A single hereditary ruler stands at the head of a monarchy. The monarch’s powers may be absolute or, far more commonly today, constitutional and largely ceremonial.

Absolute monarchies concentrate executive, legislative, and often judicial authority in the sovereign. Constitutional monarchies retain a king or queen as head of state while placing effective government in the hands of elected ministers responsible to a parliament. Succession rules, usually primogeniture or a modern variant, provide continuity.

Monarchy supplies a unifying symbol above party politics for some societies. Critics view it as anachronistic and incompatible with full democratic equality. Where it survives, its legitimacy rests on tradition, public affection, and careful avoidance of partisan controversy. Several long-standing democracies continue to operate as constitutional monarchies without apparent contradiction.

• Rule by a hereditary single head of state
• May be absolute or constitutional
• Succession follows established rules
• Ceremonial role dominates in modern democracies