with Mary Vetsera at his hunting lodge. The succession passed to Franz Ferdinand. Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, Franz Joseph I of Austria

1900s

1903 May Coup in Belgrade. Army officers killed King Alexander Obrenović and Queen Draga in the palace. Peter Karađorđević was brought in as king. Alexander I of Serbia, Draga Mašin, Peter I of Serbia
1905 Norway leaves Sweden. Norway ended its union with Sweden and chose Prince Carl of Denmark, son-in-law of Edward VII, as King Haakon VII. Haakon VII of Norway, Oscar II of Sweden
1910 Nine kings at a funeral. Nine reigning kings rode in the funeral procession of Edward VII in London, among them his son George V and the German emperor Wilhelm II. Edward VII, George V, Wilhelm II, Haakon VII of Norway, Alfonso XIII
1910 Portugal becomes a republic. Two years after his father and brother were shot in Lisbon, Manuel II was overthrown. The royal family sailed for Gibraltar, and Portugal became a republic. Manuel II of Portugal
1914 Franz Ferdinand assassinated. Gavrilo Princip shot the Habsburg heir and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo. A month later Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg
1914–1918 First World War. George V of Britain and his first cousin Nicholas II of Russia went to war against their other first cousin, Wilhelm II of Germany. Both the Russian and German empires fell. George V, Wilhelm II, Nicholas II of Russia, Franz Joseph I of Austria
1917 Nicholas II abdicates. After mass strikes and a mutiny in Petrograd, Nicholas II abdicated. His brother Grand Duke Michael declined the throne, and Romanov rule ended. Nicholas II of Russia, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia
1917 Saxe-Coburg becomes Windsor. During the war with Germany, George V changed his family's name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor. George V
1918 Romanovs shot. Bolsheviks shot and stabbed Nicholas II, Alexandra, their five children and four members of their household at the house in Yekaterinburg where they were held. Nicholas II of Russia, Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse), Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia
1918 Charles I steps aside. As Austria-Hungary broke apart, Emperor Charles I gave up any part in government. Austria became a republic and in 1919 banished him. Charles I of Austria, Zita of Bourbon-Parma
1918–1919 German Revolution. Wilhelm II left for exile in the Netherlands, ending Hohenzollern rule. Ludwig III of Bavaria fled Munich, and the other German monarchies fell with the empire. Wilhelm II, Ludwig III of Bavaria
1931 Alfonso XIII leaves Spain. Two days after republicans won the municipal elections, the Second Republic was proclaimed and Alfonso XIII went into exile. Alfonso XIII
1936 Edward VIII abdicates. Edward VIII abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. His brother Albert became George VI. Edward VIII, Wallis Simpson, George VI
1946 Italy votes out the Savoys. Italians voted to abolish the monarchy, and Umberto II left for exile. Male members of the House of Savoy were barred from Italy until 2002. Umberto II of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III of Italy
1975 Juan Carlos becomes king. Two days after Franco's death, Juan Carlos de Borbón was proclaimed King of Spain, restoring the Bourbons. Juan Carlos I of Spain