Explore limited monarchy. Learn the definition of limited monarchy and understand its development in different countries. See examples of limited monarchies.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Limited Monarchy Definition, Types & Examples
Table of Contents
- What is a Limited Monarchy?
- Development of Limited Monarchies
- Limited Monarchy Pros and Cons
- Types of Limited Monarchy
- Limited Monarchy Examples
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a monarchy and a limited monarchy?
A monarchy is a government with a nobleman or noblewoman as the head of state. A limited monarchy is a special type of monarchy where the political power of the monarch is limited.
How does a limited monarchy work?
A limited monarchy usually works by having the power of the monarch curtailed in some fashion by the people that he or she governs. Usually, the monarch is the head of state, not the head of the government.
What does limited monarchy mean?
A limited monarchy is a monarchy where the power of the monarch is limited by a constitution or other document. In other words, the monarch can not do whatever he wants.
What is an example of limited monarchy?
Sweden is an example of a limited monarchy. The head of government is an elected prime minister, but the Swedish king or queen is the symbolic head of state.
Table of Contents
- What is a Limited Monarchy?
- Development of Limited Monarchies
- Limited Monarchy Pros and Cons
- Types of Limited Monarchy
- Limited Monarchy Examples
- Lesson Summary
A monarchy is a government that is lead by a nobleman or noblewoman, usually one who inherits his or her position. Types of monarchs include: kings, queens, emperors, and empresses. Traditionally, most monarchs have had no checks on their power. This means that they could do whatever they wanted without opposition. These types of monarchs were called absolute monarchs.
However, people grew dissatisfied with absolute monarchs and found ways to check their powers. This is when limited monarchies came into being. Limited monarchies are monarchies where the power of the monarch is limited in some way, usually by a constitution or similar document. A monarchy which has its power limited by a constitution is called a constitutional monarchy.
Most of the monarchies that exist in the world today are limited monarchies. The UK, for example, is a limited monarchy.
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England
Europe was once controlled by many powerful absolute monarchs. One of the first challenges to the power of absolute monarchy occurred in England during the 13th century. A number of English lords became fed up with how King John was abusing his power, so in 1215, they forced him to sign a document known as the Magna Carta. This document limited the king's powers and defined which rights the people of England had. The Magna Carta was one of the most important documents in history and had a profound effect on the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Despite the existence of the Magna Carta, the power of the English monarch remained relatively strong until the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the ascension of King William and Queen Mary to the throne. The English Bill of Rights further limited the monarch's power. From this year onward, the power of the English monarch continued to wane gradually. Today, the king or queen of England has only ceremonial powers.
France
The power of the French monarchy never faced any real challenges until the French Revolution of 1789. As a result, the monarchy was overthrown and the king was executed. The monarchy was restored twice during the 19th century, but was permanently abolished after the abdication of Napoleon III in 1870. Today, France is a republic.
Japan
The power of the Japanese emperor has long been curtailed by the Samurai ruling class. However, up until World War II, the emperor of Japan still had an enormous amount of cultural, social, and political power that he regularly exercised. After the American occupation in 1945, the US government forced a new constitution on Japan. This constitution relegated the role of the emperor to a strictly ceremonial one.
Most of the other monarchies in the world today have similar stories of a gradual or abrupt reduction in the powers and roles of their monarchies. There are only a few absolute monarchies left in the world today. One of these is Brunei.
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Pros of Limited Monarchy
One of the major pros of a limited monarchy is that it prevents too much power from being imbued in any one person. This prevents the monarch from becoming tyrannical or doing things that harm the country. Constitutional monarchies lead to the development of democracy and democratic institutions that enhance the security and unity of the nation.
Usually, absolute monarchies are guilty of major human rights violations. A limited monarchy lessens the government's power to infringe on basic human and civil rights.
Additionally, some pro-monarchists argue that limited monarchies help to preserve the institution of monarchy. They maintain that absolute monarchies are more likely to be overthrown and replaced by republics than limited monarchies.
Cons of Limited Monarchy
The main con of a limited monarchy is that the people are usually not allowed to choose their monarch. Monarchs usually inherit their position from one of their parents. Another con is that limiting the monarch's power may also limit his or her effectiveness, leading to a slow and costly form of government.
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Executive Monarchy
An executive monarchy is a limited monarchy where the monarch has some political power beyond his ceremonial role. Europe contains two good examples of executive monarchies: Monaco and Liechtenstein. Both of these countries are principalities. This means that they are lead by a prince. The princes of these two tiny nations wield a great deal of political power. One of the explanations for the continued existence of this power is the small population and the relative good behavior of the princes with regard to respecting human rights and ensuring good government.
Ceremonial Monarchy
A ceremonial monarchy, which is the most common type of limited monarchy, limits the power of the monarch to purely ceremonial roles. This includes opening parliament, making visits to hospitals, presiding over ceremonies, and hosting diplomats. However, even in limited monarchies, the monarch enjoys certain privilege, such as royal prerogatives and sovereign immunity. A royal prerogative is a minor power given to the monarch, such as the right to give out certain awards. Sovereign immunity means that the monarch can not be arrested or sued.
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In addition to the countries listed above, here is a short list of some other limited monarchies that exist in the world today:
- Sweden - Sweden is located in northern Europe. It is one of the Scandinavian countries. Sweden has a king or queen as its head of state, but the monarch has no real power.
- Denmark - Denmark is also one of the Scandinavian countries. Its monarchy acts just like the one in Sweden.
- Norway - Norway is the third Scandinavian country to have a monarchy. The existence of monarchies in these three countries is largely due to the lack of tyrannical rulers in the nations' past.
- The Netherlands - The Netherlands is located in northwestern Europe. It is one of the only nations in the world to be ruled by three successive women, all queens. The first king of the Netherlands was William I of the House of Orange.
- Luxembourg - Luxembourg is also located in northwestern Europe. Its monarch is a duke. A duke is a lower-ranking nobleman than a king or a prince. One of the reasons Luxembourg has a duke as its leader instead of a king is its small size.
- Spain - Spain is located on the Iberians Peninsula. It once had one of the most powerful monarchies in Europe. However, today, the Spanish king has almost no real political authority.
- Thailand - Thailand is located in southeast Asia. Unlike his counterparts in Europe, the Thai king is an executive monarch. In other words, he retains some real power, such as the power to pardon criminals.
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A limited monarchy is a monarchy where the monarch's power is controlled by law. Another name for a limited monarchy is a constitutional monarchy. There are two basic kinds of limited monarchies: executive monarchies and ceremonial monarchies. Executive monarch retains some political power, while ceremonial monarchs do not.
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Video Transcript
What Is a Limited Monarchy?
Let's say for a minute that you want a certain person to be a king because he's a good leader or because he gives your country a sense of stability, but you don't trust that person to act in the best interests of the country.
So you force that person to accept certain laws that will restrict the ruler's powers. The rules might be something as simple as 'the king has to get parliament's permission to declare war' or as controlling as 'the queen has no legal right to propose, vote on, or enforce laws.' That's what limited monarchy is. Or you could think of it like this: a limited monarchy, or constitutional monarchy, is when a nation has a king or queen but their power is limited by the country's constitution.
How Did They Come About?
There are many different ways that limited monarchy developed in countries. It did develop, too. Almost all monarchies began with rulers who had absolute, or nearly absolute, power. In some countries, like England, nobles took advantage of the decentralized system of feudalism to gain more power and then band together to force the king to give up his power.
In other kingdoms, like Japan or Napoleon's France, a king started a war that nearly ruined the country. In that case, the winners allowed the royal family to keep ruling but put restrictions on him. World War II was devastating to all monarchies in Europe both because of the war and because of the damage one man, Hitler, had been able to do as the absolute ruler of Germany. Most monarchic nations adopted a limited monarchy.
Executive Monarchy
An executive monarchy is a limited monarchy where the ruler is the head executive officer like our President of the United States. He might have control of the military or the ability to veto a law, but his powers are balanced by the legislative and judicial branches of government. Some monarchs are elected like in Monaco, ancient Rome, or the Holy Roman Emperor, but most inherit their titles.
Ceremonial Monarchy
A ceremonial monarchy is a limited monarchy that's practiced in the United Kingdom and Japan. Both countries have a prime minister that's the head of the executive branch of government, leaving the Queen and Emperor, respectively, as public figureheads.
Ceremonial monarchs often have a government stipend and other vague powers like royal prerogative, limited times and places where they have authority, or sovereign immunity, which is the idea they aren't responsible for any laws they break. Their unusual status isn't exercised often or irresponsibly, though. With no power in the government, those powers could be stripped away at any time if they were.
Lesson Summary
Limited monarchy, or constitutional monarchy, is a recent kind of government. It's the idea that the monarchy can remain but is either kept in check by judicial and legislative bodies or has been stripped of all its original governmental powers. Limited monarchy is the result of many different circumstances, but basically means that the people of a country have realized they don't trust any one person with running the government. It's a form of government that's widespread throughout the world in two forms, the executive and ceremonial monarchy.
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