Monarchy
For related meanings see also Monarch (disambiguation). "Kingdom" redirects here, for other meanings see Kingdom (disambiguation). |
Places where monarchies maintain rule appear in blue. |
A
monarchy, from the
Greek μονος, "one," and
αρχειν, "to rule", is a
form of government that has a
Monarch as
Head of State. A distinguishing characteristic of most monarchies is that the Monarch usually reigns as Head of State for life; in a
republic, the Head of State (often called the
president) is normally
elected for a certain amount of time. There are currently 29 extant sovereign monarchies in the world.
The term
monarchy is also used to refer to the people (especially the dynasty, also known as 'royalty') and institutions that make up the royal or imperial establishment, or to the
realm over which the monarch reigns.
In most monarchies, the Monarch serves as a symbol of continuity and statehood. Many monarchies are constituted by tradition or by codified law so that the Monarch has little real political power, but in others the Monarch holds substantial power. In some cases, the symbolism of monarchy alongside the symbolism of democracy can lead to divisions over seemingly contradictory principles of
sovereignty.
Monarchies are one of the oldest forms of government, with echoes in the leadership of
tribal chiefs. Many monarchies began with the Monarch as the local representative and temporary embodiment of the deity: (King of Babylon). The Monarch often ruled at the pleasure of the deity and was overthrown or sacrificed when it became apparent that supernatural sanction had been withdrawn: Celestial Emperor of China, Mayan kings, Achaemenid
King of Kings of Persia. Other Monarchs derived their power by acclamation of the ruling or of the warrior caste of a clan or group of clans: Kings of the Franks, Roman emperors. Even where law is simply the monarch's will, the king must rule by custom.
Since
1800, many of the world's monarchies have ceased to have a monarch and become republics, or become
parliamentary democracies. Democratic countries which retain monarchy by definition limit the Monarch's power, with most having become
constitutional monarchies. In
England, this process began with the
Magna Carta of
1215, although it did not reach democratic proportions until after the
Glorious Revolution in
1689. In the modern media age, however, popular Monarchs can, independently of their formal role within the constitutional framework, through popularity and various contacts, acquire considerable influence via public opinion and/or politicians.
Among the few states that retain a rather
absolute monarchy are
Swaziland,
Brunei,
Bhutan,
Saudi Arabia and
Kuwait. In
Jordan and
Morocco, the Monarch also retains considerable power. There are also recent (
2003) developments in
Liechtenstein, wherein the regnant
prince was given the constitutional power to dismiss the government at will.
Nepal had several swings between a constitutional role and
direct rule related to the violent Maoist rebel movement and the palace killings by a suicidal crown prince.
In an
absolute monarchy, the Monarch has power over every aspect of the state, if not of social life in general, and a
constitution may be granted or withdrawn, while a constitutional monarch is subject to it as well as any citizen (though it may grant him such priviliges as inviolability). Modern versions tend to survive only in societies with sufficient technology to allow the concentration and organization of power, but not to allow
education and rapid
communication. The economic structure of such monarchies is often of concentrated wealth, with the majority of the population living either as
agricultural serfs, or, as in Gulf Monarchies, a paternalistic model showering benefits on the citizens (while politically they may remain subjects) and importing cheap foreign labor.
In
Antiquity, there were various traditions of elected 'monarchs', usually rendered as kings, especially in not fully sedentary societies such as the Germanic tribes before they established sedentary kingdom in territories of the (former) Roman empire. Often there was a mix of conflicting principles, the ruling house tending to reserve succession for itself, with sometimes a broader nobility rivalling it; actual succession often depended on popular assent and/or the support of the armed forces, which could take their role of kingmaker as far as deposing an incompetent or criminal ruler, or even pure mutiny to seize the throne. The hellenistic kings of
Macedon and of
Epirus were elected by the army (a body that was very close in composition to the
ecclesia of
democracies, the council of all free citizens; military service was often linked with citizenship) among the male member of the
royal house. In Macedon this tradition continued until the kingdom was dissolved by the Romans after the
Third Macedonian War.
In some cases, a hereditary monarchy exists, but actual power rather resides with the
military, as often has been the case in
Thailand and
Japan (where its (eventually hereditary) chief, the
Shogun, developed into a de facto monarch nominally under the Emperor), with an (at least) nominally 'primeministerial' office, which may tend to become hereditary itself, in the kingdom of Nepal even formally styled a hereditary Maharaja. In
Fascist Italy a monarchy coexisted with a fascist party for longer than such co-existences occurred in
Romania,
Hungary or
Greece.
Spain under
Francisco Franco was officially a monarchy even though there was no Monarch on the throne; upon his death, Franco was succeeded as head of state by
King Juan Carlos.
There have also been situations in which a
dictator proclaimed himself Monarch of a previous republic, thus starting a
self-proclaimed monarchy with no historical ties to a previous dynasty. The most famous example of this was general
Napoleon Bonaparte who crowned himself first Emperor of France (formerly a kingdom) after legally assuming political control of the French Republic as
First Consul for life; a blatant imitation of his empire was that of dictator Bokassa I in the very poor
Central African Empire. Also,
Yuan Shikai crowned himself emperor of the short-lived "
Empire of China", after the
Republic of China was founded a few years earlier.
On several occasions throughout history, the same person has served as monarch of separate independent states, in a situation known as a
personal union. An
empire was traditionally ruled by a monarchy whose leader may have been known by different titles in his different realms. Several former
colonies of the
British Empire, such as
Australia,
Canada,
Jamaica,
New Zealand, etc., are now independent kingdoms that continue to recognize as their own Sovereign the same person who is also still Monarch of the United Kingdom. These countries, including the UK, are known as
Commonwealth Realms. In other cases, such as
England and
Scotland, a personal union was the precursor to a merger of the states.
Some republics can be called 'virtual monarchies' as they appear to have introduced
de facto inheritance for the head of state, usually establishing a 'dynasty' by making his son (informally) designated heir, without constitutionally declaring themselves monarchies. These nations may be republics in theory, but monarchies in practice. The '
Roman Empire' in Latin existed only in the territorial sense, legally it was always a republic, theoretically the
Principate was not hereditary monarchy, and even the
Byzantine Empire had republican features. In the twentieth century de facto monarchies existed in
Nicaragua and
Haiti. Today,
North Korea and
Syria have been called de facto monarchies; however, one father-son succession without a constitutional mechanism is more an appearance than an actual de facto monarchy, the next succession may just as well be determined otherwise by the real kingmakers (a dead dictator ceases to dictate) and democratic republics too have produced de facto successions and even three or more generation 'dynasties' (as India's Gandhi family), except that these only rule when their party is in power. See also
family dictatorship.
Although in theory a Monarch is the Sovereign of a state, historical developments often produced more complicated realities- when a state looses its true sovereignty, while internally retaining its monarchic constitution, its monarchy will often become similarly dependent on the greater power, e.g. as a feudal
vassal under a suzerain, or in the colonial era become redefined as an actor in
indirect rule, under a
paramount power (such as each
princely state in the
British raj).
The rules for selection of Monarchs varies from country to country. In constitutional monarchies the rule of succession is generally embodied in a law passed by a representative body, such as a
parliament.
Elective monarchies, distinguished by the Monarchs being appointed for life, have in most cases been succeeded by hereditary monarchies, but both secular sovereign nation cases at present - those of
Malaysia and the
United Arab Emirates - are 20th century creations. In the hereditary system, the position of Monarch involves inheritance according to an
order of succession, usually within one
royal family tracing its origin back to a historical
dynasty or bloodline. In some cases the ruling family may claim to hold authority by virtue of God's choosing, as reflected in the style-phrase
by the Grace of God, or other religion-based authority.
The
order of succession in most European monarchical states of the
21st century is by
primogeniture, meaning the eldest son of the monarch is first in line, followed by his male, then female siblings in order of age. In earlier times, the succession was often unclear and this led to a number of
wars. Currently, there is some controversy over the succession laws of some monarchies in the
European Union (EU), such as that of the
United Kingdom (UK) or the
Scandinavian monarchies, which require their Monarch to be of a certain faith (in the UK under the
Act of Settlement 1701). This has been challenged as violating EU rules that prohibit
religious disqualification for positions of state authority.
Successions in dependent states were often subject to the assent of the dominant power, which then often reserves the right to dethrone (and replace) a 'disloyal' incumbent.
Monarchies can come to an end in several ways. There may be a
revolution in which the monarchy is overthrown; or, as in
Italy, by constitutional
referendum electorate decides to form a republic. In some cases, as with
England and
Spain, the monarchy has been overthrown and later restored although it should be noted presently neither monarchy uses political power, which is vested in the parliamentary majority. After the abdication of Napoleon I Bonaparte as Emperor which ended the
Premier Empire, the French restored the royal Bourbon dynasty which had been abolished by the republic within which Napoleon had established the Empire; and at the same time his emperorship was 'revived' outside France, as a 'golden cage' principality created for him on the island of Elba, so in a sense the empire was succeeded by a kingdom and an emperor without an empire.
An international
Republican movement is challenging many of the 29 remaining Monarchies, particularly in the
Anglosphere.
Dependent monarchies have been abolished by their dominant power, e.g; to be fully annexed, split or merged with another.
Countries may regard themselves as monarchies even without an actual Monarch on the 'vacant' throne, as
Spain did from
1947 to
1975, and
Hungary from
1920 to
1944.
A person who claims to be the legitimate
heir to the throne of a deposed (or in the royalist view suspended) monarchy is called a
pretender, but that term also applies to a rival claimant of a filled throne, such as several Russians claimed to be a
Tsar who had officially been declared dead and succeeded by a reigning heir.
See also
abolished monarchy for a list of recently abolished monarchies.
Sometimes, component members of federal states are monarchies, even though the federal state as a whole is not; for example each of the emirates that form the
United Arab Emirates has its own monarch (an
emir).
Another unique situation is
Malaysia, in which the federal king, called the
Yang di-Pertuan Agong or Paramount Ruler, is elected for a five year term from and by the hereditary rulers (mostly
sultans) of nine of the federation's constitutive
States, all on the
Malay peninsula.
In addition to his ecclestiastical role as Supreme Pontiff of the universal Catholic Church, the
Pope is
ex officio the absolute Monarch of the
Vatican City, the last truly sovereign
Prince of the Church. He is elected by (and customarily from among) the
College of Cardinals. (Since the Catholic episcopate is celibate, naturally there can be no official hereditary succession to the papal throne.) Notwithstanding this, the papacy has at times been under the control of powerful Italian families. Several popes have been succeeded by near relatives, in some cases by their own sons (officially described as
Nepotes, literally 'nephews').
The world's only co-principality,
Andorra, has two co-princes: the Bishop of
Urgell in Spain (thus a
Prince-Bishop), and the
President of France—a unique case where an independent country's Monarch is democratically elected by the citizens of another country, which is not even in full
personal union.
Samoa is often disputably described as a monarchy. The president-for-life, or "o le Ao o le Malo" is
Malietoa Tanumafili II, a member of one of the three princely families. The Constitution designates him Head of State for life with a royal style, but he will be succeeded by an elected president.
Since 1947, the
Emperors of Japan have reigned as neither
sovereign, or the
de jure Head of State.
Emperor Hirohito having ceded sovereignty to the people shortly after World War II, the Japanese monarchy is bound by
supreme law as opposed to
constitutional convention under the provisos of the
Constitution of Japan.
There are currently 45 active monarchies in the world, 16 of which are dominions and other
Commonwealth Realms that formally recognize the British Sovereign as Head of state, legally in chief of each nation as a monarchy in its own right. These nations total 544 million people, about US$ 10 trillion in GDP at a purchasing power parity basis, and 10,261,417 square miles of land area.(see also
List of countries by system of government)
| State | Title | Extent | Currently | Notes |
| Andorra | Co-princes | Constitutional principality | Jacques Chirac and Joan Enric Vives Sicília | only double monarchy- Under joint suzerainty of the Bishop of Urgell and the French Head of State as successor to the countship of Foix. |
| Antigua and Barbuda | King/Queen | Constitutional monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Sir James Carlisle |
| Australia | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Michael Jeffery |
| The Bahamas | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Dame Ivy Dumont |
| Bahrain | King, styled Malik | Semi-constitutional monarchy | Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah | Known as "emir" until 2002. |
| Barbados | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Sir Clifford Husbands |
| Belgium | King/Queen of the Belgians | Constitutional monarchy, at the 1830 independence a model of liberalism and curbing royal power | Albert II | Ruled by the king of the Netherlands until 1830. |
| Belize | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Sir Colville Young |
| Bhutan | Druk Gyalpo 'Dragon King' | Absolute monarchy | Jigme Singye Wangchuck |
| Brunei | Sultan | Absolute sultanate | Hassanal Bolkiah |
| Cambodia | King; individual throne styles, but most Kings include the titles of Brhat Pada, Samdach Brhat, Varman, Rajadhiraja, Parama, and Adipati | Constitutional monarchy | Norodom Sihamoni | Reinstituted in 1993. |
| Canada | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor General, presently Michaëlle Jean. |
| Denmark | King/Queen | Constitutional monarchy | Margrethe II of Denmark | Also queen of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Act of Succession revised in 1953 to allow for female monarchs. |
| Grenada | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Sir Daniel Williams |
| Jamaica | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Sir Howard Cooke |
|Japan| Heavenly Emperor, styled Tennō | Constitutional | Akihito | last empire; Figurehead since Japanese defeat in World War II. |
| Jordan | Hashemite King, styled Malik | Semi-constitutional Hashemite monarchy | Abdullah II | Monarchy established by United Kingdom in 1921. |
| Kuwait | Emir, styled Amir ad-Dawlat al-Kuwayt "Emir of the State of Kuwait" | Semi-constitutional emirate | Sabah Al-Sabah | was Hakim al-Kuwayt "Ruler of Kuwait" until 1961; still prefixed "sheikh", as every member of a Gulf dynasty). |
| Lesotho | King | Constitutional monarchy | Letsie III | Known as Paramount Chief until 1965. |
| Liechtenstein | Prince, styled Fürst | Semi-constitutional principality | Hans-Adam II | Some powers delegated to Prince Alois. |
| Luxembourg | Grand Duke/Duchess | Constitutional grand duchy | Henri | Only remaining Grand Duchy. Ruled by the king of the Netherlands until 1890. |
| Malaysia | Yang di-Pertuan Agong or "Paramount Ruler" | Constitutional federation | Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin | Position electoral amongst -de facto tends to rotate between- the nine hereditary rulers of the pensinsular Malay states, only for 5 years. |
| Monaco | Sovereign Prince/Princess | Semi-constitutional principality | Albert II | last sovereign monarchy under (French, amical) protection |
| Morocco | King, styled Malik | Semi-constitutional monarchy | Mohammed VI | Morocco currently occupies Western Sahara. |
| Nepal | King, styled Maharajadhiraja | Constitutional monarchy | Gyanendra | Dissolved the parliament in 2002 due to Nepalese civil war, vowing to return democratic rule within three years. Parliament revived in April 2006. |
| Kingdom of the Netherlands | King/Queen, styled Koning(in) | Constitutional monarchy | Beatrix | Also Koning(in) of both colonies: Aruba and Netherlands Antilles. |
| New Zealand, Cook Islands, Niue | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Administrator of the Government, presently Sian Elias |
| Norway | King, styled Norges Konge | Constitutional monarchy | Harald V | Also king of Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, and Svalbard. |
| Oman | Sultan | Absolute sultanate | Qaboos |
| Papua New Guinea | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Sir Paulias Matane |
| Qatar | Emir | Absolute emirate | Hamad bin Khalifa | formerly Hakim Qatar "Ruler of Qatar", from 3-9-1971: Amir Dawlat Qatar "Emir of the State of Qatar" |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Sir Cuthbert Sebastian |
| Saint Lucia | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Dame Pearlette Louisy |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Ralph Gonsalves |
| Saudi Arabia | King styled Malik but also The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (خادم الحرمين الشريفين), i.e. Protector of the Holy Cities | Absolute monarchy | Abdullah | Saudi Arabia was unified in 1932. |
| Solomon Islands | King/Queen | Commonwealth Realm | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Sir Nathaniel Waena |
| Spain | King/Queen | Constitutional monarchy | Juan Carlos I | Also King of the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, and holds the title King of Jerusalem. Monarchy was restored in 1975. |
| Swaziland | King (also Indovuzaki (lit. She-Elephant) or Queen Mother) | Absolute monarchy | Mswati III (and Ntombi) | Currently democratizing. |
| Sweden | King/Queen, styled Konung/Drottning | Constitutional monarchy | Carl XVI Gustaf | Act of Succession revised in 1979 to allow for female monarchs. |
| Thailand | King | Constitutional monarchy | Bhumibol Adulyadej | incorrectly known as Rama, actually the name of the dynasty |
| Tonga | King/Queen | Constitutional monarchy | Taufa'ahau Tupou IV | the traditional Polynesian style of Tu'i Tongo, still the dynasty's birthright, was superseded by the western royal style in 1865, i.e. before the British protectorate |
| Tuvalu | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. The Monarch is represented by a Governor-General, presently Filoimea Telito |
| United Arab Emirates | President | Constitutional federation | Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan | Position formally elected amongst the seven rulers of the Trucial states, de facto always from premier state Abu Dhabi. |
| United Kingdom | King/Queen | Constitutional Monarchy | Elizabeth II | Commonwealth Realm. Also Sovereign of Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, and the non-sovereign states Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands. |
| Vatican City (Holy See) | Supreme Pontiff, more commonly "Pope" | Absolute theocracy | Benedict XVI | electoral (by Cardinals in conclave), sovereign Prince of the church |
Not only are the Monarchs of constitutive monarchies part of the federal establishment of both present elective monarchies (Malaysia, mainly sultanates, and the UAE, so named after its emirates), in many other modern states -often republics- tribal and other traditional states persist, with a dynasty that retains a court and often local prestige and influence; some are officially installed with the consent of the official government (as some of the many in Indonesia- waiting for the go-ahead can mean years of vacancy on the throne), other merely condoned, or even in exile.
In many countries that are legally
republics, an heir to the throne is recognized by the royalist part of the
nation. A list of such countries is available in the
pretender article.
*
List of monarchies*
Abolished monarchies*
Family as a model for the state*
Feudalism*
Monarch*
Monarchism*
Theocracyspecific monarchies
*
Canadian Monarchy*
Australian Monarchy*
New Zealand Monarchy*
British Monarchy*
Cokossian Monarchy*
Dutch monarchy*
Emperor of Japan*
Indonesian Monarchies*
King of Ireland*
Kotokolian Monarchy*
Monarchies of Ethiopia*
List of Nigerian traditional states*
Monarchies of Burma*
Tenkodogo Monarchy*
Wogodogo Monarchy*
The Monarchist*
The Monarchist League*
Theodore's Royalty and Monarchy Site*
RoyalArk*
WorldStatesmen- by present country
