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A monarch (see Sovereign ) 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 with 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 . 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). POSSIBLE DEFINITIONS OF THE TERM 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:
DIFFERENT TYPES OF MONARCHS Monarchy is the Form Of Government involving a monarch. It can be either Absolute or Constitutional , 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 , which is a common modern practice. 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 Europe an 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 Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu of the Māori (the Māori Queen ) and Osei Tutu II of the Ashanti . EUROPEAN MONARCHICAL TITLES In Europe, a monarch may traditionally bear any of several titles. Each of these titles has a male and female version. 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 is not ''King Philip of the United Kingdom''). There is an Urban Legend 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.
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 It is not uncommon that people who are not generally seen as monarchs nevertheless use monarchical titles. There are four cases of this:
OTHER MONARCHICAL TITLES In China , "king" is the usual translation for the term ''wang'', 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
General monarch titles
SUCCESSION 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 has based on some cognatic principles and on seniority, though also merits have influenced. 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 male members of the family to succeed, and secondarily males also from female lines. In most feudal fiefs, females (such as daughters and sisters) were allowed to succeed, brothers failing, but usually the husband of the heiress became the real lord and most often also got title, jure uxoris. Great Britain and Spain are today continuing this old model of succession law, in 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 increased (lords limited their own participation in dangerous battles, and society's more wealthy had increasingly better sustenance and living conditions, which improved general health among princes), primogeniture began to win the battle against 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 the most usual: succession going to the eldest son of the monarch; if the monarch had no sons, the throne would pass to the nearest male relative through male line. Some countries however accepted female rulers early on, so that if the monarch had no sons, the throne would pass to the eldest daughter. (This, ''cognatic primogeniture'', was the rule that let Elizabeth II become Queen.) In 1980 , Sweden became the first European monarchy to abolish this preference for males altogether, declaring ''equal primogeniture'' or ''full cognatic primogeniture'', so that the eldest child of the monarch now ascends to the throne, be that child male or female. Other kingdoms ( Norway in 1990 , Belgium in 1991 and the Netherlands ) have followed. In some monarchies, e.g. Saudi Arabia , succession to the throne has passed to the monarch's next eldest brother, and only to the monarch's children after that (= 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 ''NOTE: The table comprises all sovereign monarchs of the world today, but is severely incomplete with regard to the non-sovereign monarchs.'' SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |