Art, obsession, and identity
Throughout the years, peoples and territories have been ruled by different power structures. From kingdoms to empires, our world has been divided multiple times throughout history. Many monarchies fell, and every empire has now ceased to exist. But who were the last men and women to rule them?
In this gallery, we bring you the last rulers of some of the world's most powerful empires and kingdoms. Click on to get to know them.
The Holy Roman Empire was established on Christmas Day of 800. Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor after a series of events led him to renounce the crown in 1806.
Tsar Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia. In 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power, putting an end to imperialism and the House of Romanov dynasty.
Mehmed VI was the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The empire, established by Osman Bey, lasted from 1300 to 1922. Mehmed VI was overthrown in 1922, and a year later Turkey became a republic.
Constantine XI Palaiologos was the last Byzantine emperor. The Byzantine Empire lasted from 330 to 1453, the year the emperor died fighting the Ottomans in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul).
Bahadur Shah Zafar II was the last man to rule the Mughal Empire. Founded in 1526, the empire fell after the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha was the first and only queen of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and also the last one to rule it. Queen Liliuokalani was overthrown in 1893, putting an end to the kingdom that had been established in 1795.
President Jorge Sampaio was the last ruler of the Portuguese Empire. The empire, which began in 1415, officially came to an end in 1999 after the nation's last colony, Macao, was handed back to China.
Queen Juliana ruled the Dutch Empire from 1948 to 1975, when the last colony, Suriname, gained independence. The Queen of the Netherlands abdicated in 1980.
The Japanese Empire ended when the nation surrendered in World War II, in 1945. Hirohito kept the 124th Emperor of Japan title until his death in 1989, but the empire fell 77 years after it first began in 1868.
The German Empire came to an end after the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1918. The empire had been in place since 1871.
Charles I ruled from 1916 to 1918. First World War geopolitical shifts dictated the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which dated back to 1867.
Puyi was the last Qing Dynasty emperor. China's empire lasted from 221 BCE to the day the final emperor of China abdicated in 1912. The Republic of China was established shortly after.
The Spanish colonial empire began in 1492. And while it didn't officially came to an end until 1976, Alfonso XIII was the ruler when the Second Republic was proclaimed in 1931.
Queen Elizabeth II reigned many years as the head of the British Empire. The empire began in 1584; in 1997, Britain handed over Hong Kong's sovereignty to China, closing the imperial chapter for good.
The Swedish Empire lasted just over a century, from 1611 to 1721. Following the Great Northern War and the Treaty of Nystad, Sweden's empire came to an end. Charles XII ruled from 1697 to 1718.
Atahualpa was last Inca emperor. In 1533 he was captured by the Spanish and killed, dictating the end of the Inca empire, which had been ruling great part of western South America since 1410.
The last Aztec emperor ruled for just one year, from 1520 to 1521. Cuauhtémoc met his fate at the hands of the Spanish. His death put an end to the Aztec Empire, which had been ruling since 1345.
Cleopatra is largely considered the last pharaoh to rule Egypt. The alliance with Rome eventually dictated the end of pharaohs ruling over Egypt. Established circa 3150 BCE, the empire came to an end in 30 BCE.
Umberto II of Italy was the last King of Italy. He reigned for just 34 days in 1946, before the monarchy was abolished and the republic implemented.
Romulus Augustulus was the last Roman emperor of the West. The Western Roman Empire lasted from 31 BCE to 476 CE. Romulus Augustulus' deposition marks the transition from antiquity to the Middle Ages.
Emperor Haile Selassie I was the last ruler of the Ethiopian Empire. He reigned from 1930 until his abdication in 1974. The Ethiopian Empire, also known as the Abyssinian Empire, was established in 1270.
Ludovico Manin was the last Doge of Venice. The Republic of Venice lasted from 697 CE to 1797 CE. Manin was forced to abdicate by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Tantamani was the last ruler of the Kingdom of Kush. The Kushite Empire lasted from circa 780 BCE to 350 CE. Tantamani was also the last pharaoh of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt.
Toghon Temür was the last Khagan of the Mongol Empire. Founded in 1206 by Genghis Khan, the empire went on to dominate great part of Eurasia. It lasted until 1368.
Darius III was the last Achaemenid King of Kings of Persia. The Achaemenid Empire, or the first Persian Empire, lasted from 550 BCE until 330 BCE, when Alexander the Great defeated Darius III.
Gyeongsun was the last ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla, which existed from 57 BCE to 935 CE. King Gyeongsun reigned from 927 to 935 CE.
Sources: (CEOWORLD magazine) (Ranker) (HowStuffWorks)
See also: What if the Roman Empire never fell?
The last rulers of the world's most powerful kingdoms and empires
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Throughout the years, peoples and territories have been ruled by different power structures. From kingdoms to empires, our world has been divided multiple times throughout history. Many monarchies fell, and every empire has now ceased to exist. But who were the last men and women to rule them?
In this gallery, we bring you the last rulers of some of the world's most powerful empires and kingdoms. Click on to get to know them.