Nicholas I of Montenegro

Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš took power over Montenegro in 1860 as prince, holding the throne through five decades of Balkan turbulence. In 1910, he elevated himself to king — Montenegro's first and only — but the promotion proved brief. Eight years later, in 1918, his reign ended as the war remade the map and erased his kingdom. He died in exile in 1921. His bloodline scattered into Europe's remaining monarchies: his grandsons included Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Umberto II of Italy.