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.]] A monarch (see Sovereignty ) is a type of ruler or Head Of State . Monarchs almost always Inherit their titles and are rulers for life; that is, they have no Term Limit . Historically monarchs have been more or less Absolute Rulers . Modern monarchs are often Figureheads who either have power but do not exercise it personally, or have little power. However, there are others with substantial or absolute power. Monarchs usually represent a larger monarchical system which has established rules and customs regarding Succession , Duties , and Powers . A nation ruled by a monarch is called a Monarchy . The word "monarch" derives from Greek ''monos archein'', meaning "one ruler," and referred to an absolute ruler in Ancient Greece . With time, the word has been succeeded in this meaning by others, like '' Autocrat '' or '' Dictator '', and the word ''monarch'' in modern usage almost always refers to a traditional system of hereditary rulership (but see the discussion on Elective Monarchies below).
TYPES Monarchy is the big Form Of Government involving a monarch and his queen(s). It can be an Absolute , a Traditional , or a Constitutional Monarchy , and constitutional monarchies may even make them Powerless . A traditional monarchy implies that although the monarch has relatively unlimited power, they are kept in check by traditions, a weak constitution, and/or a lower ruling class like medieval barons and dukes. The word ''monarchy'' can also be used about a Country which has such a system. Normally however, such countries identify themselves more narrowly depending on the actual title used by the monarch – ''e.g.,'' as a Kingdom , Grand Duchy , or Principality . Elective Monarchies were once common, although only a very small portion of the population was eligible to vote. As the impact of the Feudal system diminished, many monarchs were eventually allowed to introduce Hereditary Succession , guaranteeing that the title and office will stay within the family. Today, almost all monarchies are Hereditary Monarchies in which the monarchs come from one Royal Family with the office of sovereign being passed from one family member to another upon the death or Abdication of the incumbent. Existing elective monarchies include Malaysia , Saudi Arabia and the Holy See . The former system of the election of the Doge in Venice is also widely known. A sovereign is the monarch of a , 2007 (last entry on page) if they are, they are all in Personal Union with each other, with the Commonwealth Of Australia and with all the other Commonwealth Realm s. Another obscure example is that of Kings of the French Wallis And Futuna territory. In a few cases a monarch is associated with a particular group (or Nation ) within a state, such as Tuheitia Paki of the Māori (the Māori King ) and Osei Tutu II of the Ashanti . EUROPEAN MONARCHICAL TITLES In Europe, a monarch may traditionally bear any of several titles. Each of these titles has a male and female version (except the pope). The female versions are used not only in the case that the monarch is female, but also for wives of monarchs (when there is need to distinguish between the two cases, terms like is not ''King Philip of the United Kingdom''). There is a misconception that female rulers are a peculiarly modern phenomenon and that this has led to more frequent use of the gender-neutral word monarch. In fact, the historical record and also known facts about many pre-historical cases show that there have been many female rulers throughout the past in a wide variety of cultures. Some pre-historical agricultural societies appear to have started with female monarchs and only later changed to succession by males. The ''normal'' monarch title in Europe – ''i.e.'', the one used if the monarch has no higher title – is Prince (counterpart Princess ), by convention. It 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 the discretion of themselves, most often choosing ''King'' (counterpart Queen ). Such titulations could cause Diplomatic problems, and especially the elevation to Emperor (counterpart Empress ) was seen as an offensive action. During the 19th and 20th centuries most small monarchies in Europe disappeared to form larger entities, and so ''King'' has become the most common title today for male rulers, and ''Queen'' for female rulers.
Note that some of these titles have several meanings and do not necessarily designate a monarch. A Prince can be a person of royal blood (some languages uphold this distinction, see Fürst ). A Duke can be a British Peer . In Imperial Russia , a Grand Duke was a son or grand-son of the Tsar . Holders of titles in these alternative meanings did not enjoy the same status as actual monarchs of the same title. Within the Holy Roman Empire , there were even more titles that were occasionally used for monarchs although they were normally noble; Margrave , Count Palatine , Landgrave . An actual monarch with such low titles still was regarded more important than a noble Duke. Today, there are seven kingdoms, one grand duchy, one duchy (Normandy - channel islands), one papacy, and two principalities in Europe (Liechtenstein, Monaco), excluding the peculiar case of Andorra and one "Lord of Mann" called title for the monarch of Isle of Man. Monarchical titles in use by non-monarchs It is not uncommon that people who are not generally seen as monarchs nevertheless use monarchical titles. There are four cases of this:
MONARCHICAL TITLES IN THE AMERICAS The concept of monarchy existed in the Americas long before the arrival of European colonialists. Canada: History Ferguson, Will; ''The Lost Kingdom''; ''Macleans'', October 27, 2003 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. The Four Indian Kings Pre-colonial titles that were used included:
The first local monarch to emerge in North America after colonialization 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 an European 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 ; 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. OTHER MONARCHICAL TITLES In China , "king" is the usual translation for the term ''wang'' 王, which designated 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 Emperor of China. When a difference exists, male titles are placed to the left and female titles are placed to the right of the slash. By region
General monarch titles
SUCCESSION Succession from one monarch to another varies from country to country. Traditionally, hereditary succession within members of 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, and failing sons, by either daughters or by 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 could have been 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, in 1983, Norway in 1990, and Belgium in 1991) 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. CURRENT MONARCHS ''NOTE: The table comprises all sovereign monarchs of the world today, but is severely incomplete with regard to the non-sovereign monarchs.'' SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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