royaumes

Royaumes, or kingdoms, are sovereign political units headed by a monarch, usually a king or queen. The term derives from medieval French royaume, linked to the word roi and ultimately from Latin regnum, meaning royal or kingly power.

Historically, kingdoms emerged as core units of political organization in many regions, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. They were often formed by dynastic succession, conquest, or the union of smaller polities. The boundaries of kingdoms could be fluid, and legitimacy was reinforced by law, ritual, religion, and military power. Governance ranged from centralized absolutism to decentralized feudal arrangements in which nobles held substantial authority under the crown.

In the modern era, the governance of kingdoms varies widely. Many states that retain the name kingdom function as constitutional monarchies, where the monarch's role is largely ceremonial and political power rests with elected bodies and an appointed government. A minority maintains substantial royal prerogatives in absolute or semi-constitutional systems, including several kingdoms in the Middle East and Africa.

Culturally and literarily, kingdoms are common settings for narratives about succession, court life, diplomacy, and inter-kingdom conflict. They appear across historical chronicles and in modern fiction, where questions of legitimacy, legitimacy, and statehood are central to plot and world-building.

See also: monarchy, constitutional monarchy, feudalism, empire, historical kingdoms.