AB'DICA'TION ( La t, renunciation, front ab. away from + dieare, to proclaim). The renunciation of an office, generally the office of ruler or sovereign. It is rarely done out of pure preference of a private station, but is gen erally the result of vexation and disappointment. The general well-being of a State is sometimes served by the abdication of its ruler. Military reverses, popular disatlections, court scandals and other causes often render it imperative. history records many abdications of this char acter. It was perhaps voluntarily and from being wearied with dominion. that Diocletian, and along with him Maximian, abdicated (305). Christina of Sweden retired from the throne (1654) out of preference for the freedom of private life, but wished still to exercise the rights of a sovereign. Charles V. of Germany laid clown the crown (1556) and assumed the humble habit of a monk, because his great schemes had failed. Philip V. of Spain laid down the crown in 1724, hut resumed it on the death of his son. Amadeus VIII. of Savoy abdicated (1449) to become a priest. Victor Amadeus II. of Sardinia, who abdicated in 1730, wished to recall the step, but this was not allowed. Louis Bonaparte resigned the crown of Holland in 1810 rather than consent to treat that country as a province of France. Charles Em manuel II. of Sardinia retired from the throne in 1802, not finding himself able to cope with the French. Victor Emmanuel I. of Sardinia re signed in 1821 in consequence of a revolutionary movement. William I. of the Netherlands re signed (1S40) in great measure by reason of his mortification at the disastrous results of his policy regarding Belgium. Foreign force com pelled the abdication of Augustus the Strong of Poland (1706), and later, that of Stanislaus Leszczynski (1735) and of Poniatowski (1795) ; as well as that of Charles IV. of Spain (1808), and of Napoleon (1814 and I815). Insurrec tions have been the most frequent cause of forced abdications. The early history of the Scandi navian kingdoms abounds in instances. In England, the compulsory abdication of Richard 1. (1399) is an early example. More recent
times saw Charles X. of France (1830) and Louis Philippe (IS48) retire before the storm of revo lution. The abdication of Ferdinand of Austria (1848) was a consequence of the events of the year of revolutions: that of Charles Albert of Sardinia (1849) of the battle of Novara. Of several cases among German princes, the chief is that of Ludwig of Bavaria (18481. Amadeus, King of Spain, felt himself obliged to give up his crown on February II, 1873. Prince Alexander of Bulgaria was compelled in ISSG to relinquish his principality, and three years later King Milan I. of Servia, worried by domes tic troubles and beset by internal dissensions in his kingdom, left the throne to his son Alex ander I. In some countries, the king can abdi cate whenever he pleases: lint in England, the constitutional relation between the crown and the nation being, of the nature of a contract, the king or queen, it is considered, cannot abdi cate without the consent of Parliament. It is. however, said that the king does abdicate. or, to speak perhaps more correctly, an abdication may be presumed, and acted on by the people, if his conduct politically and overtly is inconsis tent with, and subversive of, the system of con stitutional government of which the qualified monarchy of his office forms part. At the con ference between the two 'Houses of Parliament previous to the passing of the statute which settled the crown on William ID., it would appear that the word "abdicated" with reference to King James II. was advisedly used instead of "deserted"—the meaning, it is presumed, being that King