List of deposed politicians facts for kids
Imagine a leader, like a president or a king, being removed from their job before their time is up. That's called deposition. It's a big deal because it means someone powerful is being taken out of office, often against their will. This can happen in many ways, like a sudden takeover by the military (a coup), a formal process where a leader is accused of wrongdoing (like impeachment), or even an invasion by another country. Sometimes, a king or queen might be forced to give up their throne, which is called abdication.
Deposition isn't just for political leaders. It can also happen to religious leaders, especially high-ranking ones like a bishop, who might be officially removed from their church position.
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When Leaders Are Removed from Power
Throughout history, many political leaders have been removed from their positions. This often happens during times of big changes or conflicts in a country. Here are some examples of how and why different leaders were deposed:
Famous Political Depositions
- Julius Caesar (44 BCE, Roman Republic): He was a very powerful Roman leader who was assassinated by senators who feared he was becoming too strong. This happened at the start of a civil war.
- Richard Cromwell (1659 CE, Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland): After his father, Oliver Cromwell, died, Richard became the Lord Protector. But he wasn't as strong a leader, and the military removed him, leading to the return of the monarchy.
- Porfirio Díaz (1911, Mexico): He was president of Mexico for many years, but people grew tired of his rule. The Mexican Revolution forced him to step down.
- Richard Nixon (1974, United States): He was the 37th President of the United States. He resigned to avoid being removed from office through an impeachment process because of the Watergate scandal.
- Saddam Hussein (2003, Iraq): He was the President of Iraq. He was removed from power during the Iraq War when the United States and its allies invaded.
- Muammar Gaddafi (2011, Libya): He was the leader of Libya for a long time. He was removed during the First Libyan Civil War, which was part of the wider Arab Spring uprisings.
- Aung San Suu Kyi (2021, Myanmar): She was the State Counsellor of Myanmar. She was removed from power by the military in a 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.
The table below shows many more examples of political leaders who were removed from their positions. It's a long list, showing how often this has happened throughout history!
When Monarchs Are Removed from Power
Kings, queens, and emperors can also be deposed. This often happened when their people rebelled, or when another country conquered their land.
Famous Monarch Depositions
- Cleopatra (30 BCE, Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt): The famous Queen of Egypt was removed from her throne after losing a major war against the Roman Empire.
- Nero (68 CE, Roman Empire): A Roman Emperor, he was declared an enemy of the state and killed during a rebellion.
- Charles I of England (1649, England): He was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. He was removed from power and executed after the English Civil War.
- Louis XVI (1792, France): The King of France was deposed during the French Revolution, a huge uprising by the French people.
- Nicholas II of Russia (1917, Russia): He was the last Emperor of Russia. He was forced to give up his throne during the February Revolution, which led to the end of the Russian Empire.
- Puyi (1912, China): He was the last Emperor of China. He was removed from power during the 1911 Revolution, which ended thousands of years of imperial rule in China.
- Haile Selassie (1974, Ethiopia): He was the Emperor of Ethiopia. He was deposed by a military coup, ending a long line of emperors in Ethiopia.
Here is a list of many monarchs who were removed from their positions throughout history:
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Leaders Removed at Other Levels
Deposition doesn't just happen to national leaders. Governors of states, mayors of cities, and even religious leaders can also be removed from their positions.
State and Local Leaders
- William Woods Holden (1870, North Carolina, United States): He was the Governor of North Carolina and was removed from office through Impeachment.
- Rod Blagojevich (2009, Illinois, United States): He was the Governor of Illinois and was removed from office after being impeached due to corruption charges.
- Alice Guo (2024, Bamban, Pampanga, Philippines): She was the Mayor of Bamban and was dismissed from her position by the Ombudsman.
Here are more examples of leaders removed at state or local levels:
| Year | Politician | Division | Country | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1660 | Salvador de Sá | Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro |  State of Brazil
|
Governor of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro | Cachaça Revolt |
| 1662 | Frederick Coyett |  Governorate of Formosa |
 Dutch Republic |
Governor of Formosa | Siege of Fort Zeelandia |
| 1666 | Jerônimo de Mendonça Furtado | Captaincy of Pernambuco | State of Brazil
|
Governor of the Captaincy of Pernambuco | Imprisonment during the Conjuration of Our Father |
| 1789 | César-Constantin-François de Hoensbroeck |  Prince-Bishopric of Liège |
 Holy Roman Empire |
Prince-Bishop of Liège | Liège Revolution |
| 1870 | William Woods Holden |  North Carolina |
 United States |
Governor of North Carolina | Impeachment |
| 1871 | David Butler |  Nebraska |
Governor of Nebraska | ||
| 1913 | William Sulzer |  New York |
Governor of New York | ||
| 1917 | James Edward Ferguson |  Texas |
Governor of Texas | ||
| 1923 | Jack Walton |  Oklahoma |
Governor of Oklahoma | ||
| 1929 | Henry Simpson Johnston | Oklahoma |
Governor of Oklahoma | ||
| 1930 | João Pessoa |  Paraíba |
 Brazil |
Governor of Paraíba | Assassinated |
| 1988 | Evan Mecham |  Arizona |
United States |
Governor of Arizona | Impeachment |
| 1992 | Edmundo Pinto |  Acre |
Brazil |
Governor of Acre | Assassinated |
| 2005 | Diepreye Alamieyeseigha |  Bayelsa State |
 Nigeria |
Governor of Bayelsa State | Impeachment |
| 2006 | Rasheed Ladoja |  Oyo State |
Governor of Oyo State | ||
| 2006 | Ayo Fayose |  Ekiti State |
Governor of Ekiti State | ||
| 2006 | Joshua Dariye |  Plateau State |
Governor of Plateau State | ||
| 2006 | Peter Obi |  Anambra State |
Governor of Anambra State | ||
| 2009 | Rod Blagojevich |  Illinois |
United States |
Governor of Illinois | Impeachment and removed from the office |
| 2009 | Marcelo Miranda |  Tocantins |
Brazil |
Governor of Tocantins | Removed from the office by the Superior Electoral Court |
| 2014 | Murtala Nyako |  Adamawa State |
Nigeria |
Governor of Adamawa State | Impeachment |
| 2020 | Wilson Witzel |  Rio de Janeiro |
Brazil |
Governor of Rio de Janeiro | Impeachment of Wilson Witzel |
| Year | Politician | Place | Division | Country | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1865 | Philip Tomppert |  Louisville |
 Kentucky |
United States |
Mayor of Louisville | Impeachment |
| 1964 | Pelópidas da Silveira |  Recife |
 Pernambuco |
Brazil |
Mayor of Recife | Imprisonment during the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état |
| 1965 | Edgard Grecco |  Mauá |
 São Paulo |
Mayor of Mauá | Impeachment | |
| 2011 | Hélio de Oliveira Santos |  Campinas |
Mayor of Campinas | |||
| 2011 | Demétrio Vilagra | Campinas |
||||
| 2015 | Juan Rosario Mazzone |  El Bordo |
 Salta |
 Argentina |
Mayor of El Bordo | |
| 2022 | Jorge Muñoz Wells |  Lima |
Lima Province |
 Peru |
Mayor of Lima | |
| 2024 | Alice Guo |  Bamban |
 Pampanga |
 Philippines |
Mayor of Bamban | Dismissal by Ombudsman |
Religious Leaders
Religious leaders, especially bishops, can also be removed from their church positions. This is often called "defrocking" or "laicization." It happens for various reasons, such as disagreements over religious beliefs or rules.
- Cyril of Alexandria
- Cyril Lucaris
- John Chrysostom
- Nestorius
- Photios I of Constantinople
- Antipope Benedict XIII
- Antipope John XXIII
- The Nine Bishops of the Nonjuring Schism
- Robert Duncan, VII Bishop of Pittsburgh
- Mark Lawrence, XIV Bishop of South Carolina
- John-David Schofield, IV Bishop of San Joaquin
See Also
- Coup d'état
- Defrocking
- Motion of no confidence
