monarchy is formingovernment, the oldest that is in effect in the world today. In this form, the monarch (who can be called king/queen or emperor/empress) holds the position of head of state or even head of government, in the case of absolute monarchies. Some countries today still adopt this form of government, and in this text we will look at some of those countries and the types of monarchy they adopt.
At the moment, 44 countries have the monarchy as a form of government, and different types of monarchy are adopted in them. Another very common form of government in the world is the republic, a system that Brazil has adopted since 1889. In this system, the president occupies the position of head of state and government.
Also access: Learn more about the countries that make up the European continent
Famous monarchical regimes
At human history, several monarchic regimes became known for their wealth and power. One of the best known monarchical regimes was the one that existed in Pomegranate, from 753 to. Ç. to 509 a. Ç. Historians have very limited knowledge about the
Rome's monarchic period, but we know that this started one of the greatest empires that ever existed on Earth.Other known monarchic regimes that existed in other parts of the world were:
KingdomAxum: existed in the Ethiopian region, on the African continent, between 100 AD. Ç. and 940 d. Ç.
EmpireMongolian: it began in the Mongolian region, dominated vast lands (which stretched from the Far East to Eastern Europe) and existed between 1206 and 1368.
Holy Roman Empire (962-1806) and EmpireCarolingian (800-888): both monarchies stood out in medieval Europe.
monarchyEnglish: currently it can be highlighted as one of the most important in the world. The English monarchy, based on the constitutional model, has existed since the end of the 17th century.
Again, it is important to emphasize that these different monarchic regimes mentioned were not identical, each one had its own characteristics.
Queen Elizabeth II is the representative of one of the main monarchies of today: the English monarchy. [1]
See too: War of the Roses — war driven by the dispute for the English throne
Types of monarchy
Among the monarchies that currently exist, two models can be highlighted: the monarchy constitutional and the monarchy absolute. Let's see a little of their differences:
→ Constitutional Monarchy
This is the most adopted monarchy model currently and has as a great mark the limitation of monarch's powers. This limitation happens through the Constitution. The pioneer country to carry out this type of monarchy was England, right after the Revolutionglorious, in 1688. This event marked the beginning of the end of absolutism in Europe.
The English monarchy became constitutional when William of Orange and his wife, Mary Stuart, were crowned King and Queen of England in 1688.
Part of the constitutional monarchies adopts the systemparliamentarian, and for this reason they are also called parliamentary constitutional monarchies. Again, the modelEnglish is the best known. In this system, the head of government, that is, the one who has the function of governing, is the Prime Minister, which is chosen from among the members of parliament.
You members of parliament are elected through the popular vote. Thus, we can see that, in this regime, the prime minister governs and, therefore, is the head of government, while the monarch has symbolic powers and therefore is just head of state. The powers of the monarch in this system vary from country to country.
Some examples of constitutional monarchies are:
United Kingdom (comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)
Sweden
Japan
→ Absolute Monarchy
The absolute or absolutist monarchy is marked by the wide powers that the monarch possesses. The name of this system suggests that the monarch powers about the country are absolutes and, generally, they are above any existing institution. Taking as an example a traditional political system in the world (that of the three powers), the monarch has so much power that he can act as a executive, legislative or judiciary.
The absolute monarchy was very common in Europe, at the end of the Middle Ages and during the AgeModern, finding its end with the political transformations that took place at the beginning of the Contemporary age.
The emergence ofEnlightenmentand the liberal revolutions caused this form of government to lose strength and was replaced by republics or by monarchiesconstitutional. If you are interested in knowing more about the absolutist system that existed in Europe centuries ago, we suggest reading the following text: Absolutism.
Some examples of absolute monarchies are:
Saudi Arabia
Brunei
Bahrain
Read too: French Revolution: One of the Major Liberal Revolutions in History
Features
Due to the variation of monarchic systems that currently exist, it is very difficult to specify basic characteristics of monarchies, as their functioning varies according to the choices policies of each country. Still, some points can be raised.
As mentioned, the main figure of monarchies is the monarch, that can be named, like King queen, emperor/empress, or in Go and sultan in existing monarchies in Arab countries, for example.
O power, in general, is hereditary, it's the throne is way busy lifetime, but there are exceptions. THE Malaysia, for example, has a monarchy whose power is not for life and its transmission is not hereditary. The choice of the monarch, in this case, happens through a successionelective, that is, an election.
Once elected, the monarch in Malaysia exercises his term for five years, and then replaced by another chosen monarch in a new election. The Malay monarch is known as leadersupreme.
In the monarchieshereditary, power is only transmitted when the monarch passes away or renounces the throne. To guarantee the transmission of power, there is a lineinsuccession that organizes the heirs to the throne.
Know more: Iberian Union: from the crisis of the Avis dynasty to the joining of two Crowns
Monarchy in Brazil
Brazil currently adopts the systemrepublicanpresidentialist as a form of government. This system has been in effect in our country since 1889. Before that, in turn, Brazil was a monarchy, and the monarchic period in Brazilian history extended from 1822 to1889. The two monarchs in this period were d. Peter I and your son, d. Pedro II.
The monarchy was adopted in the country soon after the independence, which took place in 1822. The economic elite acclaimed and crowned d. Pedro I as Emperor of Brazil. Until 1889, when this system was replaced, the country had two monarchs, who ruled during the first reign (1822-1831) and the second reign (1840-1889). There was also an in-between period known asGoverning Period (1831-1840), in which the country had no emperor in power.
After the installation of the monarchy in Brazil, a Constitution in 1824. This Constitution stipulated that the emperor It was the authoritymaximum of the country and was above the three existing powers (executive, legislative and judiciary). To ensure this, the emperor came to represent the moderating power.
Also access:Understand how the process of drafting the Constitution of 1824 took place
With the Proclamation of the Republic, which took place on November 15, 1889, the monarchy ended in Brazil and the imperial succession was suspended. The emperor at the time was d. Pedro II, and the successors to the throne were the Princess Isabel and her husband, the Count d’ Eu.
Image Credit:
[1] Nicoleta Ionescuand Shutterstock
