This is a list of wars of succession in Europe.
Note: Wars of succession in transcontinental states are mentioned under the continents where their capital city was located. That means that wars of succession in the Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Empire are found here whenever their capital city was located at Constantinople/Kostantiniyye/Istanbul in East Thrace; for Ottoman wars of succession before 1453, see List of wars of succession § Medieval Asia. Names of wars that have been given names by historians are capitalised; the others, whose existence has been proven but not yet given a specific name, are provisionally written in lowercase letters (except for the first word, geographical and personal names).
Ancient Europe
Macedonian war of succession (393–392 BCE), after the death of king Pausanias of Macedon, between Amyntas III and Argaeus II Macedonian war of succession (369–368 BCE), after the death of king Amyntas III of Macedon, between Ptolemy of Aloros and Alexander II of Macedon Macedonian war of succession (360–359 BCE), after the death of king Perdiccas III of Macedon, between Philip II (who deposed Amyntas IV), Argeus (supported by Athens), Pausanias (supported by Thrace) and Archelaus (supported by the Chalcidian League) Thracian war of succession (c. 352–347 BCE), after the death of co-king Berisades of Thrace (Odrysian kingdom), between Cetriporis and his brothers against their uncle Cersobleptes Wars of the Diadochi or Wars of Alexander's Successors (323–277 BCE), after the death of king Alexander the Great of Macedon First War of the Diadochi (322–320 BCE), after regent Perdiccas tried to marry Alexander the Great's sister Cleopatra of Macedon and thus claim the throne Second War of the Diadochi (318–315 BCE), after the death of regent Antipater, whose succession was disputed between Polyperchon (Antipater's appointed successor) and Cassander (Antipater's son) Epirote war of succession (316–297 BCE), after the deposition of king Aeacides of Epirus during his intervention in the Second War of the Diadochi until the second enthronement of his son Pyrrhus of Epirus and the death of usurper Neoptolemus II of Epirus Third War of the Diadochi (314–311 BCE), after the diadochs conspired against Antigonus I Monophthalmus and Polyperchon Fourth War of the Diadochi (308/6–301 BCE), resumption of the Third. During this war, regent Antigonus and his son Demetrius both proclaimed themselves king, followed by Ptolemy, Seleucus, Lysimachus, and eventually Cassander. Struggle over Macedon (298–285 BCE), after the death of king Cassander of Macedon Struggle of Lysimachus and Seleucus (285–281 BCE), after jointly defeating Demetrius and his son Antigonus Gonatas Bosporan Civil War (c. 310–309 BCE), after the death of archon Paerisades I of the Bosporan Kingdom Pergamene–Bosporan war (c. 47–45 BCE), after the death of king Pharnaces II of Pontus and the Bosporus, between Pharnaces' daughter Dynamis (and her husband Asander) and Pharnaces' brother Mithridates of Pergamon (supported by the Roman Republic) Pontic–Bosporan war (c. 17–16 BCE), after the death of king Asander of the Bosporus, between usurper Scribonius (who married queen Dynamis) and the Roman client king Polemon I of Pontus (supported by general Agrippa of the Roman Empire) Roman–Bosporan War (c. 45–49 CE), after the deposition of king Mithridates of the Bosporan Kingdom by Roman emperor Claudius and the enthronement of Mithridates' brother Cotys I; Mithridates soon challenged his deposition and fruitlessly warred against Cotys and the Roman Empire Boudica's Revolt (60 or 61), after the death of king Prasutagus of the Iceni tribe. The Romans failed to respect Prasutagus's will that emperor Claudius and his daughters would share his inheritance; instead, Roman soldiers occupied and pillaged the Iceni territory and raped Prasutagus's daughters, causing his widow queen Boudica to rise in rebellion.Tacitus, The Annals, 14.31 Year of the Four Emperors (68–69), a rebellion in the Roman Empire that became a war of succession after the suicide of emperor Nero Year of the Five Emperors (193), the beginning of a war of succession that lasted until 197, after the assassination of the Roman emperor Commodus Crisis of the Third Century (235–284), especially the Year of the Six Emperors (238), a series of wars between barracks emperors after the assassination of Severus Alexander Civil wars of the Tetrarchy (306–324), after the death of Augustus (senior Roman emperor) Constantius I Chlorus War of Magnentius (350–353), after the assassination of Roman co-emperor Constans I War between Western Roman emperor Eugenius and Eastern Roman emperor Theodosius I (392–394), after the death of emperor Valentinian II, resulting in the Battle of the Frigidus War of the Hunnic succession (453–454), after the death of Attila, ruler of the Huns
Medieval Europe 6th–8th century
Fredegund–Brunhilda wars or Merovingian throne struggle (568–613), after the assassination of queen Galswintha of Neustria (sister of Brunhilda of Austrasia, both daughters of Visigothic king Athanagild) by her husband king Chilperic I of Neustria and his mistress Fredegund, who then married. Brunhilda then persuaded her husband, king Sigebert I of Austrasia, to wage war on Fredegund and Chilperic to avenge her sister and restore the Visigothic royal family's position of power over Neustria.Gregory of Tours IV.47. Fredegund had Sigebert (575) and her own husband Chilperic (584) assassinated, ruling as her son Chlothar II's regent and warring against Austrasia until her death in 597. Chlothar II continued this war until he captured and executed Brunhilda (613), briefly reuniting the Frankish Empire. Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628, Khosrow II invaded the Byzantine Empire under the pretext of installing a pseudo-Theodosius to the throne following the murder of emperor Maurice Lombard war of succession (661–662), after the death of king Aripert I of the Kingdom of the Lombards Lombard war of succession (668–669), after the death of king Perctarit of the Kingdom of the Lombards Neustrian war of succession (673), after the death of king Chlothar III of Neustria. Mayor Ebroin enthroned puppet-king Theuderic III, but Neustrian aristocrats revolted and offered the crowns of Neustria and Burgundy to king Childeric II of Austrasia, who emerged victorious and briefly reunited the Frankish Empire. Frankish war of succession (675–679), after the assassination of the Frankish king Childeric II and queen Bilichild (675); mayor Ebroin once again enthroned puppet-king Theuderic III, and emerged victorious in the Battle of Lucofao. Twenty Years' Anarchy (695–717), after the deposition of emperor Justinian II of the Byzantine Empire Lombard war of succession (700–712), after the death of king Cunipert of the Kingdom of the Lombards Frankish Civil War (715–718) (nl), after the death of mayor of the palace Pepin of Herstal Siege of Laon (741), after the death of mayor of the palace Charles Martel Lombard war of succession (756–757), after the death of king Aistulf of the Kingdom of the Lombards
9th century Danish war of succession (812–814), after the death of king Hemming of Denmark (uncertain) Gwynedd war of succession ( 816–825) between the two brothers Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog and Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri Carolingian wars of succession (830–842), a series of armed conflicts in the late Frankish Carolingian Empire about the (future) succession of emperor Louis the Pious War of the Northumbrian succession (865–867), between king Osberht and king Ælla of Northumbria; their infighting was interrupted when the Great Heathen Army invaded, against which they vainly joined forces Carolingian war of succession ( 887–890), after the deposition (November 887) and death (January 888) of emperor Charles the Fat. Contenders included Arnulf of Carinthia (who had deposed Charles, and became king of East Francia), Odo of France (crowned king of (West) Francia in February 888), Berengar I of Italy (possibly began reigning as king of Italy in December 887), Guy III of Spoleto (crowned king of Italy in 889), Louis the Blind (king of Provence since January 887), Rudolph I of Burgundy (elected king, ruled Upper Burgundy, fought with Arnulf over Lotharingia), and Ranulf II of Aquitaine (declared himself king and ruled in Aquitaine until 889/890). Serbian war of succession (892–897), after the death of prince Mutimir of Serbia Svatopluk II rebellion (895–899?), after the death of duke Svatopluk I of Great Moravia Æthelwold's Revolt (899–902), after the death of king Alfred the Great of Wessex
10th century War of the Leonese succession (951–956), after the death of king Ramiro II of León (historicity contested) (945–947), after the Kievan Rus' Drevlian vassals assassinated Igor of Kiev. Initially, the Drevlian prince Mal offered to marry Igor's widow Olga of Kiev and thus succeed him, but Olga appointed herself as regent over her young son Svyatoslav, made war on the Drevlians and destroyed their realm. The historicity of the events as described in the main document on the conflict, the Primary Chronicle, is contested, and the war is described as 'legendary' with a mix of fact and fiction. Gwynedd war of succession (950), after the death of king Hywel Dda of Gwynedd and Deheubarth Feud of the Sviatoslavichi or Kievan Rus' Dynastic War ( 972–980), after the death of king Sviatoslav I of Kiev War of the Hamaland succession ( 973 – 996), after the death of count Wichman II of Hamaland, between sisters Adela of Hamaland and (supported by Balderic, Count of Upladium) War of the Leonese succession (982–984), continuation of the last Leonese war of succession Stephen–Koppány war, also known as 'Koppány's rebellion' or contemporaneously 'the war between the Germans and the Hungarians' (997–998), after the death Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians. Stephen (pagan birth name: Vajk) was Géza's oldest son and claimed the throne by primogeniture; his army was described as 'the Germans'. Koppány was the brother of Géza's widow Sarolt and claimed the throne by agnatic seniority; his army was described as 'the Hungarians'. Later Christian sources emphasise Stephen's Christianity as an argument for his legitimacy, claim that Koppány was a pagan and that agnatic seniority was a 'pagan' custom as opposed to the 'Christian' custom of primogeniture, and that therefore Koppány 'rebelled' against the legitimate Christian king Stephen, but the reliability and impartiality of these sources is disputed.
11th century
Bohemian war of succession (999–1012), after the death of duke Boleslaus II "the Pious" of Bohemia between his three sons Boleslaus III, Jaromír, and Oldřich. German–Polish War (1003–1018), erupted due to clashing interventions of Polish duke Bolesław I the Brave and German king (from 1014 emperor) Henry II in the Bohemian war of succession. German war of succession (January–October 1002), after the death of Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor. See also 1002 German royal election. , after the death of duke Henry I the Great of Burgundy Fitna of al-Andalus (1009–1031), after the deposition of caliph Hisham II of Córdoba Lower Lorrainian war of succession (1012–1018), after the death of Otto, Duke of Lower LorraineTimothy Reuter (ed.), The New Cambridge Medieval History. Volume 3, c.900–c.1024 (1999), p. 321. Kievan succession crisis of 1015–1019, after the death of prince Volodimer I Sviatoslavich "the Great" of Kievan Rus' Bolesław I's intervention in the Kievan succession crisis (1018), duke Bolesław I the Brave of Poland supported Sviatopolk's claim against Yaroslav Cnut's conquest of England (1014–1016), after the death of Sweyn Forkbeard, King of the English