The word "overthrow" connotes violence, which is what you ruled out. Plenty of monarchs have left power in peaceful transitions, but I'm not sure you would call them overthrown.

Not an answer, but I think it interesting that Franco “peacefully” restored Spain’s monarchy when he died.

I didn’t say Franco was peaceful. I said the transition back to monarchy was peaceful. Franco and his cronies killed thousands. But then, his opponents were just as evil.

Overthrow of a monarch, or of a monarchy?

The Battle of the Boyne was pretty bloody, yes? So I'd say the Glorious Revolution was not even close.

If you want an example from English history, Richard Cromwell would be a lot closer than James VII & II.

There have been many bloodless coups, though you can technically be violent without spilling blood.

The transition from socialist dictatorships to election based democracy was more or less peaceful in most Easter-European countries after the collapse of Berlin Wall.

Civilization 5 intro for Pedro II of Brazil had some similar remark if I remember right, can't check extensively due to work now.

@WGroleau just as evil seems like an overstatment, honestly.

How big should the difference in number of murders be before one side is “less evil”?

Dictators and monarchs are pretty different, this should probably be two separate questions.

@barbecue this is uscentric site, so anything non founding fatherlike with republic and power division is dictatorship ;)

Wasn't there the case of a dictator in Africa who lost a rigged election and was forced to make a power-sharing deal with his opponent? I can't remember the specifics.

@WGroleau It is not the number of murders as much the moral position. The allied air raids killed much more people than the Luftwaffe's blitz, but the allies are rarely considered "as evil as the nazis". Some fascist generals overthrowing a democratic government, and some civilians fighting against the former are not in the same moral scale. Even if they also killed people.

@Rekesoft: Having read a lot of Spain's history, I am unable to call either side the "good guys." For example, Ghosts_of_Spain, by Giles Tremlett. Franco was very evil, yet he benefitted Spain more than Hitler benefitted Germany. Both sides used the conflict as an excuse for thousands of senseless murders.