List of current monarchies
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This is a list of current monarchies. As of 2024, there are 43 sovereign states in the world with a monarch as head of state. There are 13 in Asia, 12 in Europe, 9 in the Americas, 6 in Oceania, and 3 in Africa.[a]
Types of monarchy
These are the approximate categories which present monarchies fall into:[citation needed]
- Commonwealth realms. King Charles III is the monarch of fifteen Commonwealth realms (Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom). They evolved out of the British Empire into fully independent states within the Commonwealth of Nations that retain the same King as head of state, unlike other Commonwealth countries that are either dependencies, republics or have a different royal house. All fifteen realms are constitutional monarchies and full democracies, where the King (or his representative) legally possesses vast prerogatives, but fulfills a largely ceremonial role.
- Other European constitutional monarchies. Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden are fully democratic states in which the monarch has a limited, largely, or entirely ceremonial role.
- Andorra is unique among all existing monarchies, as it is a diarchy, with the Co-Princeship being shared by the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell. This arrangement creates a unique situation among monarchies, as
- neither Co-Prince is of Andorran descent,
- one is elected by common citizens of a foreign country (France), but not by Andorrans as they cannot vote in the French Presidential Elections,
- the other, the bishop of Urgell, is appointed by a foreign head of state, the Pope.
- Andorra is unique among all existing monarchies, as it is a diarchy, with the Co-Princeship being shared by the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell. This arrangement creates a unique situation among monarchies, as
- European mixed monarchies. minister of state, government counciland judges.
- Muslim monarchies. Absolute monarchs remain in Brunei, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates and are classified as mixed, meaning there are representative bodies of some kind, but the monarch retains most of his powers. Malaysia and Morocco are constitutional monarchies, but their monarchs still retain more substantial powers than in European equivalents.
- East and Southeast Asian constitutional monarchies. French Colonial Empire, which was deposed after the Khmer Rougecame into power. The monarchy was subsequently restored in the peace agreement of 1993.
- Other sovereign monarchies. Four monarchies do not fit into one of the above groups by virtue of geography or class of monarchy: Tonga, Eswatini, Lesotho and Vatican City. Of these, Lesotho and Tonga are constitutional monarchies, while Eswatini and Vatican City are absolute monarchies.
- Eswatini is increasingly being considered a diarchy. The King, or Ngwenyama, rules alongside his mother, the Ndlovukati, as dual heads of state originally designed to be checks on political power. The Ngwenyama, however, is considered the administrative head of state, while the Ndlovukati is considered the spiritual and national head of state, a position which has become largely symbolic in recent years.
- The Roman Catholic Church and Bishop of Rome; he is an elected rather than hereditary ruler. The Pope need not be a citizen of the territory prior to his election by the cardinals.
- Non-sovereign monarchies. A kingdoms of Uganda are examples of these.[2]
Lines of succession
Some of the extant sovereign monarchies have lines of succession that go back to the medieval period or antiquity:
- The Post-Angkor Period" (15th/16th centuries). A real unified kingdom of Cambodiafirst came to existence in 802. The monarchy in Cambodia was abolished between 1970 and 1993.
- There exist several suggestions on a possible line of succession in the Danish monarchy from the late 7th century and until Gorm the Old, but none of these suggestions have so far won universal acceptance. Most monarchs in Denmark since the 940s have been descendants of Gorm the Old's father Harthacnut and all monarchs in Denmark since 1047 have been descendants of titular Queen Estrid Svendsdatter. A formal law of succession was not adopted in Denmark until 1665.
- Japan, considered a constitutional monarchy under the Imperial House of Japan, is traditionally said to have originated with the mythical Emperor Jimmu. The first verifiable historiographical evidence begins with Emperor Kinmei in the 6th century. It is the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world.[3]
- The House of Ynglingis given a partly legendary line of succession from earlier petty kings in historiographical tradition. Far from all monarchs of Norway since the 930s have been descendants of Harald Fairhair: at least seven or eight Norwegian kings from the period c. 970 – 1859 were not descendants of Harald Fairhair.
- The Catholic Monarchs (via the House of Habsburg), ultimately combining the lines of succession of Castile and León and Aragon, realms established in the 10th to 11th centuries in the course of the Reconquista, via the Kingdom of Asturias claiming descent from the Visigothic Kingdom (which, originally ruled by the Thervingikings, had become elective in the 6th century). The monarchy of Spain was abolished twice in the 19th and 20th centuries (1873–1874 and 1931–1947) and replaced by republics.
- The monarchs of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms 6th century; the Scottish throne with descent from Pictish kingswho likewise enter the historical record around the 6th century.
Current monarchies
Monarchy | Official local name(s) | Title of Head of State | Monarch | Title of Head of Government | Type of monarchy | Succession | Current constitution |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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In Catalan: Principat d'Andorra | Co-Princes
|
Joan-Enric Vives Emmanuel Macron |
Prime Minister
|
Parliamentary | Ex officio
|
1993 |
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In English: Antigua and Barbuda | King | Charles III | Hereditary | 1981 | ||
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In English: Commonwealth of Australia | King | Charles III | 1901 | |||
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In English: Commonwealth of the Bahamas | King | Charles III | 1973 | |||
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In Arabic: Mamlakat al- Baḥrayn | King | Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa | Semi-constitutional | 2002 | ||
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In Dutch: Koninkrijk België In French: Royaume de Belgique In German: Königreich Belgien |
King[b] | Philippe | Parliamentary | Hereditary[b] | 1831 | |
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In English: Belize | King | Charles III | Hereditary | 1981 | ||
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In Dzongkha: Druk Gyal Khap | Dragon King | Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck | Semi-constitutional | 2007 | ||
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In Malay: Negara Brunei Darussalam | Sultan
|
Hassanal Bolkiah | Sultan
|
Absolute | 1959 | |
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In Khmer: Preăh Réachéanachâk Kâmpŭchéa | King | Norodom Sihamoni | Prime Minister | Parliamentary | Hereditary and elective | 1993 |
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In English and French: Canada | King | Charles III | Hereditary | 1982 | ||
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In Danish: Kongeriget Danmark In Faroese: Kongsríki Danmark In Greenlandic: Kunngeqarfik Danmarki |
King | Frederik X | 1849 | |||
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In Swazi: Umbuso weSwatini In English: Kingdom of Eswatini |
King
|
Mswati III | Absolute | Hereditary and elective | 1968 | |
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In English: Grenada | King | Charles III | Parliamentary | Hereditary | 1974 | |
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In English: Jamaica | King | Charles III | 1962 | |||
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In Japanese: 日本国 (Nippon-koku/Nihon-koku) | Emperor | Naruhito | 1947 | |||
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In Arabic: al-Mamlakah al-Urdunīyah al-Hāshimīyah | King
|
Abdullah II | Semi-constitutional | Hereditary and elective | 1952 | |
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In Arabic: Dawlat al-Kuwait | Emir | Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah | 1962 | |||
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In Sotho: Muso oa Lesotho In English: Kingdom of Lesotho |
King
|
Letsie III | Parliamentary | 1993 | ||
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In German: Fürstentum Liechtenstein | Sovereign Prince | Hans-Adam II | Semi-constitutional | Hereditary | 1862 | |
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In Luxembourgish : Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg
|
Grand Duke | Henri | Parliamentary | 1868 | ||
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In Malay: Malaysia | Yang di-Pertuan Agong
|
Ibrahim Iskandar | Parliamentary & Federal | Elective | 1957 | |
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In French: Principauté de Monaco In Monégasque: Principatu de Múnegu |
Sovereign Prince
|
Albert II | Minister of State | Semi-constitutional | Hereditary | 1911 |
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In Arabic: al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiyya In Berber: Tageldit n Lmaɣrib In English: Kingdom of Morocco |
King | Mohammed VI | Prime Minister | 1631 | ||
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In Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden In West Frisian: Keninkryk fan de Nederlannen |
King | Willem-Alexander | Parliamentary | 1815 | ||
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In English: New Zealand In Māori: Aotearoa |
King | Charles III | 1907 | |||
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In Northern Sami : Norgga gonagasriika
|
King | Harald V
|
1814 | |||
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In Arabic: Salṭanat ‘Umān | Sultan
|
Haitham bin Tariq | Sultan
|
Absolute | 1996 | |
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In English: Independent State of Papua New Guinea In Tok Pisin: Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini In Hiri Motu: Papua Niu Gini |
King | Charles III | Prime Minister | Parliamentary | 1975 | |
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In Arabic: Dawlat Qaṭar | Emir | Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani | Semi-constitutional | 2004 | ||
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In English: Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis | King | Charles III | Parliamentary | 1983 | ||
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In English: Saint Lucia | King | Charles III | 1979 | |||
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In English: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | King | Charles III | 1979 | |||
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In Arabic: Al-Mamlakah al-Arabiyah as-Sa'ūdiyah | King | Salman | Prime Minister | Absolute | Hereditary and elective | 1992[c] |
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In English: Solomon Islands | King
|
Charles III | Prime Minister | Parliamentary | Hereditary | 1978 |
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In Spanish: Reino de España | King | Felipe VI | President of the Government | 1978 | ||
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In Swedish: Konungariket Sverige | King | Carl XVI Gustaf | Prime Minister | 1974 | ||
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In Thai: Ratcha Anachak Thai | King
|
Rama X | 2017 | |||
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In Tonga : Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo TongaIn English: Kingdom of Tonga |
King
|
Tupou VI | Semi-constitutional | 1970 | ||
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In English: Tuvalu | King | Charles III | Parliamentary | 1986 | ||
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In Arabic: Dawlat al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabiyyah al-Muttaḥidah | President | Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | Semi-constitutional & Federal | Hereditary and elective
|
1971 | |
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In English: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland In Scots Gaelic : Rìoghachd Aonaichte Bhreatainn agus Èirinn a Tuath
|
King | Charles III | Parliamentary | Hereditary | No codified constitution | |
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In Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae In Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano |
Pope | Francis | President of the Pontifical Commission
|
Absolute | Elective | 2023 |
In Wallis and Futuna, an overseas territory of France in the South Pacific, there are three chiefdoms, Uvea, Alo and Sigave, whose monarchs are chosen by local noble families.[47] Similarly, Malaysia, which is itself monarchy, also consists of 13 states, 9 of which are monarchies in their own right. Additionally, one of those states, Negeri Sembilan, consists of a number of monarchial chiefdoms.
See also
Notes
- fono (legislature) for five years.[1] Until the death of Malietoa Tanumafili II in 2007, the office was held for life. All office holders have been chosen from the matai(chiefs).
- ^ a b Belgium is the only existing popular monarchy – a system in which the monarch's title is linked to the people rather than a state. The title of Belgian kings is not King of Belgium, but instead King of the Belgians. Another unique feature of the Belgian system is that the new monarch does not automatically assume the throne at the death or abdication of his predecessor; he only becomes monarch upon taking a constitutional oath.
- ^ Basic Law of Saudi Arabia[37][38][39]
References
- ^ Samoa: Government at Commonwealth of Nations website. 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ISBN 9781526100894
- ^ "5 Things to know about Japan's emperor and imperial family". 8 August 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "Europe :: Andorra". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Central America and Caribbean :: Antigua and Barbuda". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^ "Australia-Oceania :: Australia". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^ "Central America and Caribbean :: The Bahamas". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^ "Central America and Caribbean :: Bahrain". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Europe :: Belgium". CIA The World Factbook.
- ^ "Central America and Caribbean :: Belize". CIA The World Factbook.
- ^ "Asia ::Bhutan". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Asia ::Brunei Darussalam". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ISBN 978-1-4597-3505-7.
- ^ "Europe::Denmark". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Africa:: Eswatini". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Central America and Caribbean :: Grenada". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^ "Central America and Caribbean :: Jamaica". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^ "Asia :: Japan". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Asia :: Jordan". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Asia :: Kuwait". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Africa :: Lesotho". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Europe:: Liechtenstein". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Europe:: Luxembourg". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Asia:: Malaysia". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Europe:: Monaco". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Africa:: Morocco". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Europe:: Netherlands". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Australia-Oceania :: New Zealand". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^ "Europe :: Norway". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Asia:: Oman". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Asia :: Papua New Guinea". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^ "Asia:: Qatar". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Central America and Caribbean :: Saint Kitts and Nevis". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^ "Central America and Caribbean :: Saint Lucia". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^ "Central America and Caribbean :: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^ "Asia :: Saudi Arabia". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ Saudi Arabia - ConstitutionArchived 2007-02-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Empty Reforms: Saudi Arabia's New Basic Laws May 1992". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^ http://saudinf.com/main/c541.htm Archived 2000-10-04 at the Wayback Machine The Basic Law - Saudi Arabia Information
- ^ "Europe:: Sweden". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Europe:: Thailand". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Australia-Oceania :: Tonga". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Australia-Oceania :: Tuvalu". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^ "Asia:: United Arab Emirates". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Europe:: United Kingdom". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Europe :: Holy See". CIA The World Factbook. Archived from the original on 2010-07-11. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Wallis and Futuna: Royal dispute sees palace occupied in French territory". BBC News. 14 April 2016.