Reign facts for kids

A reign is the time a monarch rules a country. A monarch is a ruler like a king, queen, or emperor. It can also mean the time a spiritual leader is in charge. For example, the time a pope or Dalai Lama leads. A reign usually ends when the ruler steps down, passes away, or is removed. Long ago, people sometimes used a ruler's reign to tell time. In Anglo-Saxon England, official papers were dated by the king's "regnal year." This means "year of their reign." This way of dating was used until about the 10th century.

Longest Reigns in History

Some rulers have had very long reigns. Here are a few examples:

• Sobhuza II of Swaziland ruled for 82 years and 253 days. This is one of the longest reigns ever!
• Bernard VII, Lord of Lippe ruled for 81 years and 234 days.
• Bhagvat Singh, a ruler in Gondal, India, reigned for 74 years and 87 days.
• Louis XIV of France ruled for 72 years and 110 days. He is known as the "Sun King."

Current Longest-Reigning Monarchs

These monarchs are still ruling and have had very long reigns:

• Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom reigned for over 70 years (as of 2022).
• Sikiru Kayode Adetona of Nigeria has reigned for over 55 years.
• Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei has reigned for over 47 years.
• Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu of the Zulu nation reigned for over 46 years.
• Qaboos bin Said al Said of Oman reigned for over 44 years.
• Margrethe II of Denmark has reigned for over 42 years.
• Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi of the United Arab Emirates has reigned for over 42 years.
• Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden has reigned for over 41 years.

Shortest Reigns in History

Some rulers had very short times in power. Here are some of the shortest reigns in history:

• Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême was "Louis XIX of France" for only 20 minutes!
• Dipendra of Nepal reigned for 56 hours while in a coma.
• Dục Đức was Emperor of Vietnam for just 3 days.
• Lady Jane Grey was Queen of England for only 9 days.
• Edward V of England was King of England for 2 months and 16 days.
• Dafydd ap Gruffydd was the last independent Prince of Wales for 6 months and 11 days.