monarchism

Monarchism is a political ideology and form of government that endorses rule by a monarch, the sovereign head of state who typically inherits the position by birth or by traditional ceremony. In practice, monarchism describes both the belief in the legitimacy of monarchy and the specific arrangements of government under a monarch. In constitutional or parliamentary monarchies, the monarch’s role is largely ceremonial, while elected representatives and a constitution govern the state.

There are two broad types of monarchies. Absolute monarchies vest substantial or total executive and legislative authority in the monarch, whose decisions are not meaningfully curbed by constitutional constraints. Constitutional or parliamentary monarchies limit the monarch’s powers, often granting the monarch a primarily symbolic or unifying function, with real political power residing in elected bodies, a prime minister or equivalent, and an independent judiciary.

Historically, monarchies were the prevailing form of government in many regions. Legitimacy was often grounded in hereditary succession, divine right, or dynastic agreement. From the early modern period onward, constitutional developments, legal reforms, and democratization diminished royal authority in many places, while monarchies persisted in various forms across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Today, monarchies range from highly ceremonial systems—such as the United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and Spain—where monarchs serve as symbols of continuity and national identity, to absolute or semi-constitutional monarchies—such as Saudi Arabia, Brunei, and Eswatini—where monarchs retain substantial political powers. Monarchist arguments emphasize stability, continuity, and nonpartisan leadership, whereas critics question democratic legitimacy and the location of hereditary privilege within governance.