The Longest-Reigning Monarchs In Royal History

America, of course, has had no royalty since it overthrew the rule of King George III with its victory in the 1783 Revolutionary War. Even so, monarchy has been a widespread, if not always popular, form of government for thousands of years. Kings, queens, and princes may come and go, of course, but the length of some reigns is simply astonishing. So here’s our question: who’s ruled the longest? Read our rundown of the world’s longest-serving monarchs to find the unexpected answer. Where will King Charles’ III fall on this list?

20. Pedro II, Brazil – 58 years

Dom Pedro de Alcântara was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1825 and became Brazil’s emperor in 1831 aged just five following the abdication of his father. His dad, as you might’ve guessed, was Pedro I, though he’d also held the title of Pedro IV of Portugal. After eight years of rule by regency, Pedro junior ascended to the throne in 1841.

Politics in Brazil were anything but stable, with issues such as the abolition of slavery, which became law in 1888, dividing the nation. But Pedro made a good fist of keeping things together for the best part of 60 years. Eventually, though, events turned against the emperor and he was overthrown by the army in 1889. Pedro spent the brief remainder of his life in Europe until death came in 1891. He was the last emperor of Brazil.

19. Louis XV, France – 58 years

Born in 1710, Louis succeeded to the French throne in 1715 whilst still an infant. That was because his great-grandfather, unsurprisingly called Louis XIV, had died. The great-grandson was next in line thanks to a series of unfortunate family deaths. Though king in name at the age of five, Louis didn’t take the reins of power until 1723 when he turned 13.

Once he had his hands on the levers of power, most historians agree that he was a weak monarch. His court was riven by factionalism, and it seems that Louis was more interested in entertaining his string of mistresses than in his royal duties. By the time his reign ended after 58 years with his death in 1774, the French were primed for their great revolution, which followed 15 years later.