History Main / ShortLivedLeadership

* In ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'', the extended retelling of the 2nd season finale of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Prince Jewelius overthrows the princesses right after [[ForWantOfANail Twilight Sparkle stops the Changeling invasion]] [[spoiler:(which he started with Queen Chrysalis before double-crossing her)]] by tricking the shaken public to believe all the other heroes but Twilight are to blame for the invasion. He then enjoys for one week his new status as "Holy King Jewelius I" who has [[CorruptTheCutie Twilight] as his student and fiancée, but his urge to personally murder his aunt Celestia and cousin Cadance lead him to lure the banished heroes back to Canterlot and [[JustBetweenYouAndMe brag about his success in their faces]]. After the heroes and the entire Changeling army have escaped from his clutches, he single-mindedly focuses on destroying the heroes and completely ignores the Changelings to the point that he allows Twilight and all of Canterlot's inhabitants (who are all more concerned about the Changelings than the fugitive heroes) to see him for the selfish monster he is. Even if the heroes hadn't defeated all of his minions and cornered him during the final battle before [[spoiler:the Changelings swoop

Changelings hadn't killed him, his reign would have lasted much longer once the public starts wanting the princesses back to power.

** This was intended to be the fate of N, who was groomed from childhood to be the king of Unova after Team Plaza took over. After defeating Alder, befriending a legendary dragon, and raising his castle, this came true. However, his adoptive father Ghetsis had just been using him as a pawn and figurehead, plotting to overthrow him as soon as Hilbert/Hilda was defeated by N in battle. After both N and Ghetsis were defeated, Unova returned to normal, with neither of them becoming king.

Whatever the reason is, this leader barely has a chance to be a leader, and the most notable thing about their reign is often how short it is. If PlayedForDrama, this can lead to multiple different scenarios, such as the victory of a rebellion, a succession crisis, or the conquest of a villain. PlayedForLaughs. and this trope usually pops up as backstory where the gag is how ridiculously short the leadership actually was.

** ''Film/ThorRagnarok'': Loki once again briefly assumes leadership over the Sakaaran gladiators. It ends in his death at the hands of Thanos.

** ''Film/ThorRagnarok'': Loki once again briefly assumes leadership over the Sakaaran gladiators. It ends in his death from the hands of Thanos.

** ''Film/{{Thor}}'': Loki becomes the king of Asgard as the next in line after his father Odin falls into [[AngstComa Odinsleep]] and his elder brother is banished for attacking a neighborhood state. It only lasts for a couple of days until Odin wakes up, and ends in Loki's attempted suicide.

** ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'': Killmonger's reign as king lasts only as long as it takes for T'Challa to fully heal from his wounds under the Jabari's protection. When he shows up alive to resume the challenge, he ultimately kills Killmonger and become sking again.

** ''Film/{{Black Panter|2018}}'': Killmonger's reign as king lasts only as long as it takes for T'Challa to fully heal from his wounds under the Jabari's protection. When he shows up alive to resume the challenge, he ultimately kills Killmonger and become sking again.

* Hans in ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'' very briefly become the new King of Arendelle after Anna's supposed death where he claims that they had blessed their marriage vows before Anna turns to solid ice and declare that the first course of action is to sentence the former queen to death. Unfortunately, his brief reign falls immediately when in an attempt to kill Elsa, Anna suddenly swoops in and shield her sister from being killed, causing his claims to be shoved in his face with Elsa returning to reestablish her title as the queen and have Hans deported back to the Southern Isles in disgrace.

* The Soviet General Secretaries Yuri Andropov, Konstantin Chernenko, and particularly Vladimir Ivashko have had extremely short office terms (15 months, 11 months, and 5 ''days'', respectively), and are therefore barely remembered by anyone but historians, lost in the shadow of Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, and Gorbachev's much longer and colorful reigns.

* The Soviet General Secretaries Yuri Andropov, Konstantin Chernenko, and particularly Vladimir Ivashko have had extremely short office terms (15 months, 11 months, and 5 ''days'', respectively), and the therefore barely remembered by anyone but historians, lost in the shadow of Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, and Gorbachev's much longer and colorful reigns.

* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'': In the neutral ending, After Monika gets deleted and the story resets to a new timeline, Sayori is the new club president. With this position comes the same FourthWallObserver ability Monika had. In seconds she becomes as obsessed with the player as Monika was, and Monika decides to delete the game entirely, ending Sayori's stint as club leader as quickly as it happened.

* ''Film/TheManWhoWouldBeKing'' (see below) follows [[TheFilmOfTheBook the book's plot closely]], but adds the element that Dravot is mistaken for Alexander the Great, who had conquered this territory centuries earlier, and had promised to return. This point helps explain why Dravot's bride-to-be scratches his cheek, drawing blood: it exposes Dravot as an impostor, since ''gods don't bleed.''

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* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Throughout the series, Bonnie tries to replace Kim a cheer captain. In one late episode, Kim decides she has enough on her plate saving the world and resigns as cheer captain, letting Bonnie take over. After Bonnie realizes how much work comes with the position she quits and Kim agrees to take over again.
[[/folder]]

!! Examples:

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

[[folder: Film]]

* ''Film/TheManWhoWouldBeKing'' (see below) follows [[TheFilmOfTheBook the book's plot closely]], but adds the element that Dravot is mistaken for Alexander the Great, who had conquered this territory centuries earlier, and had promised to return. This point helps explain why Dravot's bride-to-be scratches his cheek, drawing blood: it exposes Dravot as an impostor, since ''gods don't bleed.''

[[folder: Literature]]
* One ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel mentions the reign of one king "Loyala the Aaargh" whose reign lasted 1.13 seconds and failed to even last the length of his proclamation. There were also some unnamed other Ankh Morpork monarchs whose reigns did not last until the end of their coronation feasts; the longer lasting kings employed food tasters.

** Leodagan gets his daughter Guenievre to name him as regent during Arthur's absence, removing the scheming Mevanwi from power. Unfortunately, she sleeps with the legislator to find the document approving Leodagan's position and destroys it, meaning the regent-naming decision reverts to the queen (which, technically, means Mevanwi). She puts her dumbass husband Karadoc in power the next day.

--> '''Arthur:''' They're in a ''coup d'etat'' dynamic right now.
--> '''Leodagan:''' Forget "dynamic", it's a national pastime.

--> '''Arthur:''' Rome is finished, everyone can tell.
--> '''Leoodagan:''' What's your emperor's name again?
--> '''Caius:'''' Romulus Augustus.
--> '''Leodagan:''' Yeah, that's it, and how old is he?
--> '''Caius:''' Eleven and a half.
--> '''Leodagan:''' One hell of an international superpower right there!
--> '''Caius:''' Yeah, but he's really mature for his age.
--> [...]
--> '''Leodagan:''' But seriously, you don't think it's weird that you're led by a ten-year old?
--> '''Caius:''' Eh, we give him less than two months before he gets his throat cut. Right now there's two putsches a year in Rome.

[[folder:Visual Novel]]

[[folder:Web Video]]
* ''WebVideo/{{Kickassia}}'': After the grand takeover of Molossia, WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic crowns himself the president of the micro-nation. He quickly grew to abuse his power, culminating in the rest of the [[Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses Channel Awesome]] team overthrowing him. As such, his leadership lasted about a week, and Molossia was returned to the original leader.

[[folder: Real Life]]
* In ancient Athens, the chief executive official was the chairman of the prytany (the council's ten-part legislative calendar). It was a once-a-lifetime, one day long position.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' movie ''WesternAnimation/School's Out!: The Musical'', Timmy wishes that kids ruled the world instead of adults. As a result he becomes the president of kid world. Unfortunately, with all the kids now happy, the Godparents are pulled back to Fairy World, and the Pixies become the new wish-granters thanks to a loophole. Within minutes, he's confronted by Flappy Bob, who has his own wish granted and makes him the leader of the new, boring world. Flappy then overhears the Pixies discussing how they were using him all along, and he aids Timmy in defeating the Pixies, ending his own reign.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': ''WesternAnimation/School's Out!: The Musical'', Timmy wishes that kids ruled the world instead of adults. As a result he becomes the president of kid world. Unfortunately, with all the kids now happy, the Godparents are pulled back to Fairy World, and the Pixies become the new wish-granters thanks to a loophole. Within minutes, he's confronted by Flappy Bob, who has his own wish granted and makes him the leader of the new, boring world. Flappy then overhears the Pixies discussing how they were using him all along, and he aids Timmy in defeating the Pixies, ending his own reign.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': ''School's Out!: The Musical'', Timmy wishes that kids ruled the world instead of adults. As a result he becomes the president of kid world. Unfortunately, with all the kids now happy, the Godparents are pulled back to Fairy World, and the Pixies become the new wish-granters thanks to a loophole. Within minutes, he's confronted by Flappy Bob, who has his own wish granted and makes him the leader of the new, boring world. Flappy then overhears the Pixies discussing how they were using him all along, and he aids Timmy in defeating the Pixies, ending his own reign.