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monarch

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A monarch (see sovereignty) is a type of ruler or head of state. Monarchs almost always inherit their titles and are rulers for life; that is, they have no term limit. Historically monarchs have been more or less absolute rulers. Modern monarchs are often figureheads who either have power but do not exercise it personally, or have little power. However, there are others with substantial or absolute power. Monarchs usually represent a larger monarchical system which has established rules and customs regarding succession, duties, and powers. A nation ruled by a monarch is called a monarchy. Those arguing against the concept of Monarchy are often, but not always, republicans.

The word "monarch" derives from Greek monos archein, meaning "one ruler," and referred to an absolute ruler in ancient Greece. With time, the word has been succeeded in this meaning by others, like autocrat or dictator, and the word monarch in modern usage almost always refers to a traditional system of hereditary rulership (but see the discussion on elective monarchies below).

Terminology[edit]

Which rulers are considered monarchs today is partially a matter of tradition, so there are no hard and fast rules. There are, however, a number of characteristics that are commonly, though not universally, distinguishing for monarchs:

  • Most monarchs hold their office for life, while most other rulers do not. A monarch may choose to resign his position through abdication, though this is a rare and dramatic practice.
    • Exceptions to this include the French co-prince of Andorra, who is not appointed for life (he is the French President, elected for a five year period by the French people), but still generally considered a monarch because of the use of a traditionally monarchical title. (Though, a purist might regard Andorra as a diarchy.) Similarly, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia is considered a monarch although only holding the office five years at a time. On the other hand, several life-time dictators around the world have not been considered monarchs.
  • Most monarchs are raised within a royal family where they are taught to expect and obey their future "duties", and they are, formally or informally, succeeded upon their death or abdication by members of their own family, usually their eldest son or eldest child. As a result, most stable monarchies have a long legacy of rule by a single family or bloodline.
    • Elective monarchies, such as Malaysia, are exceptions, as is the Vatican City (the Pope bears the title "Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City"). Also, the practice is not totally uncommon in systems which are not considered monarchical, such as family dictatorships. It is also arguable by this definition that the Supreme Leader of Iran could be considered an elected absolute monarch. Historical elective monarchs include the Polish king and the Holy Roman Emperor.
  • Most monarchs hold titles that are traditional among monarchs (see below). While this is a fairly arbitrary characteristic, it might just be the best distinction between monarchs and non-monarchs at the moment.

Types[edit]

Monarchy is the form of government involving a monarch. It can be an absolute, a traditional, or a constitutional monarchy, and constitutional monarchies may even restrict the powers of the monarch to the point where he or she is little more than a near-powerless figurehead. A traditional monarchy implies that although the monarch has relatively unlimited power, they are kept in check by traditions, a weak constitution, and/or a lower ruling class like medieval barons and dukes. The word monarchy can also be used about a country which has such a system. Normally however, such countries identify themselves more narrowly depending on the actual title used by the monarch – e.g., as a kingdom, grand duchy, or principality.

Elective monarchies were once common, although only a very small portion of the population was eligible to vote. As the impact of the feudal system diminished, many monarchs were eventually allowed to introduce hereditary succession, guaranteeing that the title and office will stay within the family. Today, almost all monarchies are hereditary monarchies in which the monarchs come from one royal family with the office of sovereign being passed from one family member to another upon the death or abdication of the incumbent. Existing elective monarchies include Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the Holy See. The former system of the election of the doge in Venice is also widely known.

A sovereign is the monarch of a sovereign state. Although non-sovereign states have often had monarchs historically (not least within the Holy Roman Empire), all European monarchs since 1918 have been sovereigns. Outside Europe there still exist several monarchs of subnational entities however, most notably in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. A more obscure example is that of Kings of the French Wallis and Futuna territory. In a few cases a monarch is associated with a particular group (or nation) within a state, such as Tuheitia Paki of the Māori (the Māori King) and Osei Tutu II of the Ashanti.

European monarchical titles[edit]

In Europe, a monarch may traditionally bear any of several titles. Each of these titles has a male and female version (except the pope). The female versions are used not only in the case that the monarch is female, but also for wives of monarchs (when there is need to distinguish between the two cases, terms like Queen regnant and Queen consort are used). The converse is not true however: the husband of a queen regnant is not automatically a king (e.g. the Duke of Edinburgh is not King Philip of the United Kingdom).

There is a misconception that female rulers are a peculiarly modern phenomenon and that this has led to more frequent use of the gender-neutral word monarch. In fact, the historical record and also known facts about many pre-historical cases show that there have been many female rulers throughout the past in a wide variety of cultures. Some pre-historical agricultural societies appear to have started with female monarchs and only later changed to succession by males.

The normal monarch title in Europe – i.e., the one used if the monarch has no higher title – is Prince (counterpart Princess), by convention. It was a common title within the Holy Roman Empire, along with a number of higher titles listed below. Such titles were granted by the Emperor, while the titulation of rulers of sovereign states was generally left to the discretion of themselves, most often choosing King (counterpart Queen). Such titulations could cause diplomatic problems, and especially the elevation to Emperor (counterpart Empress) was seen as an offensive action. During the 19th and 20th centuries most small monarchies in Europe disappeared to form larger entities, and so King has become the most common title today for male rulers, and Queen for female rulers.

Male version Female version Realm Latin Examples
Emperor Empress Empire Imperator Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Bulgaria (Tsar), Russia (Tsar),Serbia (Tsar), France, Austria, Brazil, German Empire (none left in Europe after 1918), Empress of India (ceased to be used after 1947 when India was granted independence from the British Empire). The Japanese monarchy is now the only monarchy to still use the title.
Pope n/a* Papacy Papa Monarch of the Papal States and later Sovereign of the State of Vatican City
King Queen Kingdom Rex (Regina) Common in larger sovereign states
Viceroy Vicereine Viceroyalty Proconsul Historical: Spanish Empire (Peru, New Spain, Rio de la Plata, New Granada), Portuguese Empire (India, Brazil), British Empire
Grand Duke Grand Duchess Grand duchy Magnus Dux Today: Luxembourg. Historical: Lithuania, Baden, Finland, Tuscany et al.
Archduke Archduchess Archduchy Arci Dux Historical: Unique only in Austria, Archduchy of Austria. Title used for member of the Habsburg dynasty.
Prince Princess Principality, Princely state Princeps Today: Monaco, Liechtenstein, Wales; Andorra(Co-Princes). Historical: Serbia
Duke Duchess Duchy Dux  
Count Countess County Comes Most common in the Holy Roman Empire, translated in German as Graf. Historical: Barcelona, Brandenburg, Baden, numerous others.
Baron Baroness Barony Baro There are normal baronies and sovereign baronies. A sovereign barony can be compared with a principality, however, this is an historical exception. Sovereign barons no longer have a sovereign barony, but only the title and style.
Marquess Marchioness
Earl Earl Earldom

*Since the pope is Bishop of Rome, a celibate office forbidden to women, there is no female equivalent. Legends of female popes (see Pope Joan) refer to them as "pope." Some European languages have a feminine form of the word pope, such as the Italian papessa (to papa) or French papesse (to pape) or German Päpstin (to Papst) or English Popess, used, among other things, for the second trump in the Tarot deck.

Note that some of these titles have several meanings and do not necessarily designate a monarch. A Prince can be a person of royal blood (some languages uphold this distinction, see Fürst). A Duke can be a British peer. In Imperial Russia, a Grand Duke was a son or grand-son of the Tsar. Holders of titles in these alternative meanings did not enjoy the same status as actual monarchs of the same title.

Within the Holy Roman Empire, there were even more titles that were occasionally used for monarchs although they were normally noble; Margrave, Count Palatine, Landgrave. An actual monarch with such low titles still was regarded more important than a noble Duke.

Today, there are seven kingdoms, one grand duchy, one papacy, and two principalities in Europe, excluding the peculiar case of Andorra.

Monarchical titles in use by non-monarchs[edit]

Template:UnreferencedTemplate:original research It is not uncommon that people who are not generally seen as monarchs nevertheless use monarchical titles. There are four cases of this:

  • Claiming an existing title, challenging the current holder. This has been very common historically. For centuries, the British monarch used, among his other titles, the title King of France, despite the fact that he had no authority over French territory since the fifteenth century. Such as any one of the numerous antipopes who have claimed the Holy See.
  • Retaining the title of an extinct monarchy. This can be coupled with a claim that the monarchy was in fact never, or should never have been, extinct. An example of the first case is the Prince of Seborga. Examples of the second case are several deposed monarchs or otherwise pretenders to thrones of abolished monarchies, e.g., Leka, Crown Prince of Albania who is styled by some as the "King of The Albanians." Retaining the title of an extinct monarchy can, however, be totally free of claims of sovereignty, for example it was customary of numerous European Monarchies to include "King of Jerusalem" in their full titles. When it comes to deposed monarchs, it is customary to continue the usage of their monarchical title (e.g., Constantine II, King of the Hellenes) as a courtesy title, not a constitutional office, for the duration of their lifetime. However the title then dies with them and cannot be used by anyone else unless the crown is restored constitutionally. (Some republicans take offense at this custom, in spite of the fact that the same courtesy is often given to former republican heads of state too – a former U.S. president is usually styled "Mr. President" for the rest of his life.) Monarchs who have freely abdicated lose their right to use their former title. However where a monarch abdicated under duress (e.g., Michael I of Romania), it is customary to see the abdication as invalid and to treat them as deposed monarchs entitled to use their monarchical style for their lifetime.
  • Inventing a new title. This is common by founders of micronations, and also may or may not come with a claim of sovereignty. When it does, it is disregarded by state leaders. A notable example is Paddy Roy Bates, styling himself the "Prince of Sealand," but not recognized as such by any national government, thus failing at least the constitutive condition for statehood (see Sealand for a fuller discussion of his claims).

Monarchical titles in the Americas[edit]

The concept of monarchy existed in the Americas long before the arrival of European colonialists.[1][2] When the Europeans arrived they referred to these tracts of land within territories of different aboriginal groups to be kingdoms, and the leaders of these groups were often referred to by the Europeans as Kings, particularly hereditary leaders.[3]

Pre-colonial titles that were used included:

Indigenous monarchical titles died out as European colonization spread across the continents. The European terms of King, Queen, and Emperor were used; however, though the colonies were within the sovereignty of monarchs, the monarchical titles were established in their home country in Europe. The first local monarch to emerge in North America after colonialization was Augustin I, who declared himself Emperor of Mexico in 1822. Mexico again had an emperor, Maximilian I from 1863 to 1867. In South America, Brazil had an indigenous emperor between 1822 and 1889, under Emperors Pedro I and Pedro II.

These American emperors were deposed due to complex issues, including pressure from the highly republican United States, which had declared itself independent of the British monarch in 1776. The British, worried about US colonial expansion, invasion following the American Civil War, and the fact that the US had aided the Mexican republican rebels in overthrowing Maximilian I, pushed for the union of the Canadian provinces into a country in 1867. With Confederation, Canada became a self-governing nation which was considered a kingdom in its own right,[4] though it remained subordinate to the United Kingdom; thus, Victoria was monarch of Canada, but not sovereign of it. It was not until the passing of the Statute of Westminster that Canada was considered to be under a distinct Canadian Crown, separate to that the British, and not until 1953 that the Canadian monarch, at the time Elizabeth II, was titled by Canadian law as Queen of Canada.

Between 1931 and 1981 nine other previous British colonies attained independence as kingdoms, all, including Canada, in a personal union relationship under a shared monarch. Therefore, though today there are legally ten American monarchs, one person occupies each distinct position.

Title Female counterpart Realm Latin Examples
King Queen Kingdom Rex(Regina) Canada, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Emperor Empress Empire Imperator Brazil, Mexico

Other monarchical titles[edit]

Template:Cleanup In China, "king" is the usual translation for the term wang 王, which designated the sovereign before the Qin dynasty and during the Ten Kingdoms period. During the early Han dynasty, China had a number of small kingdoms, each about the size of a county and subordinate to the Emperor of China.

When a difference exists, male titles are placed to the left and female titles are placed to the right of the slash.

By region[edit]

General monarch titles[edit]

Succession[edit]

Succession from one monarch to another varies from country to country. Traditionally, hereditary succession within members of one family has been most common. The usual hereditary succession is based on some cognatic principles and on seniority, though sometimes merit has played a part. Thus, the most common hereditary system in feudal Europe was based on cognatic primogeniture, where a lord was succeeded by his eldest son, and failing sons, by either daughters or by sons of daughters. The system of tanistry was semi-elective and gave weight also to merits and capability. The Quasi-Salic succession provided firstly for male members of the family to succeed, and secondarily males descended from female lines. In most feudal fiefs, females (such as daughters and sisters) were allowed to succeed, should the male line fail, but usually the husband of the heiress became the real lord and most often also received the title, jure uxoris. Great Britain and Spain today continue this model of succession law, in the form of cognatic primogeniture. In more complex medieval cases, the sometimes conflicting principles of proximity and primogeniture battled, and outcomes could have been idiosyncratic.

As the average life span among the nobility increased (thanks to lords limiting their personal participation in dangerous battles, and generally improved sustenance and living conditions among the wealthy), an eldest son was more likely to reach majority age before the death of his father, and primogeniture became increasingly favoured over proximity, tanistry, seniority and election.

Later, when lands were strictly divided among noble families and tended to remain fixed, agnatic primogeniture (practically the same as Salic Law) became more usual: the succession would go to the eldest son of the monarch, or, if the monarch had no sons, the throne would pass to the nearest male relative through the male line, to the total exclusion of females.

In some countries however, inheritance through the female line was never wholly abandoned, so that if the monarch had no sons, the throne would pass to the eldest daughter and to her posterity. (This, cognatic primogeniture, was the rule that let Elizabeth II become Queen.)

In 1980, Sweden became the first monarchy to declare equal primogeniture or full cognatic primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, whether male or female, ascends to the throne. [5] Other kingdoms (the Netherlands in 1983, Norway in 1990, and Belgium in 1991) have since followed suit.

In some monarchies, such as Saudi Arabia, succession to the throne usually first passes to the monarch's next eldest brother, and only after that to the monarch's children (agnatic seniority). In some other monarchies (e.g. Jordan), the monarch chooses who will be his successor, who need not necessarily be his eldest son.

Current monarchs[edit]

NOTE: The table comprises all sovereign monarchs of the world today, but is severely incomplete with regard to the non-sovereign monarchs.

Template:update

Name Born Title Since Succession Successor
Bhumibol Adulyadej 1927 King of Thailand 1946 Maha Vajiralongkorn
Elizabeth II 1926 Queen of Antigua and Barbuda
Queen of Australia
Queen of the Bahamas
Queen of Barbados
Queen of Belize
Queen of Canada
Queen of Grenada
Queen of Jamaica
Queen of New Zealand
Queen of Papua New Guinea
Queen of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Queen of Saint Lucia
Queen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Queen of the Solomon Islands
Queen of Tuvalu
Queen of the United Kingdom 		1952 Cognatic primogeniture The Prince of Wales
Hassanal Bolkiah 1946 Sultan of Brunei 1967 Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah
Goodwill Zwelethini 1948 King of the Zulus (in South Africa) 1968
Qaboos 1940 Sultan of Oman 1970
Margrethe II 1940 Queen of Denmark 1972 Cognatic primogeniture Crown Prince Frederik
Carl XVI Gustaf 1946 King of Sweden 1973 Equal primogeniture Crown Princess Victoria
Ahmad Shah 1930 Sultan of Pahang (in Malaysia) 1974 Hereditary
Hamad ibn Muhammad ash-Sharqi 1949 Emir of Fujairah (one of the United Arab Emirates) 1974
Juan Carlos I 1938 King of Spain 1975 Hereditary The Prince of Asturias
Ismail Petra Sultan of Kelantan (in Malaysia) 1979 Hereditary
Beatrix 1938 Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 1980 Equal primogeniture The Prince of Orange
Alhaji Muhammadu Kabir Usman ? Emir of Katsina (in Nigeria) 1981
Rashid ibn Ahmad Al Mu'alla 1930 Emir of Umm al-Qaiwain (one of the United Arab Emirates) 1981
Iskandar 1932 Sultan of Johor (in Malaysia) 1981 Hereditary
Humayd ibn Rashid Al Nuaimi 1931 Emir of Ajman (one of the United Arab Emirates) 1981
Mswati III 1968 King of Swaziland 1982
Sultan III ibn Muhammad al-Qasimi 1939 Emir of Sharjah (one of the United Arab Emirates) 1987
Andrew Bertie 1929 Prince Great Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta 1988 Election by a council
Hans-Adam II 1945 Prince of Liechtenstein 1989 Hereditary Hereditary Prince Alois
Akihito 1933 Emperor of Japan 1989 Crown Prince Naruhito
Harald V 1937 King of Norway 1991 Equal primogeniture Crown Prince Haakon Magnus
Muwenda Mutebi 1955 King of Buganda (in Uganda) 1993
Albert II 1934 King of the Belgians 1993 Equal primogeniture The Duke of Brabant
Solomon Gafabusa Iguru 1949 King of Bunyoro-Kitara (in Uganda) 1994
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani 1950 Emir of Qatar 1995 Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani
Jacques Chirac 1932 French Co-prince of Andorra 1995 Election by the French people (term ends in 2007) None
Letsie III 1963 King of Lesotho 1996
Al-Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Sultan of Terengganu (in Malaysia) 1998 Hereditary
Abdullah II 1962 King of Jordan 1999 Choice by predecessor Prince Hussein
Mohammed VI 1963 King of Morocco 1999 Prince Moulay Hassan
Henri 1955 Grand Duke of Luxembourg 2000 Agnatic primogeniture Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume
Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj Sultan of Selangor (in Malaysia) 2001 Hereditary
Joan Enric Vives Sicília 1949 Episcopal Co-prince of Andorra 2001 Appointed None
Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin 1943 Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia) 2001 Election among local monarchs The Sultan of Terengganu, if rotation is upheld
Raja of Perlis (in Malaysia) 2000 Hereditary
Gyanendra 1947 King of Nepal 2001 Crown Prince Paras
Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah 1950 King of Bahrain 2002 Shaikh Salman
Norodom Sihamoni 1953 King of Cambodia 2004 Election by 9-member "throne council"
Tomasi Kulimoetoke II ,

Soane Patita Maituku , Visesio Moeliku ,

1918 Lavelua of Wallis and Futuna

(a French territory in the Pacific Ocean)

2004 3 traditional monarchs of Wallis and Futuna. Chosen by tribe commission - official ruler is the Administrator-Superior of Wallis and Futuna and the President of the Territorial Assembly of Wallis and Futuna
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan 1948 Emir of Abu Dhabi, President and Sheikh of United Arab Emirates 2004
Albert II of Monaco 1958 Prince of Monaco 2005 Primogeniture Princess Caroline of Monaco
Pope Benedict XVI 1927 Pope of the Roman Catholic Church (Sovereign of the State of Vatican City) 2005 Election by College of Cardinals Election by College of Cardinals upon death
Abdullah 1924 King of Saudi Arabia 2005 Election by family Crown Prince Sultan
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum 1949 Emir of Dubai (one of the United Arab Emirates) 2006
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah 1929 Emir of Kuwait 2006
George Tupou V 1948 King of Tonga 2006 Hereditary 'Aho'eitu 'Unuaki'otonga Tuku'aho
Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck 1980 King of Bhutan 2006
Al-Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin 1962 Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia) 2006 Election among local monarchs

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

This article contains content from Wikipedia. Current versions of the GNU FDL article Monarch on WP may contain information useful to the improvement of this article WP
  1. ↑ Canada: History
  2. ↑ Ferguson, Will; The Lost Kingdom; Macleans, October 27, 2003
  3. ↑ The Four Indian Kings
  4. ↑ The Crown in Canada
  5. ↑ SOU 1977:5 Kvinnlig tronföljd, p.16.
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