A dynasty is a succession of sovereigns in one line of family descent governing the same country. Many countries around the world were ruled by dynasts or monarchs for hundred and even thousands of years. At present, there are still a few countries or kingdom being ruled by monarchs.

1. Dulo Dynasty (2137 BC – 753 AD)

The dynasty that ruled the longest in history is the Dulo Clan or the House of Dulo of Bulgaria. It ruled for 2,890 years. The Dulo Clan or the House of Dulo was the name of the ruling dynasty of the early Bulgars. It was the clan of Kubrat, founder of the Onogur state of Bulgars and Avars, also known as the Old Great Bulgaria. His sons later founded Danube Bulgaria.

2. Imperial House of Japan (660 BCE to the present)

The Imperial House of Japan is the longest-surviving dynasty that ruled in the world. It is also referred to as the Imperial Family and has been continuously reigning for 2,669 years already. It is also known as the Yamato Dynasty or the Chrysanthemum Throne. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the emperor is the symbol of the state and unity of the people. Although he is not technically head of state, he is frequently treated as one. Other members of the imperial family perform ceremonial and social duties, but have no role in the affairs of government. This monarchy is the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world still in existence. The imperial house recognizes 125 legitimate monarchs since the accession of Emperor Jimmu (traditionally dated to February 11, 660 BC). It’s present or reigning emperor is Akihito.

3. Hong Bang Dynasty (2897 BCE – 258 BCE)

 The Hong Bang Dynasty of Vietnam (supposedly) reigned for 2,639 years from 2897 up to 258 BC. This dynasty is also called the Lạc Dynasty. The founder of this dynasty is said to have been Hung Vuong. There are many legends surrounding it, but little verifiable historical information is known about this dynasty.

4. Gojoseon Dynasty (2333 BCE – 108 BCE)

According to legend, Gojoseon dynasty ruled for 2,225 years. It was an ancient kingdom in Korea and is regarded as the first proper of nation of the people of Korea. According to some records of Korean medieval-era, Gojoseon is said to have been founded in 2333 BC by the legendary Dangun. Archaeological evidence of Gojoseon is found in the transition from the Jeilmun pottery to the Mumun pottery around 1500 BCE, when groups of semi-sedentary small-scale agriculturalists occupied most of the Korean peninsula. Local bronze production began around the 8th century BC. Modern historians generally believe it developed into a powerful federation or kingdom between 7th and 4th centuries BCE.

5. Champa Dynasty (192-1832)

Another dynasty from Vietnam that reign one of the longest in history is Champa Dynasty. It has a total of 1,740 year as a ruling clan. The name of the kingdom which is Champa was an Indianized kingdom of Malayo_Polynesian origin and controlled what is now southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832. It has the oldest known written Malay language from the 4th century AD, predating Sumatran texts by 300 years. [Coedes, 1939] Champa was preceded in the region by a kingdom called Lin-yi or Lam Ap (in existence since 192 A.D.), but the historical relationship between Lin-yi and Champa is not clear. Champa reached its apogee in the 9th and 10th centuries A.D. Thereafter began a gradual decline under pressure from the Dai Vet which was then Northern Vietnam. In 1471, Viet troops sacked the northern Cham capital of Vijaya, and in 1697 the southern principality of Panduranga became a vassal of the Vietnamese emperor. In 1832, the Vietnamese emperor Minh Mang annexed the remaining Cham territories.

6. Belle Dynasty or Balliol Dynasty (960-to the present)

The second longest dynasty in existence and continuously reigning for 1,049 years already is the Belle Dynasty of Flanders, Belgium. It is also known as Balliol Dynasty. It can be traced back to the Treaty of Verdun signed in Thionville in 843 CE.

7. Bagratid Dynasty (813-1810)

This dynasty had ruled Georgia for 997 years. It is also called the Bagrationi Dynasty. Their ascendancy lasted from the early Middle Ages until the early 19th century. In modern usage, this royal line is frequently referred to as the Georgian Bagratids, a Hellenized form of their dynastic name.

The origin of the Bagrationi dynasty is disputed, as well as the time when they first appeared on Georgian soil. Traditional Georgian history writing begins the Bagrationi chronology in the 6th century and relates the family to earlier dynasties.

8. Shilla Dynasty (57 BCE-935)

The Shilla Dynasty reigned for 992 years. Shilla was one of the Three Kingdoms on the now-Korean peninsula, and the longest sustaining dynasty in Asian history. It was founded by King Park Hyeokgeose and is regarded to be the originator of the Korean family name Park; the dynasty was to see the Kyungju Kim clan hold rule for most of its 992-year history. What began as chiefdom in the Samhan confederacies, once allied with China, Shilla eventually conquered the other two kingdoms, Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668. Thereafter, Unified Shilla or Later Shilla, as it is often referred to, occupied most of the Korean peninsula, while the northern part re-emerged as Balhae, a successor-state of Goguryeo. After nearly 1000 years of rule, Shilla fragmented into the brief Later Three Kingdoms, handing over power to its successor dynasty Goryeo in 935.

9. Tu’i Tonga Dynasty (900-1865)

This dynasty in Tonga reigned for more than 900 years. It is a line of Tongan kings, which originated in the 10th century with the mythical Aho ‘eitu; withdrew from political power in the 15th century by yielding to the Tu’i Ha atakalaua; and died out with Laufilitonga in 1865. Today its descendants still live forth in the chiefly line of Kalaniuvalu. Tradition names 39 holders of the title, but there is an alternative list with 48 names. It ruled for 965 years all in all.

10. Zhou Dynasty (1046 BCE -256 BCE)

The Zhou Dynasty of China had ruled for 790 years from 1046 BCE up to 256 BCE. The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese History. During the Zhou, the use of iron was introduced to China, while this period of Chinese history produced what many consider the zenith of Chinese bronze-ware making. Three of the greatest Chinese philosophers, Confucius, Laozi and Mencius, who made the greatest impact on later generations of Chinese, lived during this period.

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