MonarchA monarch (, ) is a head of statefor life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch usually exercises the highest authority and power in the state. Usually, a monarch either personally inherits the lawful right to exercise the state's sovereign rights (often referred to as the throne or the crown) or is selected by an established process from a family or cohort eligible to provide the nation's monarch.
Elective monarchyAn elective monarchy is a monarchy where the ruling head is elected instead of strictly inheriting power. The manner of election, the nature of candidate qualifications, and the electors vary from case to case.
List of Belgian monarchsThis is a list of Belgian monarchs from 1831 when the first Belgian king, Leopold I, ascended the throne, after Belgium seceded from the Kingdom of the Netherlands during the Belgian Revolution of 1830. Under the Belgian Constitution, the Belgian monarch is styled "King of the Belgians" (French: Roi des Belges, Dutch: Koning der Belgen, German: König der Belgier) rather than "King of Belgium" in order to reflect the monarchy's constitutional and popular function.
List of Frankish kingsFrankish monarchs Map of the Frankish kingdom (481–814) Animated map of Frankish expansion The Franks, Germanic peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dukes and reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Merovingians, who conquered most of Roman Gaul, as well as the Gaulish territory of the Visigothic Kingdom, following the Battle of Vouillé in 507 AD.
Co-princes of AndorraThe co-princes of Andorra are jointly the heads of state (Catalan: cap d'estat) of the Principality of Andorra, a landlocked microstate lying in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. The co-princes are the bishop of Urgell and the president of France. Founded in 1278 by a treaty between the bishop of Urgell and the count of Foix, this unique diarchicalarrangement has persisted through the Middle Ages to the present.
DynastySequence of rulers considered members of the same familyFamily photograph of the Imperial House of Japan, the world's oldest continuous royal dynasty since at least the 6th century, with three generations (from left): Empress Michiko, Emperor Akihito, their son Emperor Naruhito and his consort Empress Masako, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Akishino, and behind them their children (2021)A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics.
IncumbentThe incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election.
PopeHead of the Catholic ChurchThe pope is the bishop of Rome and the head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of state of the Papal States, and since 1929 of the much smaller Vatican City State.
Aga KhanAga Khan (Persian: آقاخان; Arabic: آغا خان; also transliterated as Aqa Khan and Agha Khan) is the of the spiritual leader and Imām of the NizariIsmāʿīliShias, a branch of Islam with approximately 12–15 million followers worldwide.
King of Saudi ArabiaThe King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the head of state of Saudi Arabia, who holds absolute power. He is the head of the Saudi Arabian royal family, the House of Saud. The king is the commander-in-chief of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and the head of the Saudi national honors system.
List of Zulu kingsThis is a list of the monarchs of the Zulu nation, including chieftains and kings of the Zulu royal family from their earliest known history up to the present time.Term limitA term limit is a nomination rule which restricts the number of terms a person may run for and serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method to eliminate the potential for "president for life", check the concentration of power in the executive, and curb authoritarianism.
Dalai LamaHead of the Gelug school of Tibetan BuddhismThe Dalai Lama (UK: , US: ; Tibetan: ཏཱ་ལའི་བླ་མ་, Wylie: Tā la'i bla ma) is the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" given by Altan Khan. He offered it in appreciation to the Gelug school's then-leader, Sonam Gyatso, who received the title in 1578 at Yanghua Monastery.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.