Accessions, Enthronements, Jubilees, and Abdications
6 May 1910: HRH The Prince George, The Prince of Wales ascends the throne as King George V after the death of his father King Edward VII from a series of heart attacks. His wife, Victoria Mary became Queen Mary at the request of her husband.
27 August 1910: prince Nicholas I of Montenegro takes the title of king. He was the first and only King of Montenegro, the kingdom being merged into the Kingdom of Serbia in 1918.
29 August 1910: Emperor Sunjong of the Korean Empire abdicates and the monarchy is abolished.
5 October 1910: King Manuel II is exiled from Portugal as a result of a military coup. He relocates to the United Kingdom and dies young under suspicious circumstances. Having no heirs of his own, he recognizes Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza as the legitimate heir to the throne of Portugal.
22 June 1911: Coronation of George V and Mary of Teck at Westminster Abbey. Along with the enormous pageantry associated with the coronation of a British Monarch, the event is also celebrated with the Festival of the Empire at the Crystal Palace.
11 December 1911: George V and Mary are crowned Emperor and Empress Consort of India when they travel for the Delhi Durbar. Of the three Durbars held, it is the first and only time that the monarch has attended. All dignitaries of India attend to pay allegiance to the new Emperor and Empress. While there, Queen Mary is presented with the magnificent Delhi Durbar Tiara.
25 February 1912: Accession of Grand Duchess Marie-Adelaide of Luxembourg. The eldest of six sisters, she became the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg ever. She was also the first Luxembourg-born sovereign since 1296. Her reign was marked by a friendly relationship with Luxembourg’s German occupiers and she was forced to abdicate after seven years in favor of her sister Charlotte.
14 May 1912: Accession of Christian X of Denmark upon the death of his father, King Frederick VIII. His 35 year reign including the trying times of World War I & II and his resistance to the Nazis made him one of Denmark’s most popular monarchs of all time.
30 July 1912: Emperor Taisho ascends the throne of Japan. He suffers from ill health and is kept out of public as much as possible. Eventually, it becomes common knowledge that he is unable to rule on his own and, in 1919, the Crown Prince is named regent in his place.
12 August 1912: Sultan Abd al-Hafid of Morocco abdicates. During his reign, he angers many of his countrymen by being overly accommodating of the French. When he relinquishes his throne, it is under the condition that he be allowed to leave on a waiting ship to France. Eventually, he is exiled in Tangier.
18 March 1913: ascension of King Constantine I to the throne of Greece upon the assassination of his father, George I. He will reign for four years before abdicating the throne for the first time.
5 November 1913: Ludwig III of Bavaria ascends. He gains the throne after deposing his cousin Otto I, however, his reign is only a brief five years until the German Revolution breaks out.
7 March 1914: Prince William of Wied ascends the throne of Albania. The country is in a constant state of revolution and his brief reign is overwhelmed by coups and death threats. He goes into exile, still proclaiming himself sovereign.
3 September 1914: Prince William of Albania (formerly Wied) went into exile after only six months of rule.
12 December 1915: General Yuan Shikai declares himself “Emperor of China”. Against great opposition, he holds out until 22 March 1916 when he abandons the idea of monarchy.
27 September 1916: Iyasu V of Ethiopia, an uncrowned emperor, is deposed in a palace coup by his aunt Empress Zauditu.
27 September 1916: Empress Zauditu of Ethiopia ascends the throne
. Although she is not origically allowed to rule on her own, she becomes a popular empress due to her religious piety and kindness.
21 November 1916: Accession of Emperor Charles I of Austria. He is the last monarch of the Hapsburg dynasty, the last King of Hungary, the last Emperor of Austria, the last King of Croatia and the last King of Bohemia. His reigns lasts for only two years. He is beatified after his death by the Catholic Church for considering his faith before politics in his decisions as monarch.
30 December 1916: Coronation of Emperor Charles I of Austria as King of Hungary.
1 March 1917: Tsar Nicholas II abdicates the throne of Russia. In the face of a population of hungry and disaffected citizens rioting, a mounting massive revolution by his own troops and fearing for the lives of his family, Nicholas is forced to abdicate in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Michael and becomes the last Romanov Tsar and the last Tsar of All the Russias.
11 June 1917: Constantine I of Greece goes into temporary exile. As a result of the National Schism and with half of his country under Allied control, Constantine abdicates in favor of his second born son Alexander and leaves for Switzerland with his family, including his eldest son.
11 June 1917: Accession of King Alexander of Greece. He reigns for only three years and is a lame duck King, in reality only supporting the Prime Minister with no power or authority of his own.
4 July 1918: Mehmed VI ascends the throne as the Ottoman Emperor. He reigns for four years before the Turkish Grand National Assembly abolishes the monarchy.
3 October 1918: King Ferdinand of Bulgaria abdicates. He goes into exile in German and his succeeded by his son, who becomes Boris III.
9 November 1918: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany abdicates for exile to The Netherlands. He loses his throne when his own military revolts against him. While in exile, The Treaty of Versailles specifically calls for his return and prosecution against him, but Queen Wilhelmina refuses to turn him over, allowing him to stay under her protection.
22 November 1918: Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden abdicates and the Grand Duchy of Baden ceases to exist.
14 January 1919: Abdication of Grand Duchess Marie-Adelaide of Luxembourg. She is the first reigning Grand Duchess and the first Luxembourg-born sovereign since 1296. During her reign, she becomes highly unpopular due to her friendly relationship with the German forces that are occupying Luxembourg, leading to a call for her abdication. She is succeeded by her younger sister Charlotte.
14 January 1919: Accession of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg. Charlotte succeeds her sister as reigning Grand Duchess and rules for an impressive 45 years. Unlike her sister, she is non-controversial and due to a change in the constitution that limits the power of the sovereign, she stays clear of political scandal. She marries HRH Prince Felix of Bourbon, Prince of Parma and it is a result of this marriage that the junior members of the royal house now enjoy the style of HRH.
28 February 1919: Amanullah Khan ascends the throne of Afghanistan. He is, at first, very popular. He is a pioneer in advocating women’s rights. He establishes new schools and dress codes, allowing women much more freedom than they had ever known. He is also friendly with Europe and dramatically increases trade. Unfortunately, he is seen as too friendly and too European himself. His dramatic change of domestic policy is seen as too radical by some in the conservative nation and it leads to the Khost rebellion. He reigns for ten years before be forced into exile in Switzerland.
