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A monarchy is a form of government in which total sovereignty is invested in one person, a head of state called a monarch, who holds the position until death or abdication. Monarchs usually both hold and achieve their position through the right of hereditary succession (e.g., they were related, often the son or daughter, of the previous monarch), although there have been elective monarchies, where the monarch holds the position after being elected: the papacy is sometimes called an elective monarchy.

There have also been hereditary rulers who weren't considered monarchs, such as the stadtholders of Holland. Many monarchs have invoked religious reasons, such as being chosen by God, as a justification for their rule. Courts are often considered a key aspect of monarchies. These occur around the monarchs and provide a social meeting place for monarch and nobility.

Titles of a Monarchy

Male monarchs are often called kings, and females queens, but principalities, where princes and princesses rule by hereditary right, are sometimes referred to as monarchies, as are empires led by emperors and empresses.

Levels of Power

The amount of power a monarch wields has varied across time and situation, with a good deal of European national history comprising a power struggle between the monarch and either their nobility and subjects. On the one hand, you have the absolute monarchies of the early modern period, the best example being French King Louis XIV, where the monarch (in theory at least) had total power over everything they wished.

On the other, you have constitutional monarchies where the monarch is now little more than a figurehead, and the majority of power rests with other forms of government. There is traditionally only one monarch per monarchy at a time, although in Britain King William and Queen Mary ruled simultaneously between 1689 and 1694. When a monarch is either considered too young or too ill to take full control of their office or is absent (perhaps on crusade), a regent (or group of regents) rules in their place.

Monarchies in Europe

For the Western world, our perception of monarchy is mostly colored by the history of European monarchies. These governments were often born out of unified military leadership, where successful commanders transformed their power into something hereditary. The Germanic tribes of the first few centuries CE are believed to have unified in this way, as peoples grouped under charismatic and successful war leaders, who solidified their power, possibly at first taking on Roman titles and then emerging as kings.

Monarchies were the dominant form of government among European nations from the end of the Roman era until around the eighteenth century (although some people class the Roman emperors as monarchs). A distinction is often made between the older monarchies of Europe and the 'New Monarchies' of the sixteenth centuries and later (rulers such as King Henry VIII of England), where the organization of standing armies and overseas empires necessitated large bureaucracies for better tax collection and control, enabling projections of power much above those of the old monarchs.

Absolutism was at its height in this era, with monarchs often able to govern mostly unchecked and unquestioned. Many monarchies subscribed to the concept of the "divine right of kings," which tied religion and politics together. The idea of "divine right" stated that a monarch's authority derived from God, not from the people they govern; from that, these governments could conclude that rebellion or treason was the ultimate crime, as a sin against God's own authority.

The Modern Age

After the absolute era, a period of republicanism took place, as secular and enlightenment thinking, including the concepts of individual rights and self-determination, undermined the claims of the monarchs. A new form of "nationalist monarchy" also emerged in the eighteenth century, whereby a single powerful and hereditary monarch ruled on behalf of the people to secure their independence, as opposed to expanding the power and possessions of the monarch themselves (the kingdom belonging to the monarch).

In contrast was the development of the constitutional monarchy, where the powers of the monarch were slowly passed down to other, more democratic, bodies of government. More common was the replacement of monarchy by a republican government within the state, such as the French Revolution of 1789 in France. In general (though not exclusively), many of the monarchies that survived this era intact did so by giving up a large part of their power to elected governments and retainin mostly ceremonial and symbolic roles.

Remaining Monarchies of the World

Today, some monarchies still remain around the world, although there are far fewer absolute monarchs than there once were and far more variations on power-sharing between monarchs and elected goverments. The following list comprises the world's monarchies as of 2021:

Europe

Andorra (principality)

Belgium

Denmark

Liechtenstein (principality)

Luxembourg (grand duchy)

Monaco (principality)

The Netherlands

Norway

Spain

Sweden

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Vatican City (elected ruler)

Polynesia

Africa

Asia

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Discover how the monarchy system of rule has worked throughout history. See examples of monarchies that exist even now in modern times.

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A theocracy government occurs when an earthly state is ruled by a divinity, either in a personal embodiment, or more frequently, through a human representative. Although religious in its basis, it can still be deemed a political system, since said representative, for instance a church, can take the place of a civil government. Even in the cases where there are both a religious and an administrative hierarchies, the latter is submitted to the former.
The Greek definition of theocracy was "rule by gods," and it was first employed in the first Century A.D. by Josephus Flavius to describe the form of government practiced by the Jews. In its purest state, the theocracy definition involves a leader who is believed to be in direct communication with a god. Moses, for example, was told to free the Children of Israel and become their leader by a burning bush representing his god. The tent commandments were also revealed to him by way of divine revelation.
There have been many samples of theocratic governments through history, such as the king of Pharaonic Egypt, especially since Ramses the Great was recognized as a living god. In ancient Rome, the emperor was usually worshiped as a deity, until Constantine I converted to Christianity. This was also the case in China and Japan, as recently as 1911 and 1946 respectively. The city-states of the Mayas and the Inca Empires of pre-Columbian Peru are both examples of that fit the theocracy definition.
Currently, the Islamic states ruled by the Sharia (sacred law) and the Iranian government led by an Islamic cleric are instances of theocracy governments in the 21st Century. However, a very old yet well known contemporary theocracy is undoubtedly the Holy See. Located in the Vatican City since 1929, although in existence since early Christian times, it is recognized as a sovereign state that diplomatic relationships can be held with, and ambassadors can be accredited to. The Holy See, or Sacta Sedes, is the very definition of theocracy, not only being the Catholic church governing body, but also its bishop, the pope, is the official head of the Vatican City State and its 800 plus citizens.
Within the Vatican political system, the Pope is the head of government, and all the high ranking state positions are held by members of the clergy. The pontifical Swiss guard (founded in 1506 by Julius II, earlier popes merely employed Swiss mercenaries) are the pope's bodyguards and the Vatican's de facto military, while the Corpo Della Gendarmeria is the acting police force. The economy is supported by the sale of museum tickets, stamps, coins, medals and other assorted tourist souvenirs. Furthermore, the Vatican bank's ATM may be the only such machine in the world with instructions in Latin. The Vatican theocracy government went from a 6.7 million euros surplus in 2007 to a 15 million euros deficit in 2008.

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A theocracy government occurs when an earthly state is ruled by a divinity, either in a personal embodiment, or more frequently, through a human representative. Although religious in its basis, it can still be deemed a political system, since said representative, for instance a church, can take the place of a civil government.

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Kids learn about the history of Communism and the Cold War. Karl Marx, Lenin, and Mao were world leaders over communist countries.

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Providing an accurate anarchy definition is not as easy as one might think. Throughout history, there has been many political systems, but there have been even more misunderstandings on what is actually anarchy. Some believe that an anarchist desires to live in chaos, without anyone dictating rules or having to answer to a superior authority. However, there are others that believe that anarchy is simply living freely, without anyone telling you exactly what to do.
In reality, anarchism is simply an idea, a philosophy that has the bases but still has to finish determining its specifications. While there are different schools on this philosophy, there is one common thought they all share that helps determine an anarchy definition: the state is considered "undesirable", a part of society that isn't necessary and that in fact can be cut loose in search of a more stable society, promoting individualism. This is where critics usually come in, stating that this will eventually lead to chaos. Nevertheless, anarchists disagree, saying that this philosophy seeks a society in which people are not forced to act a certain way, and where people are to attempt to solve their problems on their own, without the need of turning to an empowered third party. As part of anarchy definition, it's important to know that they are against capitalism or any source of profit that empowers only one part of society, which in turn enforces his or her will upon the rest.
As everything, no one is perfect and this is just of several political systems that have to finish defining themselves. This is where the different school of thoughts have appeared to provide an even deeper anarchy definition. Though there are a few subdivisions, the two main ones are individualistic and social anarchism. Firstly, individualistic anarchism focus on one of the main aspects of anarchy itself, that is, promoting one's individualism and seeking its own desires, regardless of all external factor that might be pressuring a person, putting in conflict an anarchist's beliefs with society's desires.
On the other hand, social anarchism states that this individualism should aid in achieving an egalitarian society, focusing especially on the absence of private property, as this can promote inequality. It's focused completely on community and how its members receive the same treatment. Social anarchism has created other subdivisions, based on these main aspects, such as collectivist, anarchist communism or anarcho-syndicalism. For instance, a collectivist anarchy rejects all sorts of private property, believing that this should be avoided by collectivizing all property and production, while anarchist communism proposes that a self-governed society will work together to produce all that is needed in this community, all in benefit of the entire community.
As with everything, taking anarchy to extreme isn't good and extreme anarchists believe that through violence and public demonstrations they'll get their message out there. However, knowing exactly what is the right anarchy definition and its ideas and philosophies, can help improve the image the world has of these political systems.

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Anarchy Definition | Anarchist | Anarchism

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Providing an accurate anarchy definition is not as easy as one might think. Throughout history, there has been many political systems, but there have been even more misunderstandings on what is actually anarchy. Some believe that an anarchist desires to live in chaos, without anyone dictating rules or having to answer to a superior authority.

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An infographic explaining the ideology "Socialism"