monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held by one person, either officially or ceremonially.

In a monarchy, one person rules the government, and no human is above them in power. The ruler of a monarchy is called a monarch, and their position is nearly always hereditary, meaning that a member of their family will inherit their position when they die or willingly give up their power (known as abdicitation).

Throughout history, monarchies have been a relatively common form of government. The ancient Egyptian pharaohs, the Roman and Chinese emperors, and the large number of European kings and queens ruled over monarchies.

There are two major types of monarchies:

• In an absolute monarchy, the supreme ruler has total, unlimited power. Nobody can tell them what to do, and they can order their people to do anything they want. This form of monarchy was more common in the past than it is today. Some examples of modern countries with this form of monarchy are Swaziland and Saudi Arabia.
• In a limited monarchy or constitutional monarchy, the supreme ruler has limits on what they are actually able to do. Usually, their power is determined by a written constitution or a governing body that can restrain the actions they want to do. Of the monarchies that still exist today, most of them are limited monarchies, including those found in the United Kingdom and Norway.

The first records of the word monarchy come from around 1300. It ultimately comes from the Greek monarchía. Actual monarchies are much older than this, with the early Sumer and Egyptian monarchies beginning thousands of years ago.

For most monarchies throughout history, a ruler’s power was believed to have been given to them by God or another divine being. Interestingly, this was true in many kingdoms across the world, regardless of culture or religion. This went a long way to preventing rebellions or uprisings.

There are around 44 countries led by monarchies today, the majority of which are constitutional monarchies. Most modern monarchs have traditional or ceremonial positions and have little to no power to actually control the government.

Japan’s Yamato dynasty claims to be the world’s oldest monarchy that still survives today. According to Japanese legends, the Yamato have ruled since the 500s. The current Japanese emperor, Akihito, claims to be the 125th emperor in Japanese history and a direct descendent of the legendary first emperor of Japan, Jimmu.

Monarchies are one of the types of government that still exist today.

Is it too late for us to start a monarchy in the US?

— bert kreischer (@bertkreischer) January 4, 2021

I would really like to sit around and watch high quality, historical series about monarchies a la The Crown, Victoria and The Great.

— hailey alcaraz (@alcarazbooks) January 3, 2021

• monarch
• government
• power
• kingdom
• empire
• sultanate
• pharaoh
• divine right of kings

In a monarchy, supreme power is held by:

A. one person
B. a council of elders
C. a parliament
D. a family