Monarch
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A monarch is a head of state[1][2] for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power in the state, or others may wield that power on behalf of the monarch. Usually a monarch either personally inherits the lawful right to exercise the state's sovereign rights (often referred to as the throne or the crown) or is selected by an established process from a family or cohort eligible to provide the nation's monarch. Alternatively, an individual may proclaim oneself monarch, which may be backed and legitimated through acclamation, right of conquest or a combination of means.
If a young child is crowned the monarch, then a regent is often appointed to govern until the monarch reaches the requisite adult age to rule. Monarchs' actual powers vary from one monarchy to another and in different eras; on one extreme, they may be autocrats (absolute monarchy) wielding genuine sovereignty; on the other they may be ceremonial heads of state who exercise little or no direct power or only reserve powers, with actual authority vested in a parliament or other body (constitutional monarchy).
A monarch can reign in multiple monarchies simultaneously. For example, the 15 Commonwealth realms are all separate sovereign states, but share the same monarch through personal union.
Characteristics
Monarchs, as such, bear a variety of titles –
Monarchy is political or sociocultural in nature, and is generally (but not always) associated with hereditary rule. Most monarchs, both historically and in the present day, have been born and brought up within a royal family (whose rule over a period of time is referred to as a dynasty) and trained for future duties. Different systems of succession have been used, such as proximity of blood (male preference or absolute), primogeniture, agnatic seniority, Salic law, etc. While traditionally most monarchs have been male, female monarchs have also ruled, and the term queen regnant refers to a ruling monarch, as distinct from a queen consort, the wife of a reigning king.
Some monarchies are non-hereditary. In an
In recent centuries, many states have abolished the monarchy and become
A form of government may, in fact, be hereditary without being considered a monarchy, such as a family dictatorship.
Classification
Monarchies take a wide variety of forms, such as the two
Succession
Hereditary succession within one
The system of tanistry practiced among Celtic tribes was semi-elective and gave weight also to ability and merit.[6][7]
The
As the average life span increased, the eldest son was more likely to reach majority age before the death of his father, and primogeniture became increasingly favored over proximity, tanistry, seniority, and election.
In 1980, Sweden became the first monarchy to declare equal primogeniture, absolute primogeniture or full cognatic primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, whether female or male, ascends to the throne.[8] Other nations have since adopted this practice: Netherlands in 1983, Norway in 1990, Belgium in 1991, Denmark in 2009, and Luxembourg in 2011.[9][10] The United Kingdom adopted absolute (equal) primogeniture on April 25, 2013, following agreement by the prime ministers of the sixteen Commonwealth Realms at the 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.[11]
In some monarchies, such as Saudi Arabia, succession to the throne usually first passes to the monarch's next eldest brother and so on through his other brothers, and only after them to the monarch's children (agnatic seniority). In some other monarchies (e.g., Jordan), the monarch chooses who will be his successor within the royal family, who need not necessarily be his eldest son.
Whatever the rules of succession, there have been many cases of a monarch being overthrown and replaced by a usurper who would often install his own family on the throne.
History
Monarchs in Africa
A series of
In the
Central and Southern Africa were largely isolated from other regions until the modern era, but they did later feature kingdoms like the Kingdom of Kongo (1400–1914).
The Zulu people formed a powerful Zulu Kingdom in 1816, one that was subsequently absorbed into the Colony of Natal in 1897. The Zulu king continues to hold a hereditary title and an influential cultural position in contemporary South Africa, although he has no direct political power. Other tribes in the country, such as the Xhosa and the Tswana, have also had and continue to have a series of kings and chiefs (namely the Inkosis and the Kgosis) whose local precedence is recognised, but who exercise no legal authority.
As part of the Scramble for Africa, seven European countries invaded and colonized most of the African continent.[12]
Currently, the African nations of
Monarchs in Europe
Within the Holy Roman Empire different titles were used by nobles exercising various degrees of sovereignty within their borders (see below). Such titles were granted or recognised by the emperor or pope. Adoption of a new title to indicate sovereign or semi-sovereign status was not always recognized by other governments or nations, sometimes causing diplomatic problems.
During the nineteenth century, many small monarchies in Europe merged with other territories to form larger entities, and following
As of 2022[update], in Europe there are twelve monarchies: seven
).Monarchs in Asia
In China, before the abolition of the monarchy in 1912, the
In Korea, Daewang (great king), or Wang (king), was a Chinese royal style used in many states rising from the dissolution of
The Japanese monarchy is now the only monarchy to still use the title of Emperor.
In modern history, between 1925 and 1979, Iran was ruled by two emperors from the
Thailand and Bhutan are like the United Kingdom in that they are constitutional monarchies ruled by a king. Jordan and many other Middle Eastern monarchies are ruled by a Malik and parts of the United Arab Emirates, such as Dubai, are still ruled by monarchs.
In
Under
In the
Tibet was a monarchy since the Tibetan Empire in the 6th century. It was ruled by the Yuan dynasty following the Mongol invasion in the 13th century and became an effective diarchy with the Dalai Lama as co-ruler. It came under the rule of the Chinese Qing dynasty from 1724 until 1912 when it gained de facto independence. The Dalai Lama became an absolute temporal monarch until the annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China in 1951.
Nepal was a monarchy for most of its history until becoming a federal republic in 2008.
Monarchs in the Americas
The concept of monarchy existed in the Americas long before the arrival of European colonialists.[13][14] 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.[15]
Pre-colonial titles that were used included:
- Borinquen
- Nahuas
- Ajaw – Maya
- Qhapaq Inka – Tawuantin Suyu(Inca Empire)
- Morubixaba – Tupi tribes
- Sha-quan – King of the world used in some Native American tribes
The first local monarch to emerge in North America after colonization was
Between 1931 and 1983 nine other previous British colonies attained independence as kingdoms. All, including Canada, are in a personal union relationship under a shared monarch. Therefore, though today there are legally ten American monarchs, one person occupies each distinct position.
In addition to these sovereign states, there are also a number of sub-national ones. In Bolivia, for example, the Afro-Bolivian king claims descent from an African dynasty that was taken from its homeland and sold into slavery. Though largely a ceremonial title today, the position of king of the Afro-Bolivians is officially recognized by the government of Bolivia.
| Male title | Female title | Realm | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor | Empress | Empire | |
| King | Queen | Kingdom | Haiti (1811–1820), Brazil (1815–1822), Canada, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Saint Kitts and Nevis |
Monarchs in Oceania
Polynesian societies were ruled by an ariki from ancient times. The title is variously translated as "supreme chief", "paramount chief" or "king".
The Kingdom of Tahiti was founded in 1788. Sovereignty was ceded to France in 1880 although descendants of the Pōmare dynasty claim the title of King of Tahiti.
The
An independent Kingdom of Rarotonga was established in 1858. It became a protectorate of the United Kingdom at its own request in 1893.
Seru Epenisa Cakobau ruled the short-lived Kingdom of Fiji, a constitutional monarchy, from 1871 to 1874 when he voluntarily ceded sovereignty of the islands to the United Kingdom. After independence in 1970, the Dominion of Fiji retained the British monarch as head of state until it became a republic following a military coup in 1987.
Australia, New Zealand (including the Cook Islands and Niue), Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu are sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations that currently have Charles III as their reigning constitutional monarch.
The Pitcairn Islands are part of the British Overseas Territories with Charles III as the reigning constitutional monarch.
Tonga is the only remaining sovereign kingdom in Oceania. It has had a monarch since the 10th century and became a constitutional monarchy in 1875. In 2008, King George Tupou V relinquished most of the powers of the monarchy and the position is now largely ceremonial.
In New Zealand the position of Māori King was established in 1858. The role is largely cultural and ceremonial and has no legal power.
have non-sovereign elective monarchs.See also
References
- ^ "monarch". Oxford Dictionaries. 2014. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014.
- ISBN 0-395-96214-5
- ^ "The Holy Roman Empire - Qualifications". Heraldica. Archived from the original on 2017-12-29. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
- ^ Marathe, Om (2019-08-03). "Explained: Malaysia is the world's only monarchy of its kind. Here's why". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
- ^ Nicholson, Harold (1952). King George the Fifth: his life and reign. London: Constable.
- ^ BROWNE, J., ed. (1838). History of the Highlands & of the Highland Clans. Glasgow.
- ^ Hadfield, Andrew; Maley, Willy (1997). Edmund Spenser. A View of the State of Ireland. From the first printed edition (1633). Oxford.
- ^ SOU 1977:5 Kvinnlig tronföljd, p. 16.
- ^ "Overturning centuries of royal rules". BBC News. 28 October 2011. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
- ^ "New Ducal succession rights for Grand Duchy". luxtimes.lu. 11 December 2017. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Emma.Goodey (2016-03-17). "Succession". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
- ^ Davies, Catriona (12 August 2010). "Colonialism and the 'scramble for Africa'". CNN. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ Canada: History Archived 2007-02-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ferguson, Will; The Lost Kingdom; Macleans, October 27, 2003 [dead link]
- ^ Margaret Knight Sypniewska. "Courtly Lives - Four Indian Kings". Angelfire. Archived from the original on 2019-08-09. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
- ^ TiCam (27 September 2006). "17 October: Death of Dessalines". haitiwebs.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ L Gomes. 1889: como um imperador cansado, um marechal vaidoso e um professor injustiçado contribuíram para a o fim da monarquia e programação da republica no Brasil. Globo Livros. 2013.
Sources
- Girard, Philippe R. (2011). The Slaves Who Defeated Napoleon: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian War of Independence 1801–1804. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press. ISBN 978-0-8173-1732-4.
- Schutt-Ainé, Patricia (1994). Haiti: A Basic Reference Book. Miami, Florida: Librairie Au Service de la Culture. pp. 33–35, 60. ISBN 978-0-9638599-0-7.
External links
- A Glossary of European Noble, Princely, Royal and Imperial Titles
- Regnal Chronologies King lists worldwide (archived 14 November 2007)
- Archontology
- African Kingdoms Imperial Throne Leadership and Enthronements (archived 25 December 2018)
