Monarchies may seem an anachronism, but from time to time, members of royalty by dint of choice or circumstance end up reshaping the political landscape.

As social and political institutions, monarchies were once dominant across South-east Asia. Their influence, however, waned considerably in the face of the military might of predatory European colonial power. By the end of the Second World War, some, like the Emperor of Annam in Vietnam, were forced to abdicate while others, like the sultans of Sumatra, were victims of regicide.