A Monarch is the person who heads a monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which all political power is absolutely or nominally lodged with an individual or individuals. As a political entity, the monarch is the head of state, generally until their death or abdication, and "is wholly set apart from all other members of the state." The person who heads a monarchy is called a, a form of government A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized in order to exert its powers over a house in the congress body politic. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government" in which a country or entity is usually ruled or controlled by an individual who normally rules for life A life tenure or lifetime tenure is a term of office that lasts for the office holder's lifetime, unless the office holder is removed from office under extraordinary circumstances. Judges and certain members of some senates or upper chambers most commonly have life tenure. The primary goal of life tenure is to insulate the officeholder from or until abdication Abdication is the act of renouncing and resigning from a formal office, especially from the supreme office of state. In Roman law the term was also applied to the disowning of a family member, as the disinheriting of a son. The term commonly applies to monarchs, or those who have been formally crowned. A similar term for an elected or appointed. Monarchs may be autocrats An autocracy is a form of government in which one person possesses unlimited power. An autocrat is a person ruling with unlimited authority. The term autocrat is derived from the word autokratōr (αὐτοκράτωρ, lit. "self-ruler", or "one who rules by himself"). It is distinct from oligarchy ("rule by the few") (absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government where the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, thus wielding political power over the sovereign state and its subject peoples. In an absolute monarchy, the transmission of power is two-fold, hereditary and marital; as absolute governor, the) or may be ceremonial Sometimes, a ceremony may only be performed by a person with certain authority. For example, the opening of the United Kingdom Parliament is presided over by the Sovereign . A captain or a higher-ranked naval officer usually supervises the naming and launching of a warship. A wedding is performed by a priest or a Civil Celebrant, as in Australia heads of state Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes personifying the continuity and legitimacy of the state and exercising the political powers, functions and duties who exercise little or no power or only reserve power In a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government, a reserve power is a power that may be exercised by the head of state without the approval of another branch of the government. Unlike a presidential system of government, the head of state is generally constrained by the cabinet or the legislature, and most reserve powers are usable, with actual authority Authority, from the Latin word auctoritas, means invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. Essentially authority is imposed by superiors upon inferiors either by force of arms or by force of argument (sapiential authority). Usually authority has components of both compulsion and persuasion. For this reason, as used in Roman law, authority vested in a parliament A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French parlement, the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which such a discussion took place. It acquired or other body (constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a written , unwritten (i.e., uncodified) or blended constitution. It differs from absolute monarchy in that an absolute monarch serves as the sole source of political power in the state and is not legally bound by any constitution).

Most states only have a single monarch at any given time, although a regent A regent, from the Latin regens "that who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated may rule when the monarch is a minor The term minor is used to refer to a person who is under the age in which one legally assumes adulthood and is legally granted rights afforded to adults in society. Depending on the jurisdiction and application, this age may vary, but is usually marked at either 12, 16, 18, 20, or 21. Specifically, the status of minor is defined by the age of, not present, or otherwise incapable of ruling. Two monarchs have ruled simultaneously in some countries, as in the ancient Greek city-state A polis -- plural: poleis (πόλεις, pronunciation [pól.eːs], ['pɒl.eɪz] in English) -- is a city, a city-state and also citizenship and body of citizens. When used to describe Classical Athens and its contemporaries, polis is often translated as "city-state." of Sparta Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c. 650 BC it rose to become the dominant military land- or the joint sovereignty of spouses or relatives (e.g. William William III was a sovereign Prince of Orange by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland, and as William II over Scotland. He is informally known in Northern Ireland and Scotland as & and Mary Mary II was Queen regnant of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1689 until her death. Mary, a Protestant, came to the thrones following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of her Roman Catholic father, James II and VII. Mary reigned jointly with her husband and first cousin, William III and II, who became the sole ruler of of Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England and Wales. It had a land border with the Kingdom of and Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland was a state in North-West Europe which existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England, with which it was united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, under the terms of the Acts of Union, in 1707. Since 1482,, Peter Peter I the Great or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov (9 June [O.S. 30 May] 1672 – 8 February [O.S. 28 January] 1725) ruled Russia and later the Russian Empire from 7 May [O.S. 27 April] 1682 until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his weak and sickly half-brother, Ivan V and Ivan Ivan V Alekseyevich Romanov was a joint tsar of Russia (with his younger half-brother Peter I) who co-reigned between 1682 and 1696. He was the youngest son of Alexis I of Russia and Maria Miloslavskaya. His reign was only formal, since he had serious physical and mental disabilities. He sat still for hours at a time and needed assistance in order of Russia The Tsardom of Rus' was the official type of government and name for the Russian state between Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 and Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721, Charles Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1506 until his abdication in 1556. At that time his realm, which has been described as "the empire on which the sun never sets", spanned nearly 4 million square kilometers across Europe, the Far East, and the Americas and Joanna Joanna (November 6, 1479 – April 12, 1555), called Joanna the Mad (Juana La Loca) reigned as Queen of Castile jointly with her husband Philip the Handsome and later also as Queen of Aragon jointly with her son the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. She is most famous for having been obsessed with her husband, never recovering from his loss. She was of Castile The Crown of Castile, as an historic entity, is usually considered to have begun in 1230 with the third and almost definitive union of the monarchies of kingdoms Castile and Toledo in one hand, and the kingdoms of Leon and Galicia in other hand, and with the union of their parliaments a few decades later. In 1217, Ferdinand III was crowned King of, etc.).

Monarchs have various titles — king A king is a head of state, who may or may not, depending on the style of government of a nation, exercise monarchal powers over a nation, usually called a kingdom or a realm. A king is the second highest sovereign title, only looking up to an emperor. The female equivalent of king is queen; although the term "queen" may refer to one or queen A queen regnant is a qualifying reference to a female monarch (queen) possessing and exercising all of the monarchical powers of a ruler, in contrast to a "queen consort", who is the wife of a male reigning as monarch and who is without any official powers of state, prince Prince, from French "Prince" , is a general term for a monarch, for a member of a monarchs' or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in some members of Europe's highest nobility. The feminine equivalent is a princess or princess Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters (e.g. Sovereign Prince of Monaco The Reigning Prince or Princess of Monaco is the sovereign monarch and head of state of the Principality of Monaco. All Princes or Princesses thus far have taken the name of the House of Grimaldi, but have belonged to various other houses in male line. The current Prince is Albert II), emperor An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the female equivalent. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor (empress consort) or a woman who rules in her own right (empress regnant). Emperors and empresses are generally recognized to be above or empress An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the female equivalent. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor (empress consort) or a woman who rules in her own right (empress regnant). Emperors and empresses are generally recognized to be above (e.g. Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. He is also the highest authority of the Shinto religion. Under Japan's present constitution, the Emperor is the "symbol of the state and the unity of the people," and is a ceremonial figurehead in a, Emperor of India Emperor/Empress of India was used as a title by the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II, and revived by the colonial British monarchs during the British Raj in India), Shah of Iran What is known as the Iranian monarchy went through many transformations over the centuries, from the days of the Persian Empire to the establishment of the modern day Persia, Iran, or duke A duke is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy. The title comes from the Latin Dux Bellorum, a term that ancient Roman chroniclers used to describe tribal Germanic and Celtic war leaders or grand duke The title grand duke is used in Western Europe and particularly in Germanic countries for provincial sovereigns. Grand duke is of a protocolary rank below a king but higher than a sovereign duke. Grand duke is also the usual and established translation of grand prince in languages which do not differentiate between princes who are children of a (e.g. Grand Duke of Luxembourg The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the sovereign monarch and head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it was elevated from a duchy when placed in personal union with the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Since then, there have been nine Grand Dukes, including the current incumbent, Henri I). Many monarchs are distinguished by titles A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name . Some titles are hereditary and styles A style of office, or honorific, is a legal, official, or recognized title, in other words a term which by tradition or law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post, or which is used to refer to the political office itself. An honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal capacity. Such styles are particularly associated. They often take part in certain ceremonies, such as a coronation A coronation is a ceremony marking the investiture of a monarch or their consort with regal power, specifically involving the placement of a crown upon his or her head, and the presentation of other items of regalia. This rite may also include the taking of a special vow, acts of homage by the new ruler's subjects, and/or performance of other.

Monarchy are associated with political or sociocultural in nature hereditary rule Under a hereditary monarchy, all the monarchs come from the same family, and the crown is passed down from one member to another member of the family. The hereditary system has the advantages of stability, continuity and predictability, as well as the internal stabilizing factors of family affection and loyalty; most monarchs, both historically and in the modern day, have been born and brought up within a royal family A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning duke, grand duke, or (over a period of time called a dynasty Historians traditionally consider a state's history within a framework of successive dynasties, particularly with such nations as China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire. Much of European political history was dominated, successively and together, by dynasties such as the Carolingians, the Capetians, the Habsburgs, the Stuarts, the) and trained for future duties. Different systems of succession In hereditary monarchies the order of succession determines who becomes the new monarch when the incumbent sovereign dies or vacates the throne. Such orders of succession generally specify a selection process, by law or tradition, which is applied to indicate which relative of the previous monarch, or other person, has the strongest claim to have been used, such as proximity of blood Proximity of blood, or closeness in degree of kinship, is one of the ways to determine hereditary succession based on genealogy. It was at loggerheads with primogeniture in numerous medieval succession disputes, primogeniture Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the first-born to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings. Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females. According to the Norman tradition, the first-born son inherited the entirety of a parent's wealth, estate, title or office and then would, and agnatic seniority Agnatic seniority is a patrilineal principle of inheritance where the order of succession to the throne prefers the monarch's younger brother over the monarch's own sons. A monarch's children succeed only after the males of the elder generation have all been exhausted. Agnatic seniority essentially excludes females of the dynasty and their (Salic law Salic law was a body of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century. Although Salic Law reflects very ancient usage and practices, the Lex Salica likely was first compiled only sometime between 507 and 511). While traditionally most monarchs have been male, female monarchs have also ruled in history; 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 elective monarchy, the monarch is elected but otherwise serves as any other monarch. Historical examples of elective monarchy include the Holy Roman Emperors (chosen by prince-electors but often coming from the same dynasty) and the free election of kings of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Modern examples include the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and the pope of the Roman Catholic Church, who serves as Sovereign of the Vatican City State and is elected to a life term by the College of Cardinals.

Monarchies have existed throughout the world, although in recent centuries many states have abolished the monarchy and become republics. Advocacy of republics is called republicanism, while advocacy of monarchies is called monarchism. The principal advantage of hereditary monarchy is the immediate continuity of leadership, with a usually short interregnum (as illustrated in the classic phrase "The [old] King is dead. Long live the [new] King!").

A form of government may in actual fact be hereditary without being considered monarchy, such as family dictatorship or political families present in some nominally democratic countries.

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Etymology

The word monarch (Latin: monarcha) comes from the Greek μόναρχος (from μόνος, one, singular and ἀρχός, leader, guide, chief) which referred to a single, at least nominally absolute ruler. With time, the word has been succeeded in this meaning by others, such as autocrat or dictator. In modern usage the word monarch is generally used when referring to a traditional system of hereditary rulership, with elective monarchies often considered as exceptions.

Classification

A particular case is the French co-prince of Andorra, a position held by the elected President of France. Nonetheless, he is still generally considered a monarch because of the traditional use of a monarchical title (even though Andorra is, strictly speaking, a diarchy.) Similarly, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia is considered a monarch despite only holding the office for five years at a time. On the other hand, several life-time dictators around the world have not been formally classified as monarchs, even if succeeded by their children, but that may be more to do with international political sensitivities than with semantics.

Succession

Hereditary succession within one family has been most common. The usual hereditary succession is based on some cognatic principles and on seniority, though sometimes merit has played a part. Thus, the most common hereditary system in feudal Europe was based on cognatic primogeniture where a lord was succeeded by his eldest son or, if he had no son, by either daughters or sons of daughters. The system of tanistry was semi-elective and gave weight also to merits and capability.

The Quasi-Salic succession provided firstly for male members of the family to succeed, and secondarily males descended from female lines. In most feudal fiefs, females (such as daughters and sisters) were allowed to succeed, should the male line fail, but usually the husband of the heiress became the real lord and most often also received the title, jure uxoris. Great Britain and Spain today continue this model of succession law, in the form of cognatic primogeniture. In more complex medieval cases, the sometimes conflicting principles of proximity and primogeniture battled, and outcomes were often idiosyncratic.

As the average life span among the nobility increased (thanks to lords limiting their personal participation in dangerous battles, and generally improved sustenance and living conditions among the wealthy), an eldest son was more likely to reach majority age before the death of his father, and primogeniture became increasingly favoured over proximity, tanistry, seniority and election.

Later, when lands were strictly divided among noble families and tended to remain fixed, agnatic primogeniture (practically the same as Salic Law) became more usual: the succession would go to the eldest son of the monarch, or, if the monarch had no sons, the throne would pass to the nearest male relative through the male line, to the total exclusion of females.

In some countries however, inheritance through the female line was never wholly abandoned, so that if the monarch had no sons, the throne would pass to the eldest daughter and to her posterity. (This, cognatic primogeniture, was the rule that let Elizabeth II become Queen.)

In 1980, Sweden became the first monarchy to declare equal primogeniture or full cognatic primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, whether female or male, ascends to the throne.[1] Other kingdoms (the Netherlands in 1983, Norway in 1990, Belgium in 1991 and Denmark in 2009) have since followed suit.

In some monarchies, such as Saudi Arabia, succession to the throne usually first passes to the monarch's next eldest brother, and only after that to the monarch's children (agnatic seniority). In some other monarchies (e.g. Jordan), the monarch chooses who will be his successor, 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 then often install his own family as the ruling monarchy.

History

Further information: Monarchy
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Tigranes the Great, monarch of Armenia from 95 BC to 55 BC

Monarchs in Africa

Further information: Monarchies in Africa Further information: History of Africa

A series of Pharaohs ruled Ancient Egypt over the course of three millennia (circa 3150 BC to 31 BC) until it was conquered by the Roman Empire. In the same time period, several kingdoms flourished in the nearby Nubia region.

Central Africa hosted the Kanem Empire (700 - 1376).

In East Africa, the Aksumite Empire and later the Ethiopian Empire (1270-1974) were ruled by a series of monarchs. Haile Selassie, the last Emperor of Ethiopia, was deposed in a communist coup.

Southern Africa was isolated from other cultures until the modern era, but did later feature kingdoms like the Kingdom of Kongo (1400–1914).

As part of the Scramble for Africa, Europeans conquered, bought, or established African kingdoms and styled themselves as a monarch.

Currently, the African nation of Morocco is a monarchy.

Monarchs in Europe

Queen of United Kingdom Further information: List of current monarchs#European Monarchs, List of current monarchs#Intercontinental monarch, and Monarchies in Europe

Prince was a common title within the Holy Roman Empire, along with a number of higher titles listed below. Such titles were granted by the Emperor, while the titulation of rulers of sovereign states was generally left to their own discretion, most often choosing King or Queen. Such titulations could cause diplomatic problems, and especially the elevation to Emperor or Empress was seen as an offensive action. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries most small monarchies in Europe disappeared, merging to form larger entities, and so King the most common title for male rulers and Queen has become the most common title today for female rulers.

As of 2010[update] in Europe there are twelve monarchies: seven kingdoms, one grand duchy, one papacy, and two principalities, as well as the diarchy of Andorra.

Monarchs in Asia

In China, before the abolition of the monarchy in 1912, the Emperor of China was traditionally regarded as the ruler of "All under heaven". "King" is the usual translation for the term wang 王, the sovereign before the Qin dynasty and during the Ten Kingdoms period. During the early Han dynasty, China had a number of small kingdoms, each about the size of a county and subordinate to the Empress or Emperor of China.

The Japanese monarchy is now the only monarchy to still use the title of Emperor. Between 1925–1979, Iran was ruled by an Emperor that used the title of "Shahanshah" (or "King of Kings" in Persian). Thailand and Bhutan are like the UK in that they are constitutional monarchies ruled by a King. Saudi Arabia and parts of the United Arab Emirates, such as Dubai, are still ruled by monarchs. The Kingdom of Jordan is one of the Middle East's more modern monarchies. Nepal abolished their monarchy in 2008. Sri Lanka had a complex system of monarchies from 543BC to 1815. Between 47BC-42BC Anula of Sri Lanka became the country's first ever female head of state as well as Asia's first head of state.

Monarchs in the Americas

The concept of monarchy existed in the Americas long before the arrival of European colonialists.[2][3] 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.[4] Many of the leaders were queens, but this was not understood by the Europeans, who had no knowledge of the indigenous history or languages, much less an understanding of matrilineality

Pre-colonial titles that were used included:

The first local monarch to emerge in North America after colonization was Augustin I, who declared himself Emperor of Mexico in 1822. Mexico again had an emperor, Maximilian I from 1863 to 1867. In South America, Brazil had a Portuguese royal house ruling as emperor between 1822 and 1889, under Emperors Pedro I and Pedro II.

These American emperors were deposed due to complex issues, including pressure from the highly republican United States, which had declared itself independent of the British monarch in 1776. The British, worried about U.S. colonial expansion, invasion following the American Civil War, and the fact that the U.S. had aided the Mexican republican rebels in overthrowing Maximilian I, pushed for the union of the Canadian provinces into a country in 1867. With Confederation, Canada became a self-governing nation which was considered a kingdom in its own right,[5] though it remained subordinate to the United Kingdom; thus, Victoria was monarch of Canada, but not sovereign of it. It was not until the passing of the Statute of Westminster that Canada was considered to be under a distinct Canadian Crown, separate to that the British, and not until 1953 that the Canadian monarch, at the time Elizabeth II, was titled by Canadian law as Queen of Canada.

Between 1931 and 1983 nine other previous British colonies attained independence as kingdoms, all, including Canada, in a personal union relationship under a shared monarch. Therefore, though today there are legally ten American monarchs, one person occupies each distinct position.

Male Title Female Title Realm Latin Examples
Emperor Empress Empire Imperator (Imperatrix) Brazil, Mexico, Sapa Inca
King Queen Kingdom Rex (Regina) Canada, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Saint Kitts and Nevis

Titles and precedence

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Royal and noble ranks. (Discuss)
For commonly used names for specific monarchs, see List of monarchs by nickname.

The normal monarch title in Europe — i.e., the one used if the monarch has no higher title — is prince or princess, by convention. As an absolute ruler, a monarch can choose a title. However, titles are usually defined by tradition and diplomatic considerations.

Note that some of these titles have several meanings and do not necessarily designate a monarch. A Prince may be a person of royal blood (some languages uphold this distinction, see Fürst). A Duke may be a British peer. In Imperial Russia, a Grand Duke was a son or grandson of the Tsar or Tsarina. Holders of titles in these alternative meanings did not enjoy the same status as the monarchs of the same title.

Within the Holy Roman Empire, there were even more titles that were used occasionally for monarchs although they were normally noble; Margrave, Count Palatine, and Landgrave. A monarch with such a low title was still regarded as more important than a noble Duke.[citation needed]

The table below lists titles in order of precedence. According to protocol any holder of a title of monarchy took precedence over all holders of a lower title. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom was arguably the most powerful monarch of her time, but at banquets was seated below all the Emperors until she took the title of Empress of India.

Male version Female version Realm Adjective Latin Examples
Emperor Empress Empire Imperial Imperator (Imperatrix) Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Russia , First and Second French Empire, Austria, Mexico, Brazil, German Empire (none left in Europe after 1918), Empress of India (ceased to be used after 1947 when India was granted independence from the British Empire), Japan (the only remaining enthroned emperor in the world).
King Queen Kingdom Royal Rex (Regina) Common in larger sovereign states
Viceroy Vicereine Viceroyalty viceroyal Proconsul Historical: Spanish Empire (Peru, New Spain, Rio de la Plata, New Granada), Portuguese Empire, (India, Brazil), British Empire
Grand Duke Grand Duchess Grand Duchy Grand Ducal Magnus Dux Today: Luxembourg; historical: Lithuania, Baden, Finland, Tuscany et al.
Archduke Archduchess Archduchy Archducal Arci Dux Historical: Unique only in Austria, Archduchy of Austria; title used for member of the Habsburg dynasty
Prince Princess Principality, Princely state Princely Princeps Today: Monaco, Liechtenstein; Andorra (Co-Princes). Historical: Albania, Serbia
Duke Duchess Duchy Ducal Dux There are none left currently. Though historical examples include Normandy.
Count Countess County Countly, comital Comes Most common in the Holy Roman Empire, translated in German as Graf; historical: Barcelona, Brandenburg, Baden, numerous others
Baron Baroness Barony Baronial Baro There are normal baronies and sovereign baronies, a sovereign barony can be compared with a principality, however, this is an historical exception; sovereign barons no longer have a sovereign barony, but only the title and style
Pope Females cannot hold the office of Pope Papacy Papal Papa Monarch of the Papal States and later Sovereign of the State of Vatican City

The pope is the Bishop of Rome (a celibate office always forbidden to women), in English however, reports of female popes such as (Pope Joan) refer to them as pope and Popess is used, among other things, for the second trump in the Tarot deck; some European languages also have a feminine form of the word pope, such as the Italian papessa, the French papesse, and the German Päpstin.

Titles by region

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be and removed. (April 2009)

When a difference exists below, male titles are placed to the left and female titles are placed to the right of the slash.

Region Title Description and use
Africa Almami Fulani people of west Africa
Asantehene Ashanti, title of the King of the Ashanti People in Ghana Chieftain Leader of a people Eze Igbo people of Nigeria
Kabaka Baganda people of Buganda in Uganda
Negus Ethiopia
Oba Yoruba people of Nigeria

Oba of Benin (king) of Bini people

Omukama Bunyoro, title of some kings in Uganda
Tutsi Mwami Kings of Rwanda and Burundi
Asia Arasan/Arasi Tamil Nadu(India), Sri Lanka
Chakrawarti Raja India Sri Lanka
Chogyal "Divine Ruler"; ruled Sikkim until 1975
Datu title of leaders of small kingdoms during Ancient Philippines
Druk Gyalpo Hereditary title given to the king of Bhutan
Emperor of China
Engku or Ungku Malaysia, to denote particular family lineage akin to royalty
Gat Honorary title of the leaders in the Philippines
Hari Filipino title for king
Huángdì Imperial China Emperor
Hwangje States that unified Korea
Maha Raja Used in India and Sri Lanka
Meurah Title used in Aceh before Islam
Lakan title used by the rulers of the Kingdom of Tondo (now part of the Philippines)
Padshah Shahinshah Shah Emperor of Iran or Hindustan (India)
Preah Karuna Preah Bat Sâmdech Preah Bâromneath King of Cambodia Khmer , the title literally means "The feet of the Greatest Lord who is on the heads (of his subjects)" (This royal title doesn't refer directly to the king himself but to his feet, according to traditions).[citation needed]
Patabenda Sub- king Sri lanka
Phrabat Somdej Phrachaoyuhua King of Thailand (Siam), the title literally means "The feet of the Greatest Lord who is on the heads (of his subjects)" (This royal title doesn't refer directly to the king himself but to his feet, according to traditions.)[citation needed]
Qaghan Central Asian Tribes
Racha Thailand same meaning as Raja
Raja Malaysia, Raja denotes royalty in Perak and certain Selangor royal family lineages, is roughly equivalent to Prince or Princess.
Raja Nepal King
Raja pre-colonial Philippines
Rani Nepali Queen
Rao or Maharao Used in Indian states
Rawal or Maharawal Used in northern and western India, Yaduvanshis.
Susuhunan or Sunan The Indonesian princely state of Surakarta.
Saopha Shan, king of Shan, today as a part of Myanmar
Sayyid Honorific title given throughout the Islamic regions. Title given to males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Syed/Sharifah in Perlis if suffixed by the royal clan name, is roughly equivalent to Prince or Princess.
Shogun Japanese military dictator, always a Samurai
Sultan Aceh, Brunei Darussalam, Java, Oman, Malaysia, Sultan is the title of seven (Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Selangor, and Terengganu) of the nine rulers of the Malay states.
Sumeramikoto,Okimi Japan, king
Tengku Malaysia, Tengku (also spelled Tunku in Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Kedah is roughly equivalent to Prince or Princess
Tennō or Mikado Japan
Veyndhan, ko/Arasi Tamil Nadu (India)
Wang Pre-Imperial China. In China, "king" is the usual translation for the term wang 王.
Wang The king of Korea that control over all of Korea. It is called 'Im-Geum-nym' or 'Im-Geum'
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Monarch of Malaysia, elected each five years among the reigning Sultan of each Malaysian state
Europe
Arqa/Thagavor Armenian King
Autocrator Greek term for the Byzantine Emperor
Ban Medieval Romania (Wallachia, Oltenia)
Basileus Greek King
Despot Medieval Romania, Serbia (originating from Byzantium)
Domn Medieval Romania (Moldova, Wallachia)
Fejedelem Ancient/Medieval Hungarian
Germanic king
Giray Crimean King
High King of Ireland Also known as Rí, Rúirí, Rí Rúireach and Ard Rí. King, local overking, regional King, and High King in pre-Norman Ireland
Imperator The Ruler of Imperial Russia
Jupan Romania
Kaiser Imperial Germany
Knyaz Kievan Rus'/Serbia/Bulgaria. Generally translated as "prince."
Kralj Croatia, Serbia
Kunigaikshtis (Kunigaikštis) Lithuanian, duke as in Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Mbret Albanian King
Tsar/Tsaritsa Bulgaria, pre-imperial Russia, Serbia
Vezér Ancient Hungarian
Voivode, Voievod Serbian/Hungarian/Romanian Title
Župan Serbia, Croatia
Africa & Middle-East
Pharaoh Ancient Egypt
Shah Persian/Iranian and Afghanistan King
Shahenshah Persian/Iranian "King of Kings" or Emperor
Sheikh Arabic leader, King or Prince (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE)
Malik Arabic King, (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco)
Emir Arabic Prince, (Kuwait, Qatar, UAE)
Sultan/Sultana Arabic King (Oman and Ottoman Empire)
Oceania
Chieftain Leader of a tribe or clan.
Houʻeiki, matai, aliʻi, tūlafale, tavana, ariki Usually translated as "chief" in various Polynesian countries.
Mo'i Normally translated as King, a title used by Hawaiian monarchs since unification in 1810. The last person to hold that title was Queen Lili'uokalani.
Tuʻi or Tui Kings in Oceania: Tonga, Wallis and Futuna, Nauru

Current monarchs

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of current monarchs. (Discuss)
See also: List of current monarchs

NOTE: The table comprises all sovereign monarchs of the world today, but is severely incomplete with regard to the non-sovereign monarchs.

Name Born Title Since Royal House Succession Heir
Azlan Shah 1928 Sultan of Perak (in Malaysia) 1984 Crown Prince Nazrin Shah
Bhumibol Adulyadej 1927 King of Thailand 1946 Chakri Maha Vajiralongkorn
Elizabeth II 1926 Queen of Antigua and Barbuda Queen of Australia Queen of the Bahamas Queen of Barbados Queen of Belize Queen of Canada Paramount Chief of Fiji Queen of Grenada Queen of Jamaica Lord of the Isle of Mann Queen of New Zealand Duke of Normandy (Channel Islands) Queen of Papua New Guinea Queen of Saint Kitts and Nevis Queen of Saint Lucia Queen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Queen of the Solomon Islands Queen of Tuvalu Queen of the United Kingdom 1981 1952 1973 1966 1981 1952 1998 1974 1962 1952 1952 1952 1973 1983 1979 1979 1978 1978 1952 Windsor Cognatic primogeniture The Prince of Wales
Hassanal Bolkiah 1946 Sultan of Brunei 1967 Bolkiah Agnatic primogeniture Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah
Goodwill Zwelethini 1948 King of the Zulus (in South Africa) 1968
Qaboos 1940 Sultan of Oman 1970 Sa'id Hereditary
Margrethe II 1940 Queen of Denmark 1972 Glucksburg Cognatic primogeniture Crown Prince Frederik
Carl XVI Gustaf 1946 King of Sweden 1973 Bernadotte Equal primogeniture Crown Princess Victoria
Ahmad Shah 1930 Sultan of Pahang (in Malaysia) 1974 Hereditary Crown Prince Tengku Abdullah
Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi 1949 Emir of Fujairah (one of the United Arab Emirates) 1974 AL Sharqi Chosen by the Emir Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Sharqi
Juan Carlos I 1938 King of Spain 1975 Bourbon Cognatic primogeniture The Prince of Asturias
Ismail Petra 1949 Sultan of Kelantan (in Malaysia) 1979 Hereditary Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra
Beatrix 1938 Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 1980 Orange-Nassau Equal primogeniture The Prince of Orange
Muhammadu Kabir Usman Emir of Katsina (in Nigeria) 1981
Rashid ibn Ahmad Al Mu'alla 1930 Emir of Umm al-Qaiwain (one of the United Arab Emirates) 1981
Iskandar 1932 Sultan of Johor (in Malaysia) 1981 Hereditary Crown Prince Ibrahim Ismail
Humayd ibn Rashid Al Nuaimi 1931 Emir of Ajman (one of the United Arab Emirates) 1981
Mswati III 1968 King of Swaziland 1986 Dlamini
Sultan ibn Muhammad Al-Qasimi 1939 Emir of Sharjah (one of the United Arab Emirates) 1987
vacant Giacomo dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto acting 1929 Prince Great Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta 1988 Election by a council
Hans-Adam II 1945 Prince of Liechtenstein 1989 Liechtenstein Agnatic-cognatic primogeniture Hereditary Prince Alois
Akihito 1933 Emperor of Japan 1989 Agnatic primogeniture Crown Prince Naruhito
Harald V 1937 King of Norway 1991 Oldenburg Equal primogeniture Crown Prince Haakon
Muwenda Mutebi II 1955 King of Buganda (in Uganda) 1993
Albert II 1934 King of the Belgians 1993 Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Equal primogeniture The Duke of Brabant
Solomon Gafabusa Iguru 1949 King of Bunyoro-Kitara (in Uganda) 1994
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani 1950 Emir of Qatar 1995 Al-Thani Appointed from within Royal Family Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani
Letsie III 1963 King of Lesotho 1996 Seeiso Appointment by College of Chiefs
Abdullah II 1962 King of Jordan 1999 Hashemite Choice by predecessor Prince Hussein
Mohammed VI 1963 King of Morocco 1999 Alaouite Agnatic primogeniture Prince Moulay Hassan
Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin 1943 Raja of Perlis (in Malaysia) 2000 Dynasty of Jamalullail Hereditary Crown Prince Tuanku Syed Faizzuddin.
Henri 1955 Grand Duke of Luxembourg 2000 Bourbon-Parma Cognatic primogeniture Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume
Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj 1945 Sultan of Selangor (in Malaysia) 2001 Hereditary Crown Prince Tengku Amir Shah.
Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah 1950 King of Bahrain 1999 Al-Khalifa Agnatic primogeniture Crown Prince Salman
Soane Patita Maituku 1947 King of Alo (in Wallis and Futuna, a French territory in the Pacific Ocean) 2002 Chosen by tribe commission
Joan Enric Vives Sicília 1949 Episcopal Co-prince of Andorra 2003 Appointed
Visesio Moeliku 1922 King of Sigave (in Wallis and Futuna) 2004 Chosen by tribe commission
Norodom Sihamoni 1953 King of Cambodia 2004 Norodom Election by 9-member "throne council"
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan 1948 Emir of Abu Dhabi, President and Sheikh of United Arab Emirates 2004
Albert II 1958 Prince of Monaco 2005 Grimaldi Cognatic primogeniture Hereditary Princess Caroline
Benedict XVI 1927 Pope of the Catholic Church (Sovereign of the State of Vatican City) 2005 Election by College of Cardinals Election by College of Cardinals upon death
Abdullah Al Saud 1924 King of Saudi Arabia 2005 Saud Election by family Crown Prince Sultan
Tuheitia Paki 1955 Māori King (in New Zealand) 2006 Te Wherowhero Elected by participating tribal leaders
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum 1949 Emir of Dubai (one of the United Arab Emirates) 2006
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah 1929 Emir of Kuwait 2006 Al-Sabah Appointment by Emir Sheikh Nawaf
George Tupou V 1948 King of Tonga 2006 Tupou Cognatic primogeniture 'Aho'eitu 'Unuaki'otonga Tuku'aho
Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck 1980 King of Bhutan 2006 Cognatic primogeniture Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck
Mizan Zainal Abidin 1962 Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia) 2006 Election among local monarchs
Sultan of Terengganu (in Malaysia) 1998 Hereditary

Use of titles by non-sovereigns

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be and removed. (May 2007)
This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (September 2007)

It is not uncommon that people who are not generally seen as monarchs nevertheless use monarchical titles. There are four cases of this:

See also

Look up monarch or kingship in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ^ SOU 1977:5 Kvinnlig tronföljd, p.16.
  2. ^ Canada: History
  3. ^ Ferguson, Will; The Lost Kingdom; Macleans, October 27, 2003
  4. ^ The Four Indian Kings
  5. ^ The Crown in Canada

External links

Categories: Monarchy | Monarchs | Positions of authority | Titles | Greek loanwords

 

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Monarch's planned visit excites reigning queen - Sydney Morning Herald
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Monarch's planned visit excites reigning queen - Sydney Morning Herald
Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:07:24 GMT+00:00
planned visit excites reigning queen Sydney Morning Herald The monarch's first visit to Wimbledon since 1977 coincides with the first men's draw not to include an Englishman in 133 years. ... Wimbledon 2010: Serena Williams 'to dress more conservatively' for the Queen Telegraph.co.uk Serena ready for Wimbledon defence The Press Association
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Josh R Monarch jpg
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Sat Jul 24 13:06:44 2010
How long does it take for a Monarch Butterfly's wings to dry after emerging?
Q. My son got a Monarch Butterfly kit from the State fair. It just emerged this morning but it's wings are still folded and crumpled. It should have dried out by now. We put more milkweed in with it but I'm just wondering if there is anything else we can do. Has anyone else seen this?
Asked by marmstrong1877 - Sat Sep 12 21:08:31 2009 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. first off yes it should have dried by now, I have a butterfly garden and I've had several Viceroy's, Spicebush Swallowtails, Sphinx Moths that are born like that where their wings dry crumpled. I don't think anything can be done about it. It's just nature. You might try rewetting it's wings with a spray bottle loaded with some distilled water, but the problem is that you can't touch the wings, maybe gently with tweezers uncrumple them. I'm not offering hope here but it might work. p.s. I found this blog talking about the same problem.
Answered by Robert - Sat Sep 12 21:23:41 2009

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