A monarchy is a
form of government in which a person, the
monarch
A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...
, is
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
for life or until
abdication
Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...
. The
political legitimacy
In political science, legitimacy is the right and acceptance of an authority, usually a governing law or a regime. Whereas ''authority'' denotes a specific position in an established government, the term ''legitimacy'' denotes a system of gover ...
and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
), to fully
autocratic
Autocracy is a system of government in which absolute power over a state is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject neither to external legal restraints nor to regularized mechanisms of popular control (except per ...
(
absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constitut ...
), and can expand across the domains of the
executive
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dir ...
,
legislative
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...
, and
judicial
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
.
The
succession of monarchs in many cases has been
hereditical, often building
dynastic periods. However,
elective and
self-proclaimed Self-proclaimed describes a legal title that is recognized by the declaring person but not necessarily by any recognized legal authority. It can be the status of a noble title or the status of a nation. The term is used informally for anyone declari ...
monarchies have also happened.
Aristocrats
Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'.
At the time of the word' ...
, though not inherent to monarchies, often serve as the pool of persons to draw the monarch from and fill the constituting institutions (e.g.
diet
Diet may refer to:
Food
* Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group
* Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake
** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...
and
court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...
), giving many monarchies
oligarchic
Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, r ...
elements.
Monarchs can carry various titles such as
emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
,
empress,
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
,
queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
,
raja
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
,
khan,
tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
,
sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
,
shah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
, or
pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...
. Monarchies can form
federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...
s,
personal union
A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interlink ...
s and
realms with
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
s through personal association with the monarch, which is a common reason for monarchs carrying several titles.
Monarchies were the most common form of government until the 20th century, by which time
republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
s had
replaced many monarchies. Today
forty-three sovereign nations in the world have a monarch, including fifteen
Commonwealth realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...
s that share
King Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
as their head of state. Other than that, there is a range of
sub-national monarchical entities. Most of the modern monarchies tend to be constitutional monarchies, retaining under a constitution unique legal and ceremonial roles for the monarch, exercising limited or no political power, similar to heads of state in a
parliamentary republic.
Etymology
The word "monarch" ( la, monarchia, links=yes, label=Late Latin) comes from the
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
word (), derived from (, "one, single") and (, "to rule"): compare (, "ruler, chief"). It referred to a single at least nominally absolute ruler. In current usage the word ''monarchy'' usually refers to a traditional system of hereditary rule, as elective monarchies are quite rare.
History
![Sumerian King List, 1800 BC, Larsa, Iraq](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Sumerian_King_List%2C_1800_BC%2C_Larsa%2C_Iraq.jpg)
The similar form of societal hierarchy known as
chiefdom
A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a ...
or
tribal kingship is prehistoric. Chiefdoms provided the concept of state formation, which started with civilizations such as
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...
,
Ancient Egypt and the
Indus Valley civilization.
In some parts of the world, chiefdoms became monarchies.
Some of the oldest recorded and evidenced monarchies were
Narmer
Narmer ( egy, Wiktionary:nꜥr-mr, nꜥr-mr, meaning "painful catfish," "stinging catfish," "harsh catfish," or "fierce catfish;" ) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period (Egypt), Early Dynastic Period. He was the successor ...
,
Pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...
of Ancient Egypt c. 3100 BCE, and
Enmebaragesi
Enmebaragesi ( Sumerian: ''En-me-barag-gi-se'' N-ME-BARA2-GI4-SE originally Mebarasi () was the penultimate king of the first dynasty of Kish and is recorded as having reigned 900 years in the ''Sumerian King List''. Like his son and successor ...
, a
Sumer
Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of c ...
ian King of
Kish
Kish may refer to:
Geography
* Gishi, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan, a village also called Kish
* Kiş, Shaki, Azerbaijan, a village and municipality also spelled Kish
* Kish Island, an Iranian island and a city in the Persian Gulf
* Kish, Iran, ...
c. 2600 BCE.
From earliest records, monarchs could be directly hereditary, while others were elected from among eligible members. With the
Egyptian
Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
,
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
,
Mesopotamian,
Sudanic, reconstructed
Proto-Indo-European religion
Proto-Indo-European mythology is the body of myths and deities associated with the Proto-Indo-Europeans, the hypothetical speakers of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language. Although the mythological motifs are not directly attested ...
, and others, the monarch held
sacral functions directly connected to
sacrifice and was sometimes identified with having
divine ancestry, possibly establishing a notion of the
divine right of kings.
Polybius identified monarchy as one of three "benign" basic forms of government (monarchy,
aristocracy, and
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...
), opposed to the three "malignant" basic forms of government (
tyranny
A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to ...
,
oligarchy
Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, r ...
, and
ochlocracy
Mob rule or ochlocracy ( el, ὀχλοκρατία, translit=okhlokratía; la, ochlocratia) is the rule of government by a mob or mass of people and the intimidation of legitimate authorities. Insofar as it represents a pejorative for majorit ...
). The monarch in classical antiquity is often identified as "
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
" or "ruler" (translating ''
archon'', ''
basileus'', ''
rex'', ''
tyrannos
A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to rep ...
'', etc.) or as "
queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
" (''
basilinna''). Polybius originally understood monarchy as a component of republics, but since antiquity monarchy has contrasted with forms of republic, where executive power is wielded by free citizens and their assemblies. The 4th-century BCE Hindu text ''
Arthasastra
The ''Arthashastra'' ( sa, अर्थशास्त्रम्, ) is an Ancient Indian Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, political science, economic policy and military strategy. Kautilya, also identified as Vishnugupta and Chanakya, is t ...
'' laid out the ethics of monarchism. In antiquity, some monarchies were
abolished in favour of such assemblies in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
(
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...
, 509 BCE), and
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
(
Athenian democracy, 500 BCE).
![Europe map 1648](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Europe_map_1648.png)
By the 17th century, monarchy was challenged by evolving
parliamentarism
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
e.g. through regional assemblies (such as the
Icelandic Commonwealth
The Icelandic Commonwealth, also known as the Icelandic Free State, was the political unit existing in Iceland between the establishment of the Althing in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king with the Old Covenant in 1262. With ...
, the Swiss ''
Landsgemeinde
The ''Landsgemeinde'' ("cantonal assembly"; , plural ''Landsgemeinden'') is a public, non-secret ballot voting system operating by majority rule, which constitutes one of the oldest forms of direct democracy. Still at use – in a few places ...
'' and later ''
Tagsatzung
The Federal Diet of Switzerland (german: Tagsatzung, ; french: Diète fédérale; it, Dieta federale) was the legislative and executive council of the Old Swiss Confederacy and existed in various forms from the beginnings of Swiss independen ...
'', and the High Medieval
communal movement linked to the rise of medieval
town privileges
Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...
) and by modern anti-monarchism e.g. of the temporary overthrow of the
English monarchy by the
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised ...
in 1649, the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
of 1776 and the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
of 1789. One of many opponents of that trend was
Elizabeth Dawbarn
Elizabeth Dawbarn (died 1839), was an English nurse and pamphleteer from Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. She wrote about the nature of Christ, the influence that women can exert on men, and the rights and needs of young children. Her works were distribu ...
, whose anonymous ''Dialogue between Clara Neville and Louisa Mills, on Loyalty'' (1794) features "silly Louisa, who admires liberty,
Tom Paine
Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...
and the US,
ho is
Ho (or the transliterations He or Heo) may refer to:
People Language and ethnicity
* Ho people, an ethnic group of India
** Ho language, a tribal language in India
* Hani people, or Ho people, an ethnic group in China, Laos and Vietnam
* Hiri Mo ...
lectured by Clara on God's approval of monarchy" and on the influence women can exert on men.
Since then advocacy of the abolition of a monarchy or respectively of
republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
s has been called
republicanism
Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it emphasises the idea of self-rule and ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. It ...
, while the advocacy of monarchies is called
monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...
. As such republics have become the opposing and alternative form of government to monarchy,
despite some having seen
infringements through lifelong or even hereditary heads of state, such as in
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
.
With the rise of republicanism, a diverse division between republicanism developed in the 19th-century politics (such as anti-monarchist
radicalism) and
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
or even
reactionary monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...
. In the following 20th century many countries abolished the monarchy and became republics, especially in the wake of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Today forty-three sovereign nations in the world have a
monarch
A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...
, including fifteen
Commonwealth realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...
s that have
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...
as the head of state. Most modern monarchs are
constitutional monarchs
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
, who retain a unique legal and ceremonial role but exercise limited or no political power under a constitution. Many are so-called
crowned republic
A crowned republic, also known as a monarchial republic, is an informal term that has been used to refer to a system of monarchy where the monarch's role may be seen as almost entirely ceremonial and where nearly all of the royal prerogatives are ...
s, surviving particularly in small states.
In some nations, however, such as
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
,
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
,
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
, and
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, the hereditary monarch has more political influence than any other single source of authority in the state, even if it is by a constitutional mandate.
According to a 2020 study, monarchy arose as a system of governance because of an efficiency in governing large populations and expansive territories during periods when coordinating such populations was difficult. The authors argue that monarchy declined as an efficient regime type with innovations in communications and transportation technology, as the efficiency of monarchy relative to other regime types declined.
Characteristics and role
![Allan Ramsay - King George III in coronation robes - Google Art Project](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Allan_Ramsay_-_King_George_III_in_coronation_robes_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
Monarchies are associated with
hereditary reign, in which monarchs reign for life and the responsibilities and power of the position pass to their child or another member of their family when they die. Most monarchs, both historically and in the modern-day, have been born and brought up within a
royal family
A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...
, the centre of the
royal household and
court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...
. Growing up in a royal family (called a
dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
when it continues for several
generation
A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–30 years, during which children are born and gr ...
s),
future monarchs are often trained for their expected future responsibilities as monarch.
Different systems of hereditary
succession have been used, such as
proximity of blood Proximity of blood, or proximity by degree of degree of kinship, kinship, is one of the ways to determine Hereditary title, hereditary Order of succession, succession based on genealogy. In effect, the application of this rule is a refusal to recogn ...
,
primogeniture, and
agnatic seniority
Agnatic seniority is a patrilineal principle of inheritance where the order of succession to the throne prefers the monarch's younger brother over the monarch's own sons. A monarch's children (the next generation) succeed only after the males ...
(
Salic law). While most monarchs in history have been male, many female monarchs also have reigned. The term "
queen regnant
A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns ''suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reignin ...
" refers to a ruling monarch, while "
queen consort" refers to the wife of a reigning king. Rule may be hereditary in practice without being considered a monarchy: there have been some family dictatorships (and also
political families
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
) in many
democracies
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose go ...
.
The principal advantage of hereditary monarchy is the immediate continuity of leadership (as evidenced in the classic phrase "
The King is dead. Long live the King!
"The king is dead, long live the king!" is a traditional proclamation made following the accession of a new monarch in various countries. The seemingly contradictory phrase simultaneously announces the death of the previous monarch and assures ...
").
Some monarchies are not hereditary. In an
elective monarchy, monarchs are
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...
or appointed by some body (an
electoral college) for life or a defined period. Four elective monarchies exist today:
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
are 20th-century creations, while one (the
papacy
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
) is ancient.
A
self-proclaimed monarchy
A self-proclaimed monarchy is established when a person claims a monarchy without any historical ties to a previous dynasty. The self-proclaimed monarch may be of an established state, such as Zog I of Albania, or of an unrecognised micronation, ...
is established when a person claims the monarchy without any historical ties to a previous dynasty. There are examples of republican leaders who have proclaimed themselves monarchs:
Napoleon I of France declared himself
Emperor of the French
Emperor of the French (French: ''Empereur des Français'') was the title of the monarch and supreme ruler of the First and the Second French Empires.
Details
A title and office used by the House of Bonaparte starting when Napoleon was procla ...
and ruled the
First French Empire
The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...
after having held the title of
First Consul
The Consulate (french: Le Consulat) was the top-level Government of France from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 10 November 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire on 18 May 1804. By extension, the term ''The Co ...
of the
French Republic for five years from his seizing power in the coup of
18 Brumaire. President
Jean-Bédel Bokassa
Jean-Bédel Bokassa (; 22 February 1921 – 3 November 1996), also known as Bokassa I, was a Central African political and military leader who served as the second president of the Central African Republic (CAR) and as the emperor of its s ...
of the
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...
declared himself Emperor of the Central African Empire in 1976. Yuan Shikai, the first formal President of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China, crowned himself Emperor of the short-lived "Empire of China (1915–1916), Empire of China" a few years after the Republic of China was founded.
Powers of the monarch
![Salman of Saudi Arabia - 2020 (49563590728) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Salman_of_Saudi_Arabia_-_2020_%2849563590728%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
* In an
absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constitut ...
, the monarch rules as an Autocracy, autocrat, with absolute power over the state and government—for example, the right to rule by decree, promulgate laws, and impose punishments.
* In a
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
, the monarch's power is subject to a constitution. In most current constitutional monarchies, the monarch is mainly a ceremonial figurehead symbol of national unity and state continuity. Although nominally sovereignty, sovereign, the electorate (through the legislature) exercises political sovereignty. Constitutional monarchs' Power (social and political), political power is limited. Typical monarchical powers include granting pardons, granting Honor system, honours, and reserve powers, e.g. to dismiss the prime minister, refuse to dissolve parliament, or veto legislation ("withhold Royal assent, Royal Assent"). They often also have privileges of inviolability and sovereign immunity. A monarch's powers and influence will depend on tradition, precedent, popular opinion, and law.
** Constitutional monarchy, Semi-constitutional monarchies exhibit fewer parliamentary powers or simply monarchs with more authority. The term "parliamentary monarchy" may be used to differentiate from semi-constitutional monarchies.
* Monarchical reign has often been linked with Military dictatorship, military authority. In the late Roman Empire, the Praetorian Guard several times deposed Roman emperors and installed new emperors. Similarly, in the Abbasid Caliphate, the Ghilmans (slave soldiers) deposed Caliphs once they became prominent, allowing new ones to come to power. The Hellenistic kings of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon and of Epirus were elected by the army, which was similar in composition to the ''Ecclesia (ancient Greece), ecclesia'' of
democracies
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose go ...
, the council of all free citizens; military service was often linked with citizenship among the male members of the royal house. The military has dominated the monarch in modern
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
and in History of Japan, medieval Japan (where a hereditary military chief, the ''Shogun, shōgun'', was the ''de facto'' ruler, although the Emperor of Japan, Japanese emperor nominally reigned). In Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy, the House of Savoy, Savoy monarchy under King Victor Emmanuel III coexisted with the National Fascist Party, Fascist single-party rule of Benito Mussolini; Kingdom of Romania, Romania under the Iron Guard and Kingdom of Greece, Greece during the first months of the Greek junta, Colonels' regime were similar. Francoist Spain, Spain under Francisco Franco was officially a monarchy, although there was no monarch on the throne. Upon his death, Franco was succeeded as head of state by the House of Bourbon, Bourbon heir, Juan Carlos I, and Spanish transition to democracy, Spain became a democracy with the king as a figurehead constitutional monarch.
Person of monarch
![Ruling-monarchs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Ruling-monarchs.jpg)
Most monarchies only have a single person acting as monarch at any given time, although two monarchs have ruled simultaneously in some countries, a situation known as diarchy. Historically this was the case in the ancient Polis, Greek city-state of Sparta. There are examples of joint sovereignty of spouses, parent and child or other relatives (such as William III of England, William III and Mary II of England, Mary II in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, Tsars Peter the Great, Peter I and Ivan V of Russia, and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I and Joanna of Castile).
Andorra currently is the world's only constitutional diarchy, a co-principality. Located in the Pyrenees between Spain and France, it has two co-princes: the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell, bishop of Urgell in Spain (a prince-bishop) and the president of France (derived ''ex officio'' from the French kings, who themselves inherited the title from the counts of Foix). It is the only case in which an independent country's (co-)monarch is Democracy, democratically elected by the citizens of another country.
In a
personal union
A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interlink ...
, separate independent states share the same person as monarch, but each realm retains separate laws and government. The fifteen separate
Commonwealth realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...
s are sometimes described as being in a personal union with King Charles III as monarch; however, they can also be described as being in a shared monarchy.
A regent may rule when the monarch is a Minor (law), minor, absent, or debilitated.
A pretender is a claimant to an abolished throne or a throne already occupied by somebody else.
Abdication is the act of formally giving up one's monarchical power and status.
Monarchs may mark the ceremonial beginning of their reigns with a coronation or enthronement.
Role of monarch
Monarchy, especially absolute monarchy, is sometimes linked to Religion, religious aspects; many monarchs once claimed the right to rule by the will of a deity (Divine right of kings, Divine Right of Kings, Mandate of Heaven), or a special connection to a deity (sacred king), or even purported to be divine kings, or incarnations of deities themselves (imperial cult). Many European monarchs have been styled ''Defender of the Faith, Fidei defensor'' (Defender of the Faith); some hold official positions relating to the state religion or established church.
In the Western political tradition, a morally based, balanced monarchy was stressed as the ideal form of government, and little attention was paid to modern-day ideals of egalitarian democracy: e.g. Thomas Aquinas, Saint Thomas Aquinas unapologetically declared: "Tyranny is wont to occur not less but more frequently on the basis of polyarchy [rule by many, i.e. oligarchy or democracy] than on the basis of monarchy." (''On Kingship''). However, Thomas Aquinas also stated that the ideal monarchical system would also have at lower levels of government both an aristocracy and elements of democracy in order to create a balance of power. The monarch would also be subject to both natural and divine law, and to the Catholic Church, Church in matters of religion.
In Dante Alighieri's ''De Monarchia'', a spiritualised, imperial Catholic monarchy is strongly promoted according to a Guelphs and Ghibellines, Ghibelline world-view in which the "royal religion of Melchizedek" is emphasised against the priestly claims of the rival papal ideology.
In Saudi Arabia, the King of Saudi Arabia, king is a head of state who is both the absolute monarch of the country and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques of Islam (خادم الحرمين الشريفين).
The roles of monarchs can overlap with other monarchies through
personal union
A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interlink ...
or dynastic union, with maybe becoming institutional real union and possibly a larger federal monarchy, federal, composite monarchy, composite or Unitary state, unitary monarchy,
realm and state.
Titles of monarchs
![Téwodros II - 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/T%C3%A9wodros_II_-_2.jpg)
Monarchs can have various titles. Common European titles of monarchs (in that hierarchical order of nobility) are
emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
or empress (from Latin: ''imperator'' or ''imperatrix''),
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
or
queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
, grand duke or grand duchess, prince or princess, duke or duchess. Some Early modern period, early modern European titles (especially in German states) included prince-elector, elector (German: , Prince-Elector, literally "electing prince"), margrave (German: , equivalent to the French title ''marquis'', literally "count of the borderland"), and burgrave (German: , literally "count of the castle"). Lesser titles include count and Graf, princely count. Slavic titles include knyaz and
tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
(ц︢рь) or Tsarina, tsaritsa (царица), a word derived from the Roman Empire, Roman imperial title ''Caesar (title), Caesar''.
In the Muslim world, titles of monarchs include Caliphate, caliph (successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entire Muslim community), padishah (emperor),
sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
or Sultana (title), sultana, Shah, shâhanshâh (emperor),
shah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
, malik (king) or malikah (queen), emir (commander, prince) or emira (princess), sheikh or sheikha, imam (used in Oman). East Asian titles of monarchs include Emperor of China, ''huángdì'' (emperor) or ''nǚhuáng'' (empress regnant), Son of Heaven, ''tiānzǐ'' (son of heaven), ''Emperor of Japan, tennō'' (emperor) or ''Empress of Japan, josei tennō'' (empress regnant), ''List of monarchs of Korea, wang'' (king) or ''yeowang'' (queen regnant), ''Korean Empire, hwangje'' (emperor) or ''Korean Empire, yeoje'' (empress regnant). South Asian and South East Asian titles included ''Maharaja, mahārāja'' (high king) or ''maharani'' (high queen), ''
raja
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
'' (king) and ''rana (title), rana'' (king) or ''rani'' (queen) and ''ratu'' (South East Asian queen). Historically, Mongolic languages, Mongolic and Turkic languages, Turkic monarchs have used the title ''
khan'' and ''khagan'' (emperor) or ''khatun'' and ''khanum'';
Ancient Egyptian monarchs have used the title ''
pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...
'' for men and women. In Ethiopian Empire, monarchs used title ''Emperor of Ethiopia, nəgusä nägäst'' (king of kings) or Emperor of Ethiopia, ''nəgəstä nägäst'' (queen of kings).
Many monarchs are addressed with particular Style (form of address), styles or manners of address, like "Majesty", "Royal Highness", "By the Grace of God", ''Amir al-Mu'minin, Amīr al-Mu'minīn'' ("Leader of the Faithful"), ''List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Hünkar-i Khanedan-i Âl-i Osman'', "Sovereign of the Sublime House of Osman"), ''Malay styles and titles, Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda'' ("Majesty"), ''Jeonha'' ("Majesty"), ''Tennō Heika'' (literally "His Majesty the heavenly sovereign"), ''Bìxià'' ("Bottom of the Steps").
Sometimes titles are used to express claims to territories that are not held in fact (for example, English claims to the French throne), or titles not recognised (antipopes). Also, after a monarchy is deposed, often former monarchs and their descendants are given alternative titles (the List of Portuguese monarchs, King of Portugal was given the hereditary title Duke of Braganza).
Non-sovereign monarchies
A non-sovereign monarchy is one where the monarch is subject to a temporal authority higher than their own. Some are dependent on other powers (see
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
s, suzerainty, puppet state, hegemony). In the British colonial era, indirect rule under a Paramount ruler, paramount power existed, such as the princely states under the British Raj.
In Botswana, South Africa, Ghana and Uganda, the ancient kingdoms and
chiefdom
A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a ...
s that were met by the colonialists when they first arrived on the continent are now constitutionally protected as regional or sectional entities.
Furthermore, in Nigeria, though the hundreds of List of Nigerian traditional states, sub-regional polities that exist there are not provided for in the current constitution, they are nevertheless legally recognised aspects of the structure of governance that operates in the nation. For example, the Yoruba people, Yoruba city-state of Akure Kingdom, Akure in south-western Nigeria is something of an elective monarchy: its reigning ''Oba (ruler), Oba Akure Kingdom, Deji'' has to be chosen by an electoral college of Nigerian Chieftaincy, nobles from amongst a finite collection of royal princes of the realm upon the death or removal of an incumbent.
In addition to these five countries, non-sovereign monarchies of varied sizes and complexities exist all over the rest of the continent of Africa.
Statehood
Monarchies pre-date polity, polities like nation states and even territorial states. A nation or constitution is not necessary in a monarchy since a person, the monarch, binds the separate territories and Legitimacy (political), political legitimacy (e.g. in personal union) together.
Monarchies, though, have applied National symbol, state symbols like insignia or abstracts like the concept of the Crown to create a state identity, which is to be carried and occupied by the monarch, but represents the monarchy even in absence and #Succession, succession of the monarch.
Nevertheless, monarchies can also be bound to territory, territories (e.g., the Monarchy of Norway, King of Norway) and popular monarchy, peoples (e.g., the Monarchy of Belgium, King of the Belgians).
Succession
Hereditary monarchies
![European monarchies by succession](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/European_monarchies_by_succession.svg)
In a hereditary monarchy, the position of monarch is inherited according to a statutory or customary order of succession, usually within one
royal family
A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...
tracing its origin through a historical
dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
or bloodline. This usually means that the heir to the throne is known well in advance of becoming monarch to ensure a smooth succession.
Primogeniture, in which the eldest child of the monarch is first in line to become monarch, is the most common system in hereditary monarchy. The order of succession is usually affected by rules on gender. Historically "agnatic primogeniture" or "patrilineal primogeniture" was favoured, that is inheritance according to seniority of birth among the sons of a monarch or Pater familias, head of family, with sons and their male issue inheriting before brothers and their issue, and patrilineality, male-line males inheriting before females of the male line.
This is the same as semi-Salic primogeniture. Complete exclusion of females from dynastic succession is commonly referred to as application of the
Salic law (see ''Terra Salica, Terra salica'').
Before primogeniture was enshrined in European law and tradition, kings would often secure the succession by having their successor (usually their eldest son) crowned during their own lifetime, so for a time there would be two kings in coregency—a senior king and a junior king. Examples were Henry the Young King of England and the early House of Capet, Direct Capetians in France. Sometimes, however, primogeniture can operate through the female line.
![NICAISE Leopold ANV](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/NICAISE_Leopold_ANV.jpg)
In 1980, Sweden became the first European monarchy to declare equal (full cognatic) primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, whether female or male, ascends to the throne. Other kingdoms (such as the Netherlands in 1983, Norway in 1990, Belgium in 1991, Denmark in 2009, and Luxembourg in 2011) have since followed suit. The United Kingdom adopted absolute (equal) primogeniture (subject to the claims of existing heirs) on April 25, 2013, following Perth Agreement, agreement by the prime ministers of the sixteen Commonwealth Realms at the 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
In the absence of children, the next most senior member of the collateral line (for example, a younger sibling of the previous monarch) becomes monarch. In complex cases, this can mean that there are closer blood relatives to the deceased monarch than the next in line according to primogeniture. This has often led, especially in Europe in the Middle Ages, to conflict between the principle of primogeniture and the principle of
proximity of blood Proximity of blood, or proximity by degree of degree of kinship, kinship, is one of the ways to determine Hereditary title, hereditary Order of succession, succession based on genealogy. In effect, the application of this rule is a refusal to recogn ...
.
Other hereditary systems of succession included tanistry, which is semi-elective and gives weight to merit and Agnatic seniority. In some monarchies, such as Saudi Arabia, succession to the throne first passes to the monarch's next eldest brother, and only after that to the monarch's children (agnatic seniority). However, on June 21, 2017, King Salman of Saudi Arabi revolted against this style of monarchy and elected his son to inherit the throne.
Elective monarchies
![Portrait of Pope Francis (2021)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Portrait_of_Pope_Francis_%282021%29.jpg)
In an
elective monarchy, monarchs are
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...
or appointed by somebody (an
electoral college) for life or a defined period, but then reign like any other monarch. There is no popular vote involved in elective monarchies, as the elective body usually consists of a small number of eligible people. Historical examples of elective monarchy are the Holy Roman Emperors (chosen by prince-electors but often coming from the same dynasty) and the Royal elections in Poland, free election of kings of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. For example, Pepin the Short (father of Charlemagne) was elected List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks by an assembly of Frankish leading men; nobleman Stanisław August Poniatowski of Poland was an elected king, as was Frederick I of Denmark. Gauls, Gallic and Germanic peoples also had elective monarchies.
Six forms of elective monarchies exist today. The pope of the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church (who rules as Sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State) is Papal conclave, elected for life by the College of Cardinals. In the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the List of grand masters of the Knights Hospitaller, Prince and Grand Master is elected for life tenure by the Council Complete of State from within its members. In
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, the federal king, called the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or Paramount Ruler, is elected for a five-year term from among and by the hereditary rulers (mostly
sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
s) of nine of the federation's constitutive States and federal territories of Malaysia, states, all on the Malay Peninsula, Malay peninsula. The
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
also chooses its federal leaders from among emirs of the federated states. Furthermore, Andorra has a unique constitutional arrangement as one of its heads of state is the President of the France, French Republic in the form of a Co-Princes of Andorra, Co-Prince. This is the only instance in the world where the monarch of a state is elected by the citizens of a different country. In New Zealand, the Maori King, head of the Kingitanga Movement, is elected by a council of Maori elders at the funeral of their predecessor, which is also where their coronation takes place. All of the Heads of the Maori King Movement have been descendants of the first Maori King, Potatau Te Wherowhero, who was elected and became King in June 1858. The current monarch is King Tūheitia Paki, Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII, who was elected and became King on 21 August 2006, the same day as the funeral of his mother, Te Atairangikaahu, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the first Maori Queen. As well as being King and head of the Kingitanga Movement, King Tuheitia is also ''ex officio'' the Paramount Chief of the Waikato-Tainui tribe.
Appointment by the current monarch is another system, used in Jordan. It also was used in Russian Empire, Imperial Russia; however, it was soon changed to semi-Salic because the instability of the appointment system resulted in History of Russia (1721–1796), an age of palace revolutions. In this system, the monarch chooses the successor, who is always his relative.
Other ways of succession
Other ways to success a monarchy can be through claiming alternative votes (e.g. as in the case of the Western Schism), claims of a mandate to rule (e.g. a popular or Divine right of kings, divine mandate), military occupation, a coup d'état, a will of the previous monarch or treaties between factions inside and outside of a monarchy (e.g. as in the case of the War of the Spanish Succession).
By accession
The legitimacy and authorities of monarchs are often Proclamation, proclaimed and recognized through occupying and being investiture, invested with insignia, seats, deeds and titles, like in the course of coronations.
This is especially employed to legitimize and settle disputed successions, changes in ways of succession, status of a monarch (e.g. as in the case of the Privilegium Maius, ''privilegium maius'' deed) or new monarchies altogether (e.g. as in the case of the Coronation of Napoleon, coronation of Napoleon I).
Dynasties
Succession is often based on the expected continuation of a dynasty, dynastic period or association in a dynastic union, which is sometimes War of succession, challenged by diverging Lineage (anthropology), lineage and Legitimists (disambiguation), legitimism.
Succession crisis
In cases of succession challenges it can be instrumental for pretenders to secure or install Legitimacy (political), legitimacy through the above, for example proof of accession like insignia, through treaties or a claim of a divine mandate to rule (e.g. by Hong Xiuquan and his Taiping Heavenly Kingdom).
Current monarchies
Currently, there are 43 nations and a population of roughly half a billion people in the world with a monarch as head of state. They fall roughly into the following categories:
Commonwealth realms
King Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
is, separately, monarch of fifteen
Commonwealth realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...
s (Antigua and Barbuda, the Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, the The Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, the Papua New Guinea, Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the Saint Kitts and Nevis, Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and the United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). They evolved out of the British Empire into fully independent states within the Commonwealth of Nations that retain the King as head of state. All fifteen realms are constitutional monarchies and full democracies where the King has limited powers or a largely ceremonial role. The King is head of the Church of England (the established church of England), while the other 14 realms do not have a state religion.
Other European constitutional monarchies
The Andorra, Principality of Andorra, the Belgium, Kingdom of Belgium, the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark, the Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Norway, Kingdom of Norway, the Spain, Kingdom of Spain, and the Sweden, Kingdom of Sweden are fully democratic states in which the monarch has a limited or largely ceremonial role. In some cases, there is a Christian religion established as the official church in each of these countries. This is the Lutheran form of Protestantism in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, while Andorra is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic country. Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands have no official state religion. Luxembourg, which is predominantly Roman Catholic, has five so-called ''officially recognized cults of national importance'' (Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Greek Orthodoxy, Judaism, and Islam), a status which gives those religions some privileges like the payment of a state salary to their priests.
Andorra is unique among all existing monarchies, as it is a diarchy, with the co-princes being shared by the president of France and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell, bishop of Urgell. This situation, based on historical precedence, has created a peculiar situation among monarchies, as:
* neither of the co-princes is of Andorran descent;
* one is elected by citizens of a foreign country (France), but not by Andorrans as they cannot vote in the French presidential elections; and
* the other, the bishop of Urgell, is appointed by a foreign head of state, the pope.
European semi constitutional monarchies
A Constitutional monarchy, semi-constitutional monarchy is a monarchy where the monarch rules according to a democratic constitution but still retains substantial powers. The Liechtenstein, Principality of Liechtenstein and the Monaco, Principality of Monaco are European semi constitutional monarchies. For example, the 2003 Liechtenstein constitutional referendum, 2003 Constitution referendum gave the Monarchy of Liechtenstein, Prince of Liechtenstein the power to veto any law that the ''Landtag'' (parliament) proposes, while the Landtag can veto any law that the Prince tries to pass. The prince can appoint or dismiss any elective member or government employee. However, he is not an absolute monarch, as the people can call for a referendum to end the monarch's reign. When Hereditary Prince Alois threatened to veto a referendum to legalize abortion in 2011, it came as a surprise because the prince had not vetoed any law for over 30 years. The Monarchy of Monaco, prince of Monaco has simpler powers; he cannot appoint or dismiss any elective member or government employee to or from his or her post, but he can elect the Minister of State (Monaco), minister of state, Politics of Monaco, government council and judges. Both Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, are theoretically very powerful within their small states, but they have very limited power compared to the Islamic monarchs (see below). They also own huge tracts of land and are shareholders in many companies.
Monarchies in the Muslim world
The monarchies of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bahrain, the Brunei, State of Brunei Darussalam, the Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kuwait, State of Kuwait,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, the Morocco, Kingdom of Morocco, the Oman, Sultanate of Oman, the Qatar, State of Qatar, the Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
generally retain far more powers than their European or Commonwealth counterparts. Brunei Darussalam, Oman, and Saudi Arabia remain absolute monarchies; Bahrain, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates are classified as mixed, meaning there are representative bodies of some kind, but the monarch retains most of his powers. Jordan, Malaysia, and Morocco are constitutional monarchies, but their monarchs still retain more substantial powers than European equivalents.
East and Southeast Asian constitutional monarchies
The kingdoms of Bhutan,
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, and Japan are constitutional monarchies where the monarch has a limited or merely ceremonial role. Bhutan made the change in 2008. Cambodia had its own monarchy after independence from the French colonial empire, but it was deposed after the Khmer Rouge came into power. The monarchy was subsequently restored in the peace agreement of 1993. Thailand transitioned into a constitutional monarchy over the course of the 20th Century. Japan has had a monarchy, an Emperor of Japan, emperor, according to legend, since Emperor Jimmu (reigned 660-585 BCE), making it the world's oldest existing monarchy. After their defeat in the World War II, Second World War, Japan made great strides in limiting the power of the Emperor, giving most of it to the democratically elected National Diet.
Other monarchies
Five monarchies do not fit into any of the above groups by virtue of geography or class of monarchy: the Tonga, Kingdom of Tonga in Polynesia; the Eswatini, Kingdom of Eswatini and the Lesotho, Kingdom of Lesotho in Africa and the Vatican City, Vatican City State in Europe. Of these, Lesotho and Tonga are constitutional monarchies, while Eswatini and the Vatican City are absolute monarchies.
Eswatini is unique among these monarchies, often being considered a diarchy: the King, or Ngwenyama, rules alongside his mother, the Ndlovukati, as dual heads of state. This was originally intended to provide a check on political power. The Ngwenyama, however, is considered the administrative head of state, while the Ndlovukati is considered the spiritual and national head of state, a position which more or less has become symbolic in recent years.
The Pope is the absolute monarch of the Vatican City State (a separate entity from the Holy See) by virtue of his position as head of the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church and Bishop of Rome; he is an elected rather than a hereditary ruler, and does not have to be a citizen of the territory prior to his election by the cardinals.
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Order of Malta describes itself as a "sovereign subject" based on its unique history and unusual present circumstances, but its exact status in international law is a subject of debate.
In Samoa, the position of head of state is described in Part III of the 1960 Constitution of Samoa, Samoan constitution. At the time the constitution was adopted, it was anticipated that future heads of state would be chosen from among the four Tama a 'Aiga "royal" paramount chiefs. However, this is not required by the constitution, and, for this reason, Samoa can be considered a republic rather than a
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
.
The Kim family (North Korea), ruling Kim family in
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
(Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un) has been described as a ''de facto''
absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constitut ...
[Young W. Kihl, Hong Nack Kim. ''North Korea: The Politics of Regime Survival''. Armonk, New York, USA: M. E. Sharpe, Inc., 2006. Pp 56.][Robert A. Scalapino, Chong-Sik Lee. ''The Society''. University of California Press, 1972. Pp. 689.][Bong Youn Choy. A history of the Korean reunification movement: its issues and prospects. Research Committee on Korean Reunification, Institute of International Studies, Bradley University, 1984. Pp. 117.] or a "hereditary dictatorship".
In 2013, Clause 2 of Article 10 of the new edited Ten Fundamental Principles of the Workers' Party of Korea, Korean Workers' Party states that the party and revolution must be carried "eternally" by the "Paektu Mountain, Baekdu (Kim's) bloodline".
[The Twisted Logic of the N.Korean Regime](_blank)
Chosun Ilbo, 2013-08-13, Accessed date: 2017-01-11 This though does not mean it is a ''de jure'' absolute monarchy, as the country's name is the Democratic Republic of Korea.
The al-Assad ruling Syria (Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad ) have also been described as a ''de facto'' absolute monarchy
or a "hereditary dictatorship".
After the death of Hafez Al-Assad in 2000, the Constitution of Syria was Syrian Constitution of 1973#History, amended for the minimum age of the President to change from 40 to 34, which allowed 34 year old Bashar al-Assad to become president.
This though does not mean it is a ''de jure'' absolute monarchy, as the country's name is the Syrian Arab Republic.
Long form titles for the country
* Kingdom: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
* State: , , '' (de facto)'',
* Principality: , ,
* Federation: , '' (de facto)''
* Commonwealth: ,
* Sultanate:
* Nation:
* Grand Duchy:
* Independent State:
* Emirate:
* None: , , , , , , , , , , ,
See also
* Absolute monarchy
* Abolition of monarchy
* Autocracy
* Cloistered rule
* Criticism of monarchy
* Diarchy
* Empire
* Family as a model for the state
* Federal monarchy
* Hereditary monarchy
* List of current constituent monarchs
* List of current monarchies
* List of current monarchs of sovereign states
* List of living former sovereign monarchs
* List of fictional monarchs
* List of monarchies
* List of monarchs by nickname
* List of royalty by net worth
* List of usurpers
* Monarchism
* Order of succession
* President for life
* Pretender
* Personal union
* Royal and noble ranks
* Universal monarchy
Notes and references
Notes
References
External links
The Constitutional Monarchy Associationin the UK
*
{{Authority control
Monarchy,
Positions of authority
Titles
Constitutional state types
Political systems