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Monarchy

A monarchy, (from the Greek monos, "one," and archein, "to rule") is a form of government that has a monarch as Head of State. One of the distinguishing characteristics of monarchy is that the Head of State usually reigns for life; in a republic, the Head of State (often called the president) is normally elected for a certain amount of time. There are currently 30 extant monarchies in the world. The term monarchy is also used to refer to the people (especially the dynasty, also known as 'royalty') and institutions that make up the royal or imperial establishment, or to the realm over which the monarch reigns. In most monarchies, the monarch serves as a symbol of continuity and statehood. Many monarchies are constituted by tradition or by codified law so that the monarch has little real politcal power, but in others, the monarch holds substantial power. Although in some cases the symbolism of monarchy might seemingly be contradictory to the symbolism of democracy, the two principles of sovereignty stand alongside each other today. Monarchies are one of the oldest forms of government, with echoes in the leadership of tribal chiefs. Many monarchies began with the Monarch as the local representative and temporary embodiment of the deity: (King of Babylon). The Monarch often ruled at the pleasure of the deity and was overthrown or sacrificed when it became apparent that supernatural sanction had been withdrawn: emperor of China, Mayan kings, Achaemenid King of Kings of Persia. Other Monarchs derived their power by acclamation of the ruling or of the warrior caste of a clan or group of clans: Kings of the Franks, Roman emperors. Even where law was simply the monarch's will, the king had to rule by custom. Since 1800, many of the world's monarchies have ceased to have a monarch and become republics, or become parliamentary democracies. Democratic countries which retain monarchy have by definition limited the monarch's power, with most having become constitutional monarchies. In England, this process began with the Magna Carta of 1215, although it did not reach democratic proportions until after the Glorious Revolution in 1689. The few states that today have absolute monarchies are Swaziland, Brunei, Bhutan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. In Jordan and Morocco, the Monarch retains considerable power. There are also recent (2003) developments in Liechtenstein, wherein the regnant prince was given the Constitutional power to dismiss the government at will. In an absolute monarchy, the Monarch has power over every aspect of the state, and a constitution may be granted or withdrawn, while in a constitutional monarchy he is subject to it as well as any citizen (though it may grant him such priviliges as inviolability). There have also been situations in which a dictator proclaimed himself Monarch of a previous republic, thus starting a self-proclaimed monarchy with no historical ties to a previous dynasty. The most famous example of this was general Napoleon Bonaparte who created himself Emperor of France (formerly a kingdom) after legally assuming political control of the French Republic as First Consul for life; a blatant imitation of his empire was that of Bokassa I in the very poor Central African Empire. On several occasions throughout history, the same person has served as Monarch of separate independent states, in a situation known as a personal union. An empire was traditionally ruled by a monarchy whose leader may have been known by different titles in his different realms. Several former colonies of the British Empire, such as Australia, Canada, Jamaica, and New Zealand, continue to recognize the British Monarch as their own, under a separate title for each country. In other cases, such as England and Scotland, a personal union was the precursor to a merger of the states.

Succession

The rules for selection of Monarchs varies from country to country. In constitutional monarchies the rule of succession is generally embodied in a law passed by a representative body, such as a parliament. Elective monarchies, distinguished by the Monarchs being appointed for life, have in most cases been succeeded by hereditary monarchies, but both secular sovereign nation cases at present - those of Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates - are 20th century creations. In the hereditary system, the position of Monarch involves inheritance according to an order of succession, usually within one royal family tracing its origin back to a historical dynasty or bloodline. In some cases the ruling family may claim to hold authority by virtue of God's choosing, as reflected in the stle-phrase by the Grace of God, or other religion-based authority. The order of succession in most European monarchical states of the 21st century is by primogeniture, meaning the eldest son of the monarch is first in line, followed by his male, then female siblings in order of age. In earlier times, the succession was often unclear and this led to a number of wars. Currently, there is some controversy over the succession laws of some monarchies in the European Union (EU), such as that of the United Kingdom (UK) or the Scandinavian monarchies, which require their Monarch to be of a certain faith (in the UK under the Act of Settlement 1701). This has been challenged as violating EU rules that prohibit religious disqualification for positions of state authority. Some autocratic states can appear to have introduced inheritance for the head of state without declaring themselves to be monarchies.

Destruction of monarchies

Monarchies can come to an end in several ways. There may be a revolution in which the monarchy is overthrown; or, as in Italy, there may be a referendum in which the electorate decides to form a republic. In some cases, as with England and Spain, the monarchy has been overthrown and then restored. Countries may regard themselves as monarchies even without an actual Monarch on the 'vacant' throne, as Spain did from 1947 to 1975, and Hungary from 1920 to 1944. A person who claims to be the legitimate heir to a deposed (or is in the royalist view suspended) monarchy is called a pretender.

Unusual examples

Sometimes, component members of federal states are monarchies, even though the federal state as a whole is not; for example each of the emirates that form the United Arab Emirates has its own monarch (an emir). Another unique situation is Malaysia, in which the federal king, called the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or Paramount Ruler, is elected for a five year term from and by the nine sultans who are the hereditary rulers of the States of the Malay peninsula. In addition to his spiritual role as Supreme Pontiff, the Pope is the absolute Monarch of the Vatican City. He is elected by (and customarily from among) the College of Cardinals. (Since the Catholic episcopate is celibate, naturally there can be no official hereditary succession to the papal throne.) Notwithstanding this the papacy has often been under the control of powerful Italian families. Several popes have been succeeded by near relatives, in some cases by their own sons (officially described as nephews). The world's only co-principality, Andorra, has two co-princes: the Bishop of Urgell in Spain (thus a Prince-Bishop), and the President of France—a unique case where an independent country's Monarch is democratically elected by the citizens of another country, which is not even in full personal union.

Current monarchies

There are currently 45 active monarchies in the world, 15 of which are dominions and other Commonwealth Realms that recognize the British Sovereign as Head of state, legally in chief of each nation as a monarchy in its own right.

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