The sons of the great monarchs, on which rested the nature

There were many rulers in the history of Europe, without which the development of the continent would be simply impossible. But often it was that on the throne after the great rulers ascended them absolutely worthless sons who have not been able to preserve the achievements of their fathers.

1. Edward II

Before Edward II faced a difficult task, when his father, the King of England, Edward I, suddenly died in 1307 - he had to meet the deeds of his father. England King Edward I, known as Edward Longshanks, most famous for having suppressed the uprising of William Wallace and executed him, and also to prevent a revolt in Wales. Eventually he made his son Edward II was the first in the history of the Englishman - the Prince of Wales. When Edward II was crowned on the throne of England in 1307 by the young king expected a lot. But his reign was marred by the defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn from the Scottish king Robert the Bruce, when Edward II was forced to flee back to England.

Edward stopped listening to his advisors and completely neglected his own wife, preferring to chat with the men who were his "favorites". Eventually, he was forced to abdicate in favor of his 14-year-old son, Edward III of, and was later executed in controversial circumstances after imprisonment. Edward II later called only mistake of Edward I.

2. Napoleon II of

Napoleon II did not do anything wrong, trying to cope with a huge legacy of his father, Napoleon Bonaparte (aka Napoleon I), but his life ended very early, and he never lived up to the expectations of the potential vested in him. His father was perhaps the most prominent leader in the French history and became the first emperor of France. Considering how many battles he won during the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon Bonaparte is still respected for his military tactics, as well as for the fact that during his first French Empire became one of the greatest countries in the world. The birth of Napoleon's son was celebrated in Paris with fireworks from 100 guns. However, after Napoleon lost the battle of Waterloo, he was expelled and abdicated in favor of his young son. However, legally Napoleon II did not become emperor and eventually died at the age of 21 in 1832 from tuberculosis, leaving no heir.

3. Edward VIII

Edward VIII succeeded to the throne of his father, George the V, in 1936, after the great success of the rules of the British Empire for 26 years. George V British adored, despite the fact that the rules in a rather difficult time (World War I, the revolution in other countries, and the changing political climate in England). But he had a strained relationship with his eldest son, Edward, who led a disorderly and dissolute life, and loved "gulnut" with an aristocrat. Edward was considered unconventional and unpredictable, but when George V died in January 1936, Prince Edward became King Edward VIII. However, his reign lasted less than a year.

Scandal broke, when Edward proposed to marry him divorced American Wallis Simpson. It was totally unacceptable to the King of England (who also is the head of the Anglican Church). As a result, Edward VIII abdicated to marry Simpson, causing a huge public sensation. It was rumored that he had a pro-Nazi views and visited Germany just before World War II. As a result, "the monarch for a year" spent most of his remaining life with Simpson abroad, and it almost does not remember in England.

4. Karl Ferdinand IV and VII

In this case, we will focus on his son and grandson, who could not become worthy successors of Spanish King Charles III. Charles III came to the throne in 1759 and successfully ruled for almost 30 years, during which Spain has made great achievements. Its consistent and intelligent leadership has led to the fact that the country began to be considered in Europe. It was Charles III was instrumental in the creation of the flag and the national anthem of Spain, and spent a lot of money for the creation of decent infrastructure in the country. When Charles III died in 1788, his son, Charles IV became King of Spain. Charles IV was unlike his father in the sense that he has not played an active role in politics; Instead, he shifted the control of Spain on the shoulders of councilors. He also made a serious mistake in choosing allies, "peremetnuvshis" from France to the UK, is an unreliable in the eyes of all Europe. The public is not so fond of Charles, that his own son Ferdinand attempted coup to overthrow him. As a result, Ferdinand VII came to the throne of Spain in 1808, but almost immediately abdicated under pressure from Napoleon I. He was later reinstated as monarch in 1813, and Ferdinand reigned until 1833, in fact watching as Spain loses one by one of its territories in America. He is considered one of the worst kings in the history of the country. We can say with confidence that the son and grandson of Charles III in fact, far failed to meet their high standards.

5. Louis the Pious

I, Louis the Pious was the king of the Franks and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 814 to 840 years. Initially, he and rules with his father, the inimitable Charles the Great, with 813 years before his death in 814. Charlemagne brought together many areas of Western Europe and imposed on local people's Christianity. Usually remembered him as "the father of Europe." When Charles died, he left behind a continent united under his leadership, and when his son came to the throne, it was widely expected that Louis will continue the great deeds of his father.

The reign of Louis lasted 26 years, and although he was able to successfully hold together his father created the empire Carolingian king in fact led her to the Civil War. At Louis had three sons, and he divided the empire between them, but it eventually led to conflicts. At one point Louis deposed from the throne and twice forced to publicly confess his sins. Despite the fact that he was able to return to the throne, the king of the authority has been undermined, and when he died, Europe erupted once the civil war of the empire.

6. Edward VI of

Edward VI after his father, Henry VIII became king of England and Ireland in 1547, trying to continue the work of one of the most famous monarchs in history. There is no doubt that Henry VIII's legacy was very great, and his reign completely broke all the patterns. Henry was replaced during the six wives of life, trying to get a male heir, and Edward was the son of the third wife Jane Seymour. Previously claimed that Edward VI was a sickly boy, but more modern researchers say that it is not. He was too young when he died, Henry VIII of, so during the reign of Edward VI in fact the country was governed Board of Regents. England suffered from civil unrest, as well as continued war with Scotland (by the way, a failure). In the end, stay on the throne of Edward VI was short-lived; he had a fever, and in the end, he fell ill and died when he was only 15 years old.

7. John Lackland

John, who was the king of England since 1199 at 1216, is the successor to one of the most popular kings in the history of England - Richard the Lionheart. In fact, he was the younger brother of Richard, and John's father, Henry II, also being been quite successful king of England. Henry laid the foundations of modern law in the country, and successfully established the dominance of England in Ireland. John became one of the most unfortunate rulers in English history.

Nicknamed "Lackland" King was due to the fact that he has lost much of the land of his father, including the Normandy (its original home). It is said that John was a paranoid and a murderer, and many people were killed because of his suspicions (in particular, even his 16-year-old nephew, Arthur, Duke of Brittany). Not surprisingly, John try not to mention in the history books.

8. Constantine III of

Heraclius Novus Constantine Augustus, also known as Constantine III of, the rules of the Byzantine Empire during the four months of 64 AD. He was succeeded on the throne of his father Heraclius, who for about 30 years, the country has made significant development. Heraclius defeated in battle with such powerful rivals, the Persians and the Arabs, and appointed the official language of the empire Greek instead of Latin. After his death in 641, Constantine III came to the throne, to share power with his brother Iraklonom. After just 4 months Constantine died under mysterious circumstances, and then Iraklon remained sole emperor.

9. Richard Cromwell

Richard Cromwell in fact never been a king in the literal sense of the word, but he held the post of Lord Protector of the Commonwealth for a while after his father, Oliver Cromwell died in 1658. Oliver Cromwell has revolutionized the country like no other leader before him during the English Civil War, King Charles I won and signed the death sentence, as well as becoming the first in the history of the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland.

He successfully ruled the country for five years before his death. Richard was appointed successor to Oliver after his father, but resigned death less than a year. His reign was marked by "a lot of despicable acts," and his lack of real power was seen by many as an opportunity to do away with the Commonwealth. It is known that he lacked military experience, and that he was more interested in leisurely conversations and walks, not the board. Richard was deposed in 1659 and later went into exile, when Charles II was invited back to the throne.

10. George IV of

George IV, who often remembered as the Prince Regent, ruled the United Kingdom for ten years after the death of his father, George III. George III took the throne a little less than 60 years, significantly developed the agriculture of the country during that time, and became known as a "tyrant" who ruled the overseas territories, which have become the United States after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. However, his son completely disappointed all.

George led a loose way of life and are constantly splashed by spending huge sums. He had many illegitimate children, full of debt, obesity, as well as the king drank a lot. The ruler is remembered only for its hedonistic lifestyle, not the successes achieved by the country under his rule.