In a/an _____, the government is ruled by a sovereign such as a king or empress.

A monarchy is a form of government in which a single leader rules a given nation for life. The general term for this leader is a monarch, whose formal title is usually King, though titles including Queen, Amir, Emperor/Empress, and Sultan are also used. While a select few monarchs are democratically elected, the overwhelming majority inherit their position from a relative (usually a parent) who was the previous monarch. The term "monarchy" can refer to either a country's government ("This kingdom is ruled by a monarchy") or to the country itself ("This kingdom is a monarchy"). Monarchies were the dominant form of government from the earliest periods of recorded history clear up to the 1900s, but are increasingly uncommon today, and those that do remain have often diluted the monarch's power.

While most democratic heads of state, such as presidents and prime ministers, are elected and can only serve a limited number of years, monarchies tend to operate differently. The king (or sultan, etc.) holds their position permanently, only giving it up when they die, step down, or (in very rare instances) commit some egregious violation of their limited rules. When this happens, the role almost always passes to a son, daughter, or other relative. As such, the only way to become the monarch in most cases is to be related as closely as possible to the existing monarch and wait for them to vacate the position one way or another. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many monarchs and heirs throughout history have either died under mysterious circumstances or been murdered outright by family members next in line for the throne.

Types of monarchy

Monarchies exist in many forms. In absolute monarchies, the monarch has complete power, with no checks or balances to their authority. However, most modern monarchies are limited monarchies, in which the power of the monarch is limited by laws, a constitution, and/or a more democratic governmental body such as a parliament. Limited monarchies can be further broken down into several sub-types such as a constitutional monarchy, a mixed monarchy, or a federal monarchy. As a result of these variations, the role and power of the modern monarch varies from country to country. While a few monarchs are still the undisputed rulers of their nations, many are essentially ceremonial figureheads with little political power. For example, England's King Charles III is the Head of State and commands great wealth, prestige, and respect—however, the country is actually ruled by Parliament and its the Head of Government, the Prime Minister. A full list of the world's monarchies are in the table below, including the type of monarchy and the current monarch.

The United Kingdom: The most well-known monarchy in the world

The monarchy that the majority of people are most familiar with is that of the United Kingdom. As the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Queen Elizabeth II was a prime example of a monarch. Elizabeth was born into the royal family on 21 April 1926 and assumed the throne on 6 February 1952, at the age of 25. She reigned as queen until her death on 8 September 2022 (at age 96), a total of 70 years and 214 days, which ranks as the longest reign of any British monarch and of any female head of state in the world.

Upon Elizabeth's death, the role of monarch passed down the line of succession to her eldest son, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, who was installed as King Charles III on 8 September, 2022. As the heir apparent to the throne, Charles was already well known throughout the world, as were his sons Prince William, Prince of Wales; and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex; as well as Charles' late ex-wife, Princess Diana Spencer, and his current spouse, Camilla Parker Bowles. Although Elizabeth II also has three other children—Princess Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, the Duke of York; and Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex—Charles' eldest son, Prince William, is now next in line for the throne according to the rules of succession.

Functionally speaking, the U.K. is what is known as a constitutional monarchy, which operates under the guidance of a constitution that restricts the monarch from making decisions independently. Constitutional monarchies are often combined with some type of representative democracy, such as the U.K.'s Parliament and Prime Minister, which handles the bulk of the governance.

This is a favorite story line to show how cruel a king (or a sultan or emperor) can be. The rules in this type of government are pretty clear. Whatever the ruler says, goes. Of course, many people have had different ideas about how the ruler should govern, and those beliefs support totally different types of government. The rules shape the government's legitimacy, or the degree to which the people accept the authority of the government.

Rule by Man

Countries whose citizens are governed by the absolute decisions of the ruler have not necessarily been unhappy. A government whose king or queen rules justly and wisely may enjoy a great deal of legitimacy as long as the ruler's authority is accepted. Sometimes people may accept their leader because they are afraid of the consequences if they don't. In the words of Machiavelli, "It is better to be feared than loved." As long as the feared ruler is seen as bringing about prosperity or protecting the lives of his subjects, it is entirely possible that his people will be happy.

An absolute ruler may be accepted because the people believe or accept the idea that God gave him/her the right to rule. This belief is known as divine right, which often has been associated with a monarchy, a form of government in which the power of the king or queen is hereditary. A similar idea legitimized the Chinese emperor, whose rule was threatened if his subjects perceived that he had lost the "mandate of heaven."

Rule by man can also take the shape of an oligarchy, or rule by a few elites whose right to rule is based on possession of wealth, social status, military position or achievement. A little more broadly based rule is by aristocracy (literally, "rule of the highest"), but if the type of government is "rule by man", their decisions are still arbitary and absolute.

Rule by Law

Rule by law exists in any political system in which those with power cannot make up all their own rules, but must follow an established code of law. In ancient times a Byzantine emperor established Justinian's Code, a set of laws named after him that lived on long after he died. We still follow parts of that code today. The Romans were also known for codifying laws, as was Napoleon, Emperor of France, many centuries later.

Today most governments at least claim to be ruled by law. The most common indication is the existence of a written constitution, but the most important question to ask is whether or not the constitution actually is the "blueprint" that determines how and what policies are made. For example, Nigeria officially is a democracy with a written constitution that one dictator after another has ignored. On the other hand, Great Britain has never had a constitution as a single written document, but has for centuries been governed by law. For much of their history, the English had a limited monarchy, or a king or queen who has followed rule of law.

So whether a king can order "off with his head!" depends on the type of government that is accepted in his country. If he sets the rules (rule by man), or if the accepted outside rules allow (rule by law), the victim doesn't have a chance.

What is a government ruled by a king called?

What is a government of absolute rule called?

Which system of government that the supreme power is in the hands of king or queen?

What country is ruled by a monarchy?