# Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Abdication

See also Abdication on Wikipedia; Abdication, Papal renunciation, and List of monarchs who abdicated at Wikipedia; Abdication in the 11th Edition; and the disclaimer.
​Abdication, the act whereby a person in office renounces and gives up the same before the expiry of the time for which it is held. The word is seldom used except in the sense of surrendering the supreme power in a state. Despotic sovereigns are at liberty to divest themselves of their powers at any time, but it is otherwise with a limited monarchy. The throne of Great Britain cannot be lawfully abdicated unless with the consent of the two Houses of Parliament. When James II., after throwing the Great Seal into the Thames, fled to France in 1688, he did not formally resign the crown, and the question was discussed in Parliament whether he had forfeited the throne or had abdicated. The latter designation was agreed on, for in a full assembly of the Lords and Commons, met in convention, it was resolved, in spite of James's protest, "that King James II. having endeavoured to subvert the constitution of the kingdom, by breaking the original contract between king and people, and, by the advice of Jesuits and other wicked persons, having violated the fundamental laws, and having with drawn himself out of this kingdom, has abdicated the government, and that the throne is thereby vacant." The Scotch Parliament pronounced a decree of forfeiture and deposition. Among the most memorable abdications of antiquity may be mentioned that of Sulla the dictator, B.C. 79, and that of the Emperor Diocletian, A.D. 305. The following is a list of the more important abdications of later times:—
| | | | | A.D. |
| Benedict IX., Pope, | Benedict IX., Pope, | | | 1048 |
| Stephen II. of Hungary, | Stephen II. of Hungary, | | | 1131 |
| Albert (the Bear) of Brandenburg, | Albert (the Bear) of Brandenburg, | | | 1169 |
| Ladislaus III., Duke of Poland, | Ladislaus III., Duke of Poland, | | | 1267 |
| John Balliol of Scotland, | John Balliol of Scotland, | | | 1296 |
| John Cantacuzene, Emperor of the East, | John Cantacuzene, Emperor of the East, | | | 1355 |
| John XXIII., Pope, | John XXIII., Pope, | | | 1415 |
| Eric VII. of Denmark and XIII. of Sweden, | Eric VII. of Denmark and XIII. of Sweden, | | | 1439 |
| Amurath II., Ottoman Emperor, | Amurath II., Ottoman Emperor, | 1444 and 1445 | 1444 and 1445 | 1444 and 1445 |
| Charles V., Emperor, | Charles V., Emperor, | | | 1556 |
| Christina of Sweden, | Christina of Sweden, | | | 1654 |
| John Casimir of Poland, | John Casimir of Poland, | | | 1668 |
| James II. of England, | James II. of England, | | | 1688 |
| Frederick Augustus of Poland, | Frederick Augustus of Poland, | | | 1706 ​ |
| Philip V. of Spain, | Philip V. of Spain, | | | 1724 |
| Victor Amadeus II. of Sardinia, | Victor Amadeus II. of Sardinia, | | | 1730 |
| Achmet III., Ottoman Emperor, | Achmet III., Ottoman Emperor, | | | 1730 |
| Charles of Naples (on accession to throne of Spain), | Charles of Naples (on accession to throne of Spain), | | | 1759 |
| Stanislaus II. of Poland, | Stanislaus II. of Poland, | | | 1795 |
| Charles Emanuel IV. of Sardinia, | Charles Emanuel IV. of Sardinia, | June | 4, | 1802 |
| Charles IV. of Spain, | Charles IV. of Spain, | Mar. | 19, | 1808 |
| Joseph Bonaparte of Naples, | Joseph Bonaparte of Naples, | June | 6, | 1808 |
| Gustavus IV. of Sweden, | Gustavus IV. of Sweden, | Mar. | 29, | 1809 |
| Louis Bonaparte of Holland, | Louis Bonaparte of Holland, | July | 2, | 1810 |
| Napoleon of France, | April 4, 1814, and | June | 22, | 1815 |
| Victor Emanuel of Sardinia, | Victor Emanuel of Sardinia, | Mar. | 13, | 1821 |
| Charles X. of France, | Charles X. of France, | Aug. | 2, | 1830 |
| Pedro of Brazil, | Pedro of Brazil, | April | 7, | 1831 |
| Don Miguel of Portugal, | Don Miguel of Portugal, | May | 26, | 1834 |
| William I. of Holland, | William I. of Holland, | Oct. | 7, | 1840 |
| Louis Philippe of France, | Louis Philippe of France, | Feb. | 24, | 1848 |
| Louis Charles of Bavaria, | Louis Charles of Bavaria, | Mar. | 21, | 1848 |
| Ferdinand of Austria, | Ferdinand of Austria, | Dec. | 2, | 1848 |
| Charles Albert of Sardinia, | Charles Albert of Sardinia, | Mar. | 23, | 1849 |
| Leopold II. of Tuscany, | Leopold II. of Tuscany, | July | 21, | 1859 |
| Isabella II. of Spain, | Isabella II. of Spain, | June | 25, | 1870 |
| Amadeus I. of Spain, | Amadeus I. of Spain, | Feb. | 11, | 1873 |