Reluctant Ruler: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited for power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well''.|'''[[Harry Potter|Albus Dumbledore]]'''}}

Some say [[History of the World Part One| it's good to be king]], but not everyone.

Some say [[History of the World Part One|it's good to be king]], but not everyone.

A '''Reluctant Ruler''' is someone who is entrusted with permanent power over others despite desperately trying to ''avoid'' it at all costs. It is believed that between a brilliant person who [[I Just Want to Be Special|strives for glory]] and a brilliant person [[I Just Want to Be Normal|who shuns it]], the latter is least likely to [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity|abuse the power]] they are given, automatically making them a [[Comes Great Responsibility|passable, if not great, ruler]].

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* From ''[[Disenchantment]]'':

** Zog, the King of Dreamland and the protagonist's father. He never wanted to be king; when he was young, he was a [[Warrior Prince]] who would have preferred to be a leader in Dreamland's army, and only became heir after his older brother was assassinated. As one might expect, he isn't a very competent ruler.

** His first ~~wife~~ (later ex-wife) Oona too. When she was a child, she dreamed of being a warrior, but ended up Queen after a marriage of convenience as part of a peace treaty. Eventually she got what she wanted after divorcing Zog, falling in with pirates and becoming their captain.

** His first (and later ex-)wife Oona too. When she was a child, she dreamed of being a warrior, but ended up Queen after a marriage of convenience as part of a peace treaty. Eventually she got what she wanted after divorcing Zog, falling in with pirates and becoming their captain.

== Real Life ==

* Yao, the first king/emperor of China, supposedly passed his throne to Shun because he was the most competent and he didn't want the job. Shun similarly passed it to Yu, but Yu couldn't find anybody who qualified who wasn't too old, and so when he died, the throne went to his son and the position became hereditary. Future emperors would try to justify their own rule by having the previous regime (if said ruler wasn't related by blood) "voluntarily" abdicate.

* Yao, the first king/emperor of China, supposedly passed his throne to Shun because he was the most competent and Yao didn't want the job. Shun similarly passed it to Yu, but Yu couldn't find anybody who qualified who wasn't too old, and so when he died, the throne went to his son and the position became hereditary. Future emperors would try to justify their own rule by having the previous regime (if said ruler wasn't related by blood) "voluntarily" abdicate.

* In another Chinese example, Liu Bei of The Three ~~Kingdom's~~ fame, did not like the idea of titling himself as King of Shu Han as he was loyal to the (now defunct) Han Dynasty, whom he aimed to restore. His advisors, particularly the famed Zhuge Liang, advised him by taking the title of King of Shu Han, he is able to oppose the other two kingdoms better in his attempt to restore the Han dynasty

* In another Chinese example, Liu Bei of "The Three Kingdoms fame" did not like the idea of titling himself as King of Shu Han as he was loyal to the (now defunct) Han Dynasty, whom he aimed to restore. His advisors, particularly the famed Zhuge Liang, advised him by taking the title of King of Shu Han, he is able to better oppose the other two kingdoms better in his attempt to restore the Han dynasty. Furthermore, Zhuge Liang reminded him that he is a member of the family that first built the Han Dynasty, giving him a more legitimate claim to christen his Kingdom of Shu as Shu ''Han''.

** Furthermore, Zhuge Liang reminded him that he is a Liu, the family that built the Han Dynasty to begin with, which means he had a more legitimate claim to call his Kingdom of Shu as Shu ''Han''

* Prince Albert, Duke of York, would have liked nothing more than to live quietly with his nice family, and, since he was the second son, this was a reasonable expectation. However, his brother Edward VIII turned out to be a complete screwup, and Albert (as George VI) shouldered the duties of the King-Emperor (the stress of which is often thought to have considerably hastened his death).

* George Washington, the first President of the United States of America, did not want the position in the first place, and outright refused to be made king of the new country when the idea was presented.