Editing Absolute monarchy (section)

==Current absolute monarchs==
{{legend|#E6E6AA|Denotes subnational monarchy}}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
! Realm !! Image !!  Monarch
! Born !! Age !! Since !! Length !! Succession !! class=unsortable| Ref(s)
<!--Do not add Afghanistan. "Emir" simply means "leader" in Arabic and does not necessarily refer to a monarch. Per WP:NOR, countries can only be added with a reliable source plainly stating the country is a monarchy.-->
|-
|{{flag|Brunei|name=Nation of Brunei, Abode of Peace}}
|[[File:Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah - 53857993945.jpg|150x150px]]||{{sort|Hassanal Bolkiah|[[List of Sultans of Brunei|Sultan]] [[Hassanal Bolkiah]]}}
|{{Birth date|1946|7|15|df=yes}}
|{{age in years and days|1946|7|15|age=no}}
|{{dts|4 October 1967}}||{{ayd|1967|10|04}}|| [[Succession to the Bruneian throne|Hereditary]]||<ref name="brunei">{{Cite web
 |author=Government of Brunei
 |title=Prime Minister
 |work=The Royal Ark
 |publisher=Office of the Prime Minister
 |url=http://www.pmo.gov.bn/pmo1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=82
 |access-date=12 November 2011
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007033949/http://www.pmo.gov.bn/pmo1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=82
 |archive-date=7 October 2011
}}</ref>
|-style="background:#e6e6aa;"
|{{flag|Sharjah|name=Emirate of Sharjah}}
|[[File:London Book Fair Simon Master Chairman's Award - son Altesse Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, winner 2017 - London Book Fair 2017 (cropped).jpg|100px]]||{{sort|Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi|[[List of rulers of individual Emirates of the United Arab Emirates#List of rulers of the Emirate of Sharjah|Ruler]] [[Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi]]}}
|{{Birth date|1939|7|2|df=yes}}
|{{age in years and days|1939|7|2|age=no}}
|{{dts|25 January 1972}}||{{ayd|1972|01|25}}||[[Al Qasimi|Hereditary]]||<ref name="UAE monarchs" />
|-style="background:#e6e6aa;"
|{{flag|Fujairah|name=Emirate of Fujairah}}
|[[File:حمد_بن_محمد_الشرقي.jpg|100px|link=|alt=]]||{{sort|Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi|[[List of rulers of individual Emirates of the United Arab Emirates#List of rulers of the Emirate of Fujairah|Ruler]] [[Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi]]}}
|{{Birth date|1949|2|22|df=yes}}
|{{age in years and days|1949|2|22|age=no}}
|18 September 1974||{{ayd|1974|9|18}}||[[Al Sharqi|Hereditary]]||<ref name="UAE monarchs" />
|-style="background:#e6e6aa;"
|{{flag|Ajman|name=Emirate of Ajman}}
| ||{{sort|Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi III|[[List of rulers of individual Emirates of the United Arab Emirates#List of rulers of the Emirate of Ajman|Ruler]] [[Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi III]]}}
|{{Birth year|1931}}
|{{age in years|1931}} years
|{{dts|6 September 1981}}||{{ayd|1981|9|6}}||[[Al Nuaimi|Hereditary]]||<ref name="UAE monarchs" />
|-
|{{flag|Eswatini|name=Kingdom of Eswatini}}
|[[File:King Mswati III 2024.jpg|138x138px]]||{{sort|Mswati III|[[Ngwenyama]] [[Mswati III]]}}
|{{Birth date|1968|4|19|df=yes}}
|{{age in years and days|1968|4|19|age=no}}
|{{dts|25 April 1986}}||{{ayd|1986|04|25}}||[[Succession to the Swazi throne|Hereditary and elective]]||<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Simelane
  | first = H.S.
  | contribution = Swaziland: Mswati III, Reign of
  | year = 2005
  | title = Encyclopedia of African history
  | editor-last = Shillington
  | editor-first = Kevin
  | volume = 3
  | pages = 1528–30
  | publisher = Fitzroy Dearborn
  | id = 9781579584559}}</ref>
|-style="background:#e6e6aa;"
|{{flag|Dubai|name=Emirate of Dubai}}
|[[File:Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (15-02-2021).jpg|100px]]||{{sort|Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum|[[List of rulers of individual Emirates of the United Arab Emirates#List of rulers of the Emirate of Dubai|Ruler]] [[Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum]]}}
|{{Birth date|1949|7|15|df=yes}}
|{{age in years and days|1949|7|15|age=no}}
|{{dts|4 January 2006}}||{{ayd|2006|01|04}}||[[House of Maktoum|Hereditary]]||<ref name="UAE monarchs" />
|-style="background:#e6e6aa;"
|{{flag|Umm al-Quwain|name=Emirate of Umm al-Quwain}}
|[[File:No image.svg|100px|link=|alt=]]||{{sort|Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla|[[List of rulers of individual Emirates of the United Arab Emirates#List of rulers of the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain|Ruler]] [[Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla]]}}
|{{Birth date|1952|10|1|df=yes}}
|{{age in years and days|1952|10|1|age=no}}
|{{dts|2 January 2009}}||{{ayd|2009|1|2}}||[[Al Mualla|Hereditary]]||<ref name="UAE monarchs" />
|-style="background:#e6e6aa;"
|{{flag|Ras al-Khaimah|name=Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah}}
|[[File:Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr al Qasimi.jpg|100px]]||{{sort|Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi|[[List of rulers of individual Emirates of the United Arab Emirates#List of rulers of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah|Ruler]] [[Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi]]}}
|{{Birth date|1956|2|10|df=yes}}
|{{age in years and days|1956|2|10|age=no}}
|{{dts|27 October 2010}}||{{ayd|2010|10|27}}||[[Al Qasimi|Hereditary]]||<ref name="UAE monarchs" />
|-
|{{flag|Kingdom of Saudi Arabia}}
|[[File:Salman of Saudi Arabia - 2020 (49563590728) (cropped).jpg|100px]]||{{sort|Salman bin Abdul‘aziz|[[King of Saudi Arabia#Kings of Saudi Arabia (1932–present)|King]] [[Salman of Saudi Arabia|Salman bin Abdul‘aziz]]}}
|{{Birth date|1935|12|31|df=yes}}
|{{age in years and days|1935|12|31|age=no}}
|{{dts|23 January 2015}}||{{ayd|2015|01|23}}|| [[Succession to the Saudi Arabian throne|Hereditary and elective]]||<ref>{{cite news |title=Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah dies |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30945324 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=23 January 2015 |access-date=23 January 2015 |archive-date=22 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122233542/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30945324 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Oman|name=Sultanate of Oman}}
|[[File:Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.jpg|100px]]||[[List of rulers of Oman#Sultans|Sultan]] [[Haitham bin Tariq Al Said]]
|{{Birth date|1954|10|11|df=yes}}
|{{age in years and days|1954|10|11|age=no}}
|{{dts|11 January 2020}}
|{{ayd|2020|01|11}}
|[[List of rulers of Oman|Hereditary]]||<ref>{{Cite web
 |author=Sultan Qaboos Centre for Islamic Culture
 |title=About H.M the Sultan
 |publisher=Government of Oman, Diwan of the Royal Court
 |url=http://sqcic.gov.om/HM.html
 |access-date=12 November 2011
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118223700/http://sqcic.gov.om/HM.html
 |archive-date=18 January 2012
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book
  | author = Nyrop, Richard F
  | title = Area Handbook for the Persian Gulf States
  | publisher = Wildside Press LLC
  | year = 2008
  | page = 341
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BPX0h_wbFtEC
  | isbn = 978-1-4344-6210-7}}</ref>
|-style="background:#e6e6aa;"
|{{flag|Abu Dhabi|name=Emirate of Abu Dhabi}}
|[[File:Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi (2023-12-06) (cropped).jpg|130x130px]]||{{sort|Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan|[[List of rulers of individual Emirates of the United Arab Emirates#List of rulers of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi|Ruler]] [[Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan]]}}
|{{Birth date|1961|3|11|df=yes}}
|{{age in years and days|1961|3|11|age=no}}
|{{dts|13 May 2022}}||{{ayd|2022|05|13}}||[[House of Nahyan|Hereditary]]||<ref name="UAE monarchs">{{cite journal |last1=Walters |first1=Timothy |last2=Barwind |first2=Jack A. |title=Media and Modernity in the United Arab Emirates: Searching for the Beat of a Different Drummer |journal=Free Speech Yearbook |date=January 2004 |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=151–163 |doi=10.1080/08997225.2004.10556311 |s2cid=108530356 |quote=Seven absolute monarchs exercise political power over a federation established in 1971.}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Vatican City|name=Vatican City State}}
| [[File:Cardinal Robert F. Prevost at the Consistory on 30 September 2023 (cropped portrait).jpg|alt=Portrait of Pope Leo XIV|frameless|133x133px]]
|[[Pope]] [[Pope Leo XIV|Leo XIV]]
||{{Birth date|1955|9|14|df=yes}}
|{{age in years and days|1955|9|14|age=no}}
|{{dts|8 May 2025}}||{{ayd|2025|05|08}}||[[Papal conclave|Elective]]|| <ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-21 |title=Catholics around the world mourn Pope Francis |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y656415lzo |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>
|}

=== Saudi Arabia ===
{{Main|Politics of Saudi Arabia}}[[Saudi Arabia]] is an absolute monarchy, and according to the [[Basic Law of Saudi Arabia]] adopted by Royal Decree in 1992, the King must comply with [[Sharia]] (Islamic law) and the [[Quran]].<ref name=Cavendish78>{{cite book |title=World and Its Peoples: the Arabian Peninsula |last=Cavendish |first=Marshall |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7614-7571-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/worlditspeoplesm0000unse/page/78 78] |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |url=https://archive.org/details/worlditspeoplesm0000unse/page/78 }}</ref> The Quran and the body of the [[Sunnah]] (traditions of the Islamic [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|prophet]], [[Muhammad]]) are declared to be the Kingdom's Constitution, but no written modern constitution has ever been promulgated for Saudi Arabia, which remains the only Arab nation where no national elections have ever taken place since its founding.<ref name= Gerhard>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of world constitutions, Volume 1 |last=Robbers |first=Gerhard |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8160-6078-8 |page=791|publisher=Facts On File }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=1 November 2011 |title=Qatar elections to be held in 2013 - Emir |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15537725 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106200756/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15537725 |archive-date=2012-01-06 |access-date=27 February 2021 |work=BBC News}}</ref> No political parties or national elections are permitted.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://graphics.eiu.com/PDF/Democracy_Index_2010_web.pdf |title=The Economist Democracy Index 2010 |author=The Economist Intelligence Unit |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=6 June 2011 |archive-date=6 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180606141853/http://graphics.eiu.com/PDF/Democracy_Index_2010_web.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Cavendish78/> The Saudi government is the world's most authoritarian regime in 2023 measured by the electoral democracy score of the [[V-Dem Democracy indices]].<ref name="vdem_dataset">Coppedge, Michael, John Gerring, Carl Henrik Knutsen, Staffan I. Lindberg, Jan Teorell, Nazifa Alizada, David Altman, Michael Bernhard, Agnes Cornell, M. Steven Fish, Lisa Gastaldi, Haakon Gjerløw, Adam Glynn, Allen Hicken, Garry Hindle, Nina Ilchenko, Joshua Krusell, Anna Lührmann, Seraphine F. Maerz, Kyle L. Marquardt, Kelly McMann, Valeriya Mechkova, Juraj Medzihorsky, Pamela Paxton, Daniel Pemstein, Josefine Pernes, Johannes von Römer, Brigitte Seim, Rachel Sigman, Svend-Erik Skaaning, Jeffrey Staton, Aksel Sundström, Eitan Tzelgov, Yi-ting Wang, Tore Wig, Steven Wilson and Daniel Ziblatt. 2021. "V-Dem [Country–Year/Country–Date] Dataset v11.1" Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project. https://doi.org/10.23696/vdemds21 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807060439/https://www.v-dem.net/data/dataset-archive/ |date=2023-08-07 }}.</ref>