A monarchy is a form ofgovernment in which sovereignty is actually or nominally embodied in one or several

individual(s) reigning until death or abdication. They are called the monarchs.[1]Forms of monarchy differ widely
based on the level of legal autonomy the monarch holds in governance, the method of selection of the monarch,
and any predetermined limits on the length of their tenure. When the monarch has no or few legal restraints in
state and political matters, it is called an absolute monarchy and is a form ofautocracy. Cases in which the
monarch's discretion is formally limited (most common today) are called constitutional monarchies. In hereditary
monarchies, the office is passed through inheritance within a family group, whereas elective monarchies use some
system of voting. Each of these has variations: in some elected monarchies only those of certain pedigrees are
eligible, whereas many hereditary monarchies impose requirements regarding the religion, age, gender, mental
capacity, and other factors. Occasionally this might create a situation of rival claimants whose legitimacy is subject
to effective election. Finally, there have been cases where the term of a monarchs reign is either fixed in years or
continues until certain goals are achieved: an invasion being repulsed, for instance. Thus there are widely
divergent structures and traditions defining monarchy.

Richard I of England being anointed during his coronation in Westminster Abbey, from a 13th-century chronicle.

Monarchy was the most common form of government until the 19th century, but it is no longer prevalent. Where it
exists, 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. Currently, 44 sovereign nations in the world have monarchsacting as heads of state, 16 of
which areCommonwealth realms that recognise Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state. All European
monarchies are constitutional ones, with the exception of the Vatican City, but sovereigns in the smaller states
exercise greater political influence than in the larger. The monarchs of Cambodia, Japan, and Malaysia "reign, but
do not rule" although there is considerable variation in the degree of authority they wield. Although they reign under
constitutions, the monarchs of Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Swaziland appear to continue to exercise
more political influence than any other single source of authority in their nations, either by constitutional mandate
or by tradition.
Contents
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1 Etymology

3 Characteristics and role

2 History

3.1 Powers of a monarch

3.2 Person of monarch

3.3 Role of monarch

3.4 Titles of monarchs

3.5 Dependent monarchies

4 Succession

4.1 Hereditary monarchies

4.2 Elective monarchies

5 Current monarchies

6 See also

7 Notes and references

8 External links

Etymology[edit]
The word "monarch" (Latin: monarcha) comes from the Greek language word, monrkhs (from
monos, "one, singular", and rkh, "to rule" (compare arkhon, "leader, ruler, chief")) which
referred to a single, at least nominally absolute ruler. In current usage the word monarchy usually refers to a
traditional system of hereditary rule, as elective monarchies are rare nowadays.

History[edit]