Editing Monarchy (section)

{{Short description|Form of government ruled by a monarch, or a polity with this form of government}}
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A '''monarchy''' is a [[form of government]] in which a person, the [[monarch]], [[reign]]s as [[head of state]] for the rest of their life, or until [[abdication]]. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic ([[constitutional monarchy]]), to fully [[autocratic]] ([[absolute monarchy]]), and may have [[Political representation|representational]], [[Executive (government)|executive]], [[legislative]], and [[judicial]] functions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monarchy {{!}} Definition, Examples, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/monarchy |access-date=2023-02-28 |website=Britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Order of succession|succession]] of monarchs has mostly been [[Hereditary monarchy|hereditary]], often building [[dynasties]]; however, monarchies can also be [[elective monarchy|elective]] and [[Self-proclaimed monarchy|self-proclaimed]].<ref>{{Cite episode | title = The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0010f8z | access-date = 29 March 2023 | series = In Our Time | series-link = In Our Time (radio series) | network = [[BBC Radio 4]] | date = 14 October 2021}}</ref> [[Aristocracy (class)|Aristocrats]], though not inherent to monarchies, often function as the pool of persons from which the monarch is chosen, and to fill the constituting institutions (e.g. [[Diet (assembly)|diet]] and [[Royal court|court]]), giving many monarchies [[oligarchic]] elements. The [[Legitimacy (political)#Monarchy|political legitimacy]] of the inherited, elected or proclaimed monarchy has most often been based on claims of [[Popular monarchy|representation of people]] and land through some form of relation (e.g. [[kinship]]) and [[Divine right of kings|divine right]] or other [[achieved status]].

Monarchs can carry various titles such as [[emperor]], [[Queen regnant|empress]], [[king]], and [[Queen regnant|queen]]. Monarchies can form [[federation]]s, [[personal union]]s, and [[realm]]s with [[vassal]]s through personal association with the monarch, which is a common reason for monarchs carrying several titles. Some countries have preserved titles such as "'''kingdom'''" while dispensing with an official serving monarch (note the example of [[Francoist Spain]] from 1947 to 1975) or while relying on a long-term [[regency]] (as in the case of Hungary in the [[Horthy era]] from 1920 to 1944).

Monarchies were the most common form of government until the 20th century, when republics [[Abolition of monarchy|replaced many monarchies]], notably at the end of [[World War I]]. {{As of | 2024}}, [[List of current monarchs of sovereign states|forty-three sovereign nations]] in the world have a monarch, including fifteen [[Commonwealth realm]]s that share [[Charles III|King Charles III]] as their head of state. Other than that, there is a range of [[List of current non-sovereign monarchs|sub-national monarchical entities]]. Most of the modern monarchies are constitutional monarchies, retaining under a [[constitution]] unique legal and ceremonial roles for monarchs exercising limited or no political power, similar to heads of state in a [[parliamentary republic]].