Year of the Three Kings

Several years have been referred to as the Year of the Three Kings or Year of Three Kings. This list does include all years in which a country has had three kings or three claimants to the throne.


 * 1016 in England : Æthelred the Unready died in April, leaving the throne to Edmund Ironside, who reigned only until November, when he died and was succeeded by Cnut the Great.
 * 1066 in England : Harold Godwinson (Earl of Wessex), William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), and Harald Hardrada (King of Norway) all claimed the title of King of England.
 * 1483 in England : Edward IV died in April. His son Edward V, reigned until June, when his uncle and Lord Protector, Richard III, deposed him.
 * 1888 and 1889 in Buganda : Mwanga II fled in September 1888 after his chiefs sought to replace him with his brother, Kiweewa. Six weeks later, Muslim chiefs captured Kiweewa and replaced him with their initial pick to be kabaka, Kalema. In 1889, Mwanga retook the throne from Kiweewa.
 * 1936 in the United Kingdom : After the death of George V in January, his son Edward VIII became king, only to abdicate in December amidst a constitutional crisis. He was succeeded by his younger brother, George VI.
 * 1960 in Malaya: When Tuanku Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan who reigned from 1957 died in April 1960. The Conference of Rulers elected the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah as the new King. However, Sultan Hisamuddin died in September the same year and The Conference of Rulers elected Tuanku Syed Putra, Raja of Perlis as the new King.