Monarchy

Monarchy is a form of government where a single person, known as a monarch, serves as the head of state within the parameters of laws or traditions. Monarchs may be autocrats (as in all absolute monarchies) or may be ceremonial figureheads, exercising only limited or no reserve powers at all, with actual authority vested in a parliament or other body (as in many constitutional monarchies).

Types of Monarchy

Monarchies can be broadly categorized into two types: absolute monarchy and constitutional monarchy.

Absolute Monarchy

In an absolute monarchy, the monarch holds supreme autocratic authority, principally not being restricted by written laws, legislature, or customs. These are often hereditary monarchies.

Constitutional Monarchy

A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises authority in accordance with a constitution. Constitutional monarchies range from countries such as Morocco, where the monarch holds significant powers, to countries like Japan and Sweden, where the monarch has no significant constitutional role.

Monarchy in Different Cultures

Monarchy was the most common form of government until the 19th century. It is now usually a constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch retains a unique legal and ceremonial role, but exercises limited or no official political power: under the written or unwritten constitution, others have governing authority.

See Also

• List of current sovereign monarchs
• List of current constituent monarchs
• List of current pretenders
• Monarchism

References

Monarchy Resources
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