monarchy

Introduction & Top Questions
Functions of monarchies
Premodern monarchies
Monarchy in the modern era

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Painting by Louis Ducis showing Emperor Napoleon I seated on a terrace at Chateau Saint-Cloud, surrounded by several children in formal dress, with attendants in the background.

At a Glance

monarchy summary

Quizzes

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II smiles to the crowd from Buckingham Palace (London, England) balcony at the end of the Platinum Pageant in London on June 5, 2022 as part of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations. The curtain comes down on four days of momentous nationwide celebrations to honor Queen Elizabeth II's historic Platinum Jubilee with a day-long pageant lauding the 96 year old monarch's record seven decades on the throne. (British royalty)

Fit for a King (or Queen): the British Royalty Quiz

Royal golden crown with jewels on British flag. Symbols of United Kingdom. (British royalty, British monarchy)

A Royal Vocabulary Quiz

Related Questions

How are royal families and nobles connected within a court society?
How can a monarch come to power through election or conquest?
How did Napoleon Bonaparte create a nationalist monarchy in France?
How did ancient Egyptian rulers connect kingship with religion?
How did the idea of the divine right of kings support monarchies?
How do monarchies use ceremonies to strengthen the authority of the state?
How do monarchs usually inherit the throne?
How does a monarchy differ from a democracy?
How does a monarchy differ from a republic?
How does religious legitimacy support the monarchy in Saudi Arabia?
How have religious leaders such as popes or caliphs influenced the selection of monarchs?
How is an emperor different from a king?
How is the monarch’s role in Sweden similar to the monarch’s role in Britain?
How were tsars connected to the Roman title Caesar?
What is the difference between a head of state and a head of government in a monarchy?
What titles besides king and queen can be used for monarchs?
Which countries have monarchs with substantial governing powers?
Who is first in line to the British throne after King Charles III?
Why can a child monarch lead to a regency?
Why can a monarch be head of state without leading the government?
Why did Napoleon crown himself emperor of France in 1804?
Why did many systems of primogeniture favor sons over daughters?
Why did the Hohenzollern, Habsburg, and Romanov dynasties lose their thrones?
Why did the death of a monarch sometimes lead to a struggle for succession?
Why does power in some Persian Gulf monarchies rest with an extended ruling family?
Why is the king of Morocco an important religious figure?
Why is the monarch considered a symbol of national unity in many parliamentary democracies?
Why must the British monarch act on the advice of ministers?
Why was King Saud of Saudi Arabia removed from power in 1964?
Why were many monarchies overthrown during the 20th century?
What is the divine right to rule in a monarchy?
What is imperialism in history?
Does imperialism still exist today?
Did imperialism cause World War I?
What is democracy?
Where was democracy first practiced?
How is democracy better than other forms of government?
Why does democracy need education?

Politics, Law & Government World Leaders Kings

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External Websites

ABC listen - Overnights - Talking Point - Monarchy
Social Sciences LibreTexts - Monarchy
MLibrary Digital Collections - The Encyclopedia of Diderot and d'Alembart - Monarchy
The Constitution Society - The Monarchy

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

monarchy - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
monarchy - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Augustus Augustus, bronze sculpture from Meroe, Sudan, 1st century ce; in the British Museum.

monarchy

government

Written by

Joseph Kostiner

Professor of Middle Eastern and African History, Tel Aviv University. Author of Middle East Monarchies: The Challenge of Modernity, and others.

Joseph Kostiner

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Sep. 17, 2026 •History

monarchy, political system based upon the undivided sovereignty or rule of a single person. The term applies to states in which supreme authority is vested in the monarch, an individual ruler who functions as the head of state and who achieves his or her position through heredity. Most monarchies allow only male succession, usually from father to son. A monarchy consists of distinct but interdependent institutions—a government and a state administration on the one hand,...

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