A coup d'état, often abbreviated to coup, is the overthrow of a lawful government through illegal means. If force or violence are not involved, such an event is sometimes called a soft or bloodless coup. In another variation, a ruler who came to power through legal means may try to stay in power through illegal means, thus preventing the next legal ruler from taking power. These events are called self coups. This is a chronological list of such coups and coup attempts, from ancient times to the present.
BC
876, Kingdom of Israel: Zimri, a military commander of Israel, killed King Elah and became king himself. Soon after, he committed suicide to avoid being overthrown by his own commander, Omri. 860, Qi coup d'état of 860 BC in Qi: Duke Hu of Qi was overthrown by his half-brother Shan. 841, Kingdom of Israel: Jehu killed Jehoram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah, and became king of Israel. 730, Kingdom of Judah: There was a failed coup attempt by Rezin of Aram-Damascus and Pekah of Israel to try to overthrow Ahaz of Judah and the House of David and to replace him with Ben Tav'el. 716, Lydia: King Candaules of Lydia was killed by his bodyguard, Gyges, who then assumed the throne, having conspired with Candaules's wife. 632, Athens: A coup attempt failed in Athens, by Cylon who attempted to establish himself as a tyrant. 522, Murder of the Magi in the Achaemenid Empire: Bardiya was assassinated in a conspiracy led by Otanes, leading to the accession of Darius the Great of the Achaemenid Dynasty. 509, Rome: Members of the Tarquin dynasty led by Lucius Junius Brutus overthrew King of Rome Lucius Tarquinius Superbus and established the Roman Republic. 411, Athens: A coup at Athens, led by Antiphon, established a short-lived oligarchy known as The Four Hundred. 404, Athens: A coup at Athens, led by Critias, established the short-lived pro-Spartan oligarchy known as the Thirty Tyrants. 209, Xiongnu Empire: The Xiongnu Emperor Modu Chanyu overthrew his father Touman and killed his rival half-brother. 185, Maurya Empire: There was a coup in the Maurya Empire, which controlled much of present Indian territory, by Mauryan General Pushyamitra Shunga. 88, Rome: Lucius Cornelius Sulla occupied Rome and outlawed his enemy, Gaius Marius. 82, Rome: In Sulla's civil war, Sulla again marched on Rome, removed Gaius Marius the Younger, and proclaimed himself as Roman dictator. 63, Rome: In the Catiline conspiracy, Lucius Sergius Catilina plotted to overthrow the consulship of Marcus Tullius Cicero and Gaius Antonius Hybrida, but the plan was discovered. 49, Rome: Julius Caesar, heading part of the Roman army, illegally crossed the Rubicon and marched on Rome. After assuming control of government, he was proclaimed "dictator in perpetuity". 44, Rome: On the Ides of March, Julius Caesar was assassinated by members of the Roman Senate. The conspirators did not gain control of the Roman Republic, instead, power eventually passed to the Second Triumvirate of Caesar supporters.