Buzz
In October 2022, Liz Truss stepped down as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after a mere 50 days in office, marking the shortest tenure in British history. However, leaders with similarly brief terms are not as rare as one might imagine. From coups to suicides and massacres, these figures often found themselves thrust into power under tumultuous circumstances, leading to equally brief and turbulent reigns.
1. King Louis XIX
In 1830, King Louis XIX ascended to the throne of France after his father, Charles X, abdicated. However, his reign—which some question the legitimacy of, since he never truly ruled over France—was incredibly short. It lasted only about 20 minutes, before he too abdicated the throne in response to a crowd of furious protesters.
2. King Luís Filipe
King Luís Filipe of Portugal shares a record with King Louis XIX for having the shortest reign as king. On February 1, 1908, following the assassination of his father , Luís Filipe briefly ascended to the throne. However, he was also critically injured in the attack and passed away approximately 20 minutes later. Due to the extreme brevity of his reign, its legitimacy remains a topic of debate.
3. Siaka Stevens
Siaka Stevens became Sierra Leone’s Prime Minister on March 21, 1967, but his time in office was short-lived: On the very same day, one of Stevens’s opponents staged a coup and overthrew him just hours after he assumed power.
Unlike many other short-term world leaders, Stevens’s story has a more positive twist. He led a coup to reclaim power the following year, returning as Prime Minister. His second term was marked by success, and he later became Sierra Leone’s first democratically elected president, serving for about 17 years.
4. Hezekiah Ochuka
On August 1, 1981, Hezekiah Ochuka led a coup that briefly made him the ruler of Kenya for about six hours. However, his reign ended in tragedy. After his failed attempt to overthrow President Daniel arap Moi, Ochuka was hanged. The coup resulted in the deaths of over 100 soldiers and 200 civilians.
5. Pedro Lascuráin
Pedro Lascuráin became the 38th president of Mexico on February 19, 1913, after President Francisco Ignacio Madero González was forcibly removed from office and executed. Lascuráin’s presidency lasted less than an hour before Mexican General Victoriano Huerta took control. His only act in power was appointing Huerta—who had orchestrated the coup against Madero—as his successor.
6. Joseph Goebbels
Following Adolf Hitler’s death in 1945, Joseph Goebbels briefly took over as German Chancellor. However, his time in power was tragically short. The day after assuming office, Goebbels and his wife poisoned their children before taking their own lives in Hitler’s bunker.
7. Pedro Carmona
In 2002, Pedro Carmona led an attempted coup against Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez. Initially, he was successful, but his time in power lasted only 36 hours before he was ousted, and Chávez returned to the presidency.
8. Carlos Luz
After the suicide of Brazilian President Getúlio Vargas in 1954, several individuals temporarily filled the role over the next 16 months. Carlos Luz was the second of these replacements. His tenure was brief, lasting only about three days before he was removed from office, making him Brazil’s shortest-serving president.
9. King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
In 2001, Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah tragically attacked the royal family, shooting several members, including his parents, before attempting suicide. However, the bullet did not immediately kill him. Shah ascended to the throne as soon as his father passed away, but his reign was spent in a coma. His uncle eventually took the throne after Shah was declared brain dead.
Some reports claim the massacre was triggered by a dispute over Shah’s choice of a bride. Others suggest it was driven by tension surrounding the shift toward a constitutional monarchy.
10. Frank Forde
In 1945, following the death of Australia’s Prime Minister, John Curtin, due to illness, Frank Forde briefly stepped into the role. However, after only eight days in office, an election was held that saw Forde replaced by Ben Chifley.
