Absolute monarchy
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Absolute monarchy[1][2] is a form of monarchy in which the sovereign is the sole source of political power, unconstrained by constitutions, legislatures or other checks on their authority.[3] Throughout history, there have been many examples of absolute monarchs, with some famous examples including Louis XIV of France, and Frederick the Great.[4][5]
Absolute monarchies include Brunei, Eswatini,[6] Oman,[7] Saudi Arabia,[8] Vatican City,[9] and the individual emirates composing the United Arab Emirates, which itself is a federation of such monarchies – a federal monarchy.[10][11] Though absolute monarchies are sometimes supported by legal documents (such as the King's Law of Denmark-Norway), they are distinct from constitutional monarchies, in which the authority of the monarch is restricted (e.g. by legislature or unwritten customs) or balanced by that of other officials, such as a prime minister, as is in the case of the United Kingdom, or the Nordic countries.[3]
Absolute monarchies are similar to but should not be confused with hereditary dictatorships such as North Korea or Ba'athist Syria.
- ^ Goldie, Mark; Wokler, Robert (2006-08-31). "Philosophical kingship and enlightened despotism". The Cambridge History of Eighteenth-Century Political Thought. Cambridge University Press. p. 523. ISBN 9780521374224. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ Leopardi Giroux (16 July 2013). Zibaldone. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 1438. ISBN 978-0374296827.
- ^ a b Harris, Nathanial (2009). Systems of Government Monarchy. Evans Brothers. ISBN 978-0-237-53932-0.
- ^ Beik, William (2005). "The Absolutism of Louis XIV as Social Collaboration". Past & Present. pp. 195–224. doi:10.1093/pastj/gti019.
- ^ Wilson, Peter (November 2002). Absolutism in Central Europe. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-74805-1.
- ^ "Swaziland profile". BBC News. 2018-09-03. Archived from the original on 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
- ^ "Q&A: Elections to Oman's consultative Council". BBC News. 2011-10-13. Archived from the original on 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Cavendish78was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Organi dello Stato" [State Departments]. vaticanstate.va. Vatican State. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
"State Departments". vaticanstate.va. Vatican State. Archived from the original on 2020-04-11. Retrieved 2019-09-21. - ^ Stephens, Michael (2013-01-07). "Qatar: Regional backwater to global player". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
- ^ "Vatican to emirates, monarchs keep the reins in modern world". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2013-10-16.