Abdication facts for kids
Abdication is the act of resigning from an office (official job), especially from being the leader of a country. The word is normally used for kings and queens who decide to give up their position which brings an end to a reign. The term is also used for popes.
A similar term for an elected or appointed official is resignation.
King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom is an example of a king who abdicated.
Select list of abdications
- Caedwalla of Wessex, 688
- Ine of Wessex, 726
- Pope Benedict IX, 1048
- Stephen II of Hungary, 1131
- Pope Celestine V, 1294
- Richard II of England, 1399
- Pope Gregory XII, 1415.
- Murad II, Ottoman Sultan, 1444-1445
- Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, 1556
- Christina of Sweden, 1654
- James II of England, 1688
- Philip V of Spain, 1724
- Ahmed III, Sultan of Turkey, 1730
- Napoleon I, Emperor of France, 1814 and 1815
- Charles X of France, 1830
- Pedro I of Brazil, 1831
- Miguel of Portugal, 1834
- Louis Philippe I of France, 1848
- Fredrik Kaarle I of Finland, 1918
- Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, 1936
- Pope Benedict XVI, 2013.
- Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, 2013
- King Albert II of Belgium, 2013
- King Juan Carlos I of Spain, 2014
- Emperor Akihito of Japan, 2019
Images for kids
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Napoleon's first abdication, signed at the Palace of Fontainebleau 4 April 1814
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Dom Pedro I, founder and emperor of the Empire of Brazil, delivers his abdication letter on 7 April 1831
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Tomb effigy of heart of King John II Casimir Vasa at Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, showing removal of the crown
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Queen Christina of Sweden (daughter of Protestant champion Gustav II Adolph) shocked Europe by abdicating to move to Rome and serve the pope.
See also
In Spanish: Abdicación para niños
