When you think of fairy tale kings and queens, with knights going off to battle, and princesses
finding their princes, your mind may naturally go to times long ago.
However, are you aware that even in the 21st century there are places in the world where
kings and queens still hold power?
It's true!
In fact, many modern nations across the globe who, while having adopted more modern governmental
forms, still find it valuable to hold on to their kings and queens.
However, very few countries who hold on to their royal leaders allow them the same breadth
and depth of power as they had in times gone by.
Who are these nations and how do these modern kingdoms work?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of these forms of government?
This lesson explores these questions, as well as some of the similarities and differences
that occur within each nation's system.
Hello, my name is Bryan.
Today we'll define an absolute monarchy and a constitutional or parliamentary monarchy,
as well as identify nations currently employing different styles of monarchies, and weigh
the advantages and disadvantages of the constitutional parliamentary monarchical system.
[Music Plays]
When we talk about a system of government that has a king or queen who rules over a
kingdom, we're talking about a monarchy.
A monarchy is a political system in which supreme authority is vested in the monarch,
an individual ruler who functions as a head of state.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, "Head of State" means being the quintessential symbol
and first citizen of a nation, in charge of embodying and upholding the highest ideals,
traditions, and customs of a people.
Supreme authority refers to having sole executive powers, to decide on foreign and internal
affairs, to lead the military, to manage the laws, and more.
These powerful leaders carry many different titles across the world such as king, queen,
sultan, pope, prince, Emir, emperor, grand duke, and grand master.
Next, let's look at how many monarchies there are today.
There are currently 44 monarchies which are still in existence.
Of them, 13 of these are in Asia, 12 are in Europe, 10 are in North America, 6 are in
Oceania, and 3 are in Africa.
As of 2021, there are no monarchies in South America.
Of the 44 monarchies left in the world, 34 of them have monarchs who ascend to their
position by way of a family line, and are therefore chosen by heredity. 3 of these 44
monarchies are elected through a process of voting.
The countries who vote in their next leader are Vatican city, Malta, and Malaysia.
Finally, the last 7 countries combine both heredity as well as a voting or nomination
process.
These countries are Kuwait, Cambodia, Eswatini-also known as Swaziland, Jordan, Lesotho, Saudi
Arabia, and The United Arab Emirates.
However, the process by which this election is made varies still with even more complexity
amongst all these nations.
Next we'll look at the types of monarchies.
As we continue you will find that very few modern-day monarchies have governments that
work identically to other monarchies around the world.
Each nation has chosen its own pathway forward, holding on to their monarchies, but each deciding
to limit and balance out the powers of their leaders to different degrees and in different
ways.
Because of these differences, it's difficult to categorize these governments neatly into
boxes.
Though imperfect, scholars broadly categorize monarchies into two different types.
The first type is the kind most people imagine when they think of fairy tale stories and
the feudalism of the Medieval period.
This kind is called the Absolute Monarch.
In an Absolute Monarchy one person, a king or a queen usually, holds all or most of the
executive and decision-making power over a nation.
They are a revered symbol of national tradition, pride, and identity, the Head of State.
There are 7 absolute monarchies which still exist today worldwide: Brunei, Eswatini- or
Swaziland, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, and Vatican City.
4 of these 7 exist in the Middle East.
Though these are all considered true absolute monarchies, still, some have constitutional
bodies such as Brunei, Oman, and Kuwait.
The other form of monarchy is called a Constitutional or Parliamentary Monarchy.
In this popular form, a constitution and an assembly of representatives, called a 'parliament',
checks the power of the monarch by limiting his or her role in the executive decision-making
of the country.
Monarchs may still have some measure of executive power in these roles, such as in case of emergencies,
and may also still act as head of state.
37 of the 44 countries on our list utilize the form of government called constitutional
monarchy.
And out of these 37, a whopping 30 of them designate the monarchy into merely a ceremonial
role.
7 of these still allow the monarchy some executive power.
These 7 are Kuwait, Morocco, Liechtenstein, Bahrain, Bhutan, Jordan, and Tonga.
Often within this modern form, the monarch is merely a symbol of the national people,
or a figurehead for diplomatic purposes.
Now we'll look at the advantages and disadvantages.
There are some advantages to this form of government.
One is that the government can keep their revered symbol of national pride, yet retain
a representative form with democratic institutions.
Another nice feature of this form is that the nation's monarch is able to, in theory,
exist outside of the nasty politics that can sometimes form within a democratic system,
and can use this distance to help form public opinion and act as a check on the politicians.
Finally, most nations who opt for this form do so because keeping their monarchs helps
them maintain their national identity and their customs, all while still enjoying the
personal choice and freedoms that come along with having a representative democracy.
There are disadvantages to this system too, however.
As with all democratic institutions, decision-making can be slow and difficult due to the majority
requirements needed to pass laws.
Further, through the use of gerrymandering, lobbying efforts, and other political strategies,
plurality systems can become unrepresentative of the majority, serving the needs of a few
instead of the needs of most.
Another disadvantage is that within a representative system, the onus is on the populace to seek
out and prevent corruption.
People must take an interest in their country's politics and vote according to their conscience.
Finally, in these systems, the royal family can cause a burden on people by way of taxes.
It is up to the people to maintain the wealth and status of the royal family and that doesn't
come cheap!
Let's look at the differences between monarchies.
It's important to remember that the ways in which all of these modern monarchies run vary
drastically and each nation has adopted different ways for its monarchs to rule.
For example, the nations in Scandinavia, the micronation of Andorra, and the Benelux, all
function as democracies where their kings' and queens' powers are very limited, and sometimes
they have purely ceremonial roles.
On the other hand, Liechtenstein and Monaco have constitutional monarchies where their
kings and queens retain many powers of an absolute monarch.
In Liechtenstein, a 2003 constitutional referendum gives the king the power to deny any law,
the Landtag, or parliament votes into place.
The king may also fire any elected official.
As a kind of balance to this power, voters are also able to dethrone their king through
a referendum.
In the case of the United Kingdom Commonwealth, which comprises 54 countries spread across
all corners of the globe, the vast majority of these member countries are both independent
and autonomous, though still maintain the British Monarch as the Head of State.
In the case of the United Kingdom, the Queen is also the religious head of the Church of
England.
Other examples of religious monarchies include Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church,
and Vatican city.
And in the nation of Eswatini, the King's mother has the role of spiritual leader.
Finally, there are a few countries that do not fit into any regional standards for their
monarchical form.
The first of these is Eswatini- or Swaziland, which is technically a diarch, where the king
and the king's mother rule together.
Another nation that does not fit in neatly is the Religious Order of Malta, a nation
that does not occupy any actual land.
This nation is not to be confused with the island of Malta, but is rather a Catholic
religious order headed by a grand master who is also a prince and who is elected.
Finally, the Pope in the Vatican City is elected by a group of cardinal bishops.
There is no heir to the throne of the Pope, rather ascendancy to this position comes by
way of nomination and then an election process.
To become Pope there is no need to be a citizen of Vatican City.
And that wraps it up!
As you now know, monarchies are not a thing of the past, but are still very much a reality
in the 21st century.
We hope you enjoyed the lesson today on modern-day monarchies and don't forget vote, debate,
participate!