regicide

Regicide is the act of murdering a king or sovereign. The term comes from the Latin words regis, meaning “of the king,” and caedere, meaning “to kill.” Regicide encompasses both the direct murder of a reigning monarch and conspiracies or attempts to depose or eliminate a monarch. Across different legal and religious traditions, regicide has been framed as an offense against a divine order, the social contract, or the state, with consequences that vary by era and polity.

Historically, regicide has often precipitated political upheaval, civil war, or dynastic collapse. In medieval and early modern Europe, killing a king could undermine legitimacy and shift the balance of power, sometimes leading to republics or new dynasties. Punishments for regicides were typically severe, ranging from execution to confiscation of property or exile, and in some cases posthumous penalties were imposed on the deceased monarch or his supporters.

Notable examples include Charles I of England, executed in 1649 after the English Civil War, and Louis XVI of France, executed in 1793 during the French Revolution. In 1918, the Russian imperial family, including Tsar Nicholas II, was killed, ending the Romanov dynasty. These events illustrate how regicide can reflect broader currents such as constitutionalism, republicanism, or revolutionary ideology, and how it often reshapes governance and succession.

Today, monarchies that remain in place typically view regicide as an extraordinary and illegal act, with modern constitutional frameworks providing nonviolent mechanisms for political change. In culture and scholarship, regicide raises questions about the legitimacy of power, divine right, and the consent of the governed, and it remains a recurring motif in literature and film as a test of political order.