INTRODUCTION

Monarchy is defined as the form of government where the source of all political authority is to
be found in the supreme ruler. Monarch enjoys a life-long tenure and office passes to his heirs
according to the law of primogeniture.1

According to Gettell ,“While monarchy is generally considered as a form of government in

which head of the state derives his office through hereditary succession, any government in
which supreme and final authority is in the hands of a single person is a monarch, whether his
office is secured by usurpation, by election or by hereditary succession.”2

According to Jellinck, Monarchy is defined as “government by a single physical will and its
essential characteristics is the competence of monarch to express the highest power of the state.”

Basically, monarchy is defined as the form of government which has king or queen or prince or
princess as the head of the state which is hereditary in nature. There are various democracies
which exist in the modern world. At present there are 26 monarchies in the world out of which
most important of them is United Kingdom. According to Washington post, the oldest monarchy
in the world is Japan. We think that the monarchy means absolute power but that’s not the truth.
Monarchy is of THREE types: Limited monarchy, Constitutional monarchy and Absolute
monarchy. Out of these only two are in existence i.e. Absolute Monarchy and Constitutional
Monarchy.

Countries with monarchial rule are Qatar, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Norway,
Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, etc. in which Saudi Arabia is an exception. Monarchy was more
prominent till 19th century but 20th century absolute monarchies were abolished in the countries.

AIM

The AIM of this project is to understand monarchy and its function, its types and its advantages
and disadvantages and how it is different and better than other forms of government, which type
of monarchy is best suited, is there a need for monarchy, etc
1
R C Agarwal, ‘POLITICAL THEORY’, p.259
2
Gettell, ‘POLITICAL SCIENCE’, p.195

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OBJECTIVE

 To understand the term Monarchy.

 To understand the types of monarchy.
 Countries in which it is being practiced in present times.
 Monarchial form of government which is best suited for people of a country.
 Advantages and Disadvantages of being a monarchial state.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The research method so used to write this research paper is doctrinal. It is doctrinal in the sense
that it comes from the credible sources herein, books, articles published in renowned and
justified webpages and journals. The project also uses deductive reasoning for research.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Q.1 What is Monarchy?

Q.2 What are its types?

Q.3 How is it different from other forms of Government?

Q.4 Is there a need for Monarchy?

BACKGROUND

Oldest monarchy known in the world is Imperial House of Japan. It is known to be established in
660 BCE. It is it the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world. Japan’s imperial house
recognizes 125 monarchs beginning with Emperor Jimmu. The current emperor of Japan is
Emperor Akihito.

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During middle ages, European Monarchies underwent a process of transformation and evolution.
Early monarchs acted as rulers of their people rather than territory and were responsible for their
protection. But during 11th century, kings liked at Roman law for new justification for the right to
rule. Throughout the Middle Ages, kings had come to power through conquest, acclamation,
election, or inheritance. In 12th century kings evolved as the rulers of the people and also of
territories with defined border.

CONCEPT OF MONARCHY

The word monarch derived from the Latin word ‘monarcha’ which literally meant one leader and
can be referred to as the one who is wholly set apart from all others members of the state.

According to Collins Dictionary, Monarchy is defined as “a form of government in which

supreme authority is vested in a single and usually hereditary figure, such as a king, and whose
powers can vary from those of an absolute despot to those of a figurehead.”3

According to Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, Monarchy is defined as “a government

having a hereditary chief of state with life tenure and powers varying from nominal to absolute.”4

Political definition of monarchy = It is a form of government in which sovereignty is vested in a

single person whose right to rule is generally hereditary and who is empowered to remain in
office for life. The power of this sovereignty may vary from the absolute to that strongly limited
by custom or constitution.

There are mainly two types of monarchy on the basis of nature which are as followed:

A.) Absolute Monarchy

B.) Constitutional Monarchy

Absolute monarchy is defined as the system of government in which King or Queen is the head
of the state and directly rules over the state without any restriction by law and customs.

3
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/monarchy rtv.dated:28-08-2018 at 02:03am

4
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monarchy rtv.dated:28-08-2018 at 02:04am

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It was based on the argument that the king enjoyed a divine right and had the support of the
church to maintain that power. France was the first country where concept of absolute monarchy
emerged in 17th century. Countries where absolute monarchy still exists are Brunei, Oman,
Kingdom of E-Swatini, Vatican City, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. These are
states where at present also king has an absolute power.

Its main characteristics are:

a. Total Political control = This meant that there are no laws, division of powers, or any
other form of control over the decisions or actions of the monarch. The king enjoy the
authority to set new laws and decrees, sometimes only advised by a group of councilors
but without the participation of the people.
b. Hereditary throne = No democratic mechanisms allowing the election of any ruler or
representative of the state. Hereditary transfer of power, where the sons of kings
themselves receive the throne.

Constitutional Monarchy is a form in which head of the state i.e. king or queen rule over the
people but are bounded by the law and can’t enjoy absolute powers and also shares power with
constitutionally organized government.

Monarch is the de facto head of the state and don’t exercise unlimited powers. The constitution
allocates rest of the powers to the legislature and judiciary.5 Constitutional monarchies in modern
times are United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, Norway, Netherlands, Jordan, Cambodia, Sweden,
and Thailand. The newest constitutional monarchy is Malaysia.

Bhutan is the country which transitioned from absolute to constitutional monarchy during 2007-
2008 elections.

Constitutional monarchy is further divided into two parts :

1. Executive constitutional monarchy = The monarch wields significant power.

2. Ceremonial constitutional monarchy = The monarch holds very little actual power.

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https://www.britannica.com/topic/constitutional-monarchy rtv.dated:26/08/2018 at 03:04am

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 As the powers in constitutional monarchies are very limited so they are also known as
Limited Monarchy.

Its main characteristics are:

a. Parliamentary system = Role of kings and queens is very limited. Members of the
parliament decide any issue seeking opinion of the monarch.
b. Head of state remains same = Monarch remains same even if the government changes
providing stability.
c. Politically Neutral = doesn't have the power to pass legislation, and acts on the advice of
elected ministers.

Hence, power of monarch in the modern times can be referred as Ceremonial.

It can further be divided into two parts on the basis of sovereign power:
1. Elective 2. Hereditary

In ancient times, kings were used to be elected by the Council of Ministers or people in the
sabha or public meeting. In beginning, elective monarchy existed in India, Rome, Poland, not
least but the last Roman Empire.

In medieval times also kings were used to be elected. Examples of elective monarchy are
given even in the Atharvaveda. Some of the examples of this type of monarchy include
Emperor Harsha who was elected by his Council of Ministers and also King Gopal in 8 th
century were elected as the king by his feudal lords.

But soon hereditary monarchy came into existence as the elected kings give their position
only to their heirs and it transferred from one generation to another. In medieval times,
hereditary kingship became most prominent. It now exists in Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Holland,
Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Great Britain and Japan.

If we take example of Manu Vaivasvata, he was elected as the king but he made this position
hereditary in nature by transferring kingship to his heirs and it went on & on.

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DIFFERENT FROM OTHER FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

Mainly there are four types of government i.e. Monarchy, Aristocracy, Democracy and
Dictatorship.

Monarchy = government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a monarch who
reigns over a state or territory, usually for life

Dictatorship = a form of government characterized by the absolute rule of one person or a very
small group of people who hold all political power.

Democracy = a form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but
which is usually exercised indirectly through a system of representation and delegated authority
periodically renewed.

Aristocracy = a form of government in which supreme power is held by a small number of noble
and wise persons.

Democracy is based on the principle of equality and freedom where equality means every
person is equal before law and when one breaks law, he or she is subject to sanctions. But its not
the case in monarchy where the monarch is not equal to the citizens and whether he or she breaks
law, they are not liable in anyway because they only make laws.

In democracy, head of the state can be removed by the people so he can exercise limited powers.
But in case of monarchy, head of state can’t be removed by the people as people don’t elect him
or her and him or she can even exercise unlimited powers.

A dictatorship is an office that has been gotten through force while a monarchy or crown is reign
that is passed from one generation to another. So, monarchy is hereditary and dictatorship is not
hereditary.

An Aristocracy is rule by the wealthiest and most highly regarded families, usually an hereditary
aristocracy while monarchy is rule by the king or queen which were at one time elected. In
monarchy, state is ruled by the same dynasty but in case of aristocracy ruler change when the
wealth changes.

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NEED FOR MONARCHY

Answer to this question is based on public opinion. Some think that a country needs monarchial
government while others think there is no need of monarchy in their state. Reasons for need and
no need of monarchy are explained below.

Need for Monarchy:

a. Corruption in monarchial government is less compared to other forms of government.

According to recent corruption perception index by Transparency International, there are
6 monarchial states in top ten countries for absence of corruption which includes New
Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
b. Social trust in people towards monarchs is higher as compared to other types of
government. It is an important factor in sociology and economics leading to low crime
rate.
c. Monarchial government promotes cohesion which means that unity is the priority of the
state. In countries like Thailand, monarchy is considered as the only thing holding the
state back from the edge of civil war.
d. Monarchy is the most stable form of the government. If we take example of United Arab
Emirates, which is the group of seven independent emirates is a monarchy and also one
of the most stable governments of the world.
e. Annual average economic growth of monarchies is high as compared to other forms of
government like democracy.
f. Monarchies perform pretty well in economic framework. In Ease of Doing Business
report, five monarchs namely New Zealand, Denmark, United Kingdom, Norway and
Australia stay in top ten lists from years.
g. Monarchs in most of the countries are experienced as they are raised to know their job for
the future. They are more experienced than most of the politicians who govern the states
who are elected and some of them are inexperienced due to elections when the country
faces turmoil condition.
h. Important issues are highlighted easily as compared to other forms of government. For
example, Diana, princess of Wales, managed to shift opinions about AIDS and her work
saw land mines being banned internationally. While in democracy before an issue is

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 discussed internationally, it is being discussed with the ministers and it takes a lot of time
and sometimes the issue is left unheard.

No Need for Monarchy:

a. Democracy is based on law of equality and freedom. According to law of equality, each
and every person is equal before the law and if some crime is committed by a person then
he is sanctioned for it. And people can raise voice against decisions of government as
they have freedom to Speech & Expression. But that’s not the case in monarchy where
monarch is not punished for his wrong doings and monarch’s decision could not be
challenged. For example, In India if parliament passes a law which is unjustified then
people can oppose the wrongful law. But in UAE if a law is passed by the king, whether
it is unjustified, people can’t oppose the law.
b. Monarchy is incredibly costly and it costs too much for royal family to maintain their
lifestyle. So it’s basically a stress on taxpayers. Much of the cost given to royal family is
given from civil list and to maintain civil list, tax can be increased on general public.
c. Monarchy promotes social division and social differences to a large extent on the basis of
language, religion, caste, etc. So the discrimination increases in the society.
d. Excess power vested in a single person. He or she can exercise unlimited powers and can
do what he or she thinks fine.
e. People have no representatives whom they can elect as their leader who will promote
them in the eyes of the world. They just have to accept the rule by monarchs. So common
man is left unheard.

CONCLUSION
In this project we come to know about monarchy and its types. We also get to know
public opinion on whether they need monarchy or not and why. We get to know about
which countries are presently having monarchial form of government and how their
country is managed through this form of government.

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 This project helped the researcher learn a lot and the researcher found it very interesting.
Also, it helped the researcher to know how this form of government came into existence.

BIBILIOGRAPHY

Books referred:
1. R.C Agarwal, “POLITICAL THEORY”, Ed. 2016, pp.259-262
2. Appadorai, “THE SUBSTANCE OF POLITICS”, pp. 132-134

REFERENCES:

1. BusinessInsider.com, https://www.businessinsider.in/11-really-good-reasons-why-
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3. Lawteacher.net, https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/administrative-
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11. Thediplomat.com, https://thediplomat.com/2014/06/why-monarchies-are-still-
relevant-and-useful-in-the-21st-century/

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12. Mises.org, https://mises.org/library/political-economy-monarchy-and-democracy-
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