List of monarchies
There are and have been throughout recorded history a great many monarchies in the world.
Tribal kingship and Chiefdoms have been the most widespread form of social organisation from the Neolithic, and the predominance of monarchies has declined only with the rise of Republicanism in the modern era.
A monarchical form of government can be combined with many different kinds of political and economic systems, from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy and from a market economy to a planned economy. Some examples for certain forms of monarchy are:
Extant monarchies are listed in bold type.
Antiquity
- Trigarta
- Egypt
- Kingship of Tara
- Monarchy of China
- * Chinese Empire
- Minoan Crete
- Gojoseon
- Akkadian Empire
- Babylon
- Mycenaean Greece
- United Monarchy of Israel ; succeeded by the following two kingdoms:
- Kingdom of Israel
- Kingdom of Judah
- Athens
- Sparta
- Macedon
- Roman Kingdom
- Magadha
- Persian Empire
- Persian Empire
- Laigin, founded c. 300 BC – 1632.
- Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
- Indo-Greek Kingdom
- Hasmoneans
- Herodian Dynasty
- Ulaid, c. 1st century BC – 1201
- Kushan Empire
- Silla
- Goguryeo
- Roman Empire
- Baekje
- Funan
- Gangga Negara
- Indo-Parthian Kingdom
- Västergötland
- Aidhne
- Sri Ksetra
- Cóiced Ol nEchmacht – pre 2nd century AD to c. 600.
- Chera Kingdom
- Chola Kingdom
- Srivijaya
- Sassanid Empire
- Gupta Empire
- Wa
- Byzantine Empire
- Uí Maine, Ireland, c. 357 – c. 1611.
- Kingdom of Osraige, c. 4th century – c. 1556.
- Kingdom of Uí Failghe, at least 4th century – 16th century.
- Kedah Kingdom
- Kidarite Kingdom
- Kingdom of Powys
- Pictland
- Kingdom of Gwynedd
- Connacht
- Máenmaige
- Suebi
- Tethbae
- Merovingians
- Ailech
- Visigothic Kingdom
- Ostrogothic Kingdom
- Kingdom of Terengganu
- Dál Riata
- Pattani Kingdom
- Frankish Empire
- Kingdom of Mide
- Chenla
- Mercia
- Uí Fiachrach Muaidhe
- Frisian kingdom
- Brega
- Cnogba
- Conaille Muirtheimne
- Kingdom of Breifne
- Champa
- Sultanate of Brunei
- First Bulgarian Empire
- Airgíalla
- Deis Mumhain
- Balhae Empire
Middle Ages and Renaissance
- Loch Gabhair
- Al-Andalus
- Kingdom of Asturias
- Maigh Seóla
- Umaill
- Sultanate of Morocco
- Khmer Empire
- Kingdom of Axum
- High Kings of Ireland
- Kingdom of Ireland
- Kingdom of Navarre
- Murcia
- Holy Roman Empire
- Kingdom of France
- Unification of Japan
- Kingdom of Scotland
- Pagan Kingdom
- Kingdom of Dublin
- Kingdom of Norway
- Kievan Rus'
- Kingdom of León
- Goryeo Dynasty
- Kingdom of Aragon
- Kingdom of Croatia
- Kingdom of England
- Kingdom of Denmark
- Magh Luirg
- Kingdom of Sweden
- Sultanate of Egypt
- Kingdom of Castile
- Sultanate of Seljuk
- Kingdom of Nri
- Síol Anmchadha
- Kingdom of Venad
- Thomond
- Kingdom of Desmond
- Kingdom of Portugal
- Crown of Aragon
- Vladimir-Suzdal Grand Duchy
- Second Bulgarian Empire
- Shōgun
- Unification of Japan
- Kingdom of Bohemia
- Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia
- Kingdom of Poland
- Latin Empire
- Despotate of Epirus
- Kingdom of Thessalonica
- Empire of Nicaea
- Empire of Trebizond
- Mongol Empire
- Principality of Wales
- Serb Kingdom
- Crown of Castile
- Aztec Empire
- Sukhothai Kingdom
- Lanna
- Principality of Andorra
- Ottoman Empire
- Ajuran Empire
- Serbian Empire
- Ayutthaya Kingdom
- Kingdom of Vidin
- Principality of Muscovy
- 1st Kingdom of Ava
- Kingdom of Bosnia
- Joseon Dynasty
- Ashanti
- Sultanate of Malacca
- Kelantan
- Sultanate of Sulu
- Ryūkyū Kingdom
- Khmer Kingdom
- Kingdom of Spain
- Persia
- Sultanate of Maguindanao
- Bunyoro
- Pegu Kingdom
- Sultanate of Johor
- Sultanate of Perak
- Maguindanao Sultanate
- Sulu Sultanate
- Taungoo Kingdom
- Tsardom of Russia
- 2nd Kingdom of Ava
Enlightenment and later
Constitutional monarchies
A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchical government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges an elected or hereditary monarch as head of state.Unitary constitutional monarchies
Unitary constitutional monarchies are unitary states which are governed constitutionally as one single unit, with a single constitutionally created legislature.- Kingdom of England
- Kingdom of Prussia
- Kingdom of Great Britain
- Kingdom of France
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Kingdom of Bohemia
- Kingdom of Hungary
- Kingdom of Spain
- Kingdom of Norway
- Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Kingdom of France
- First Mexican Empire ; ended by forced abdication, Second Mexican Empire ; ended by execution
- Kingdom of Portugal
- Empire of Brazil
- Kingdom of Belgium
- Kingdom of Hawaii
- Kingdom of Greece
- Kingdom of Denmark
- French Empire
- Kingdom of Italy
- Principality of Liechtenstein
- Kingdom of Sweden
- Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
- Japan
- Principality of Romania
- Kingdom of Romania
- Principality of Serbia
- Kingdom of Serbia
- Principality of Frickgau
- New Zealand
- Kingdom of Bulgaria
- Union of South Africa
- Princedom of Montenegro ; transformed into a Kingdom
- Kingdom of Montenegro
- Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
- Kingdom of Finland
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Kingdom of Jordan
- Kingdom of Egypt
- Kingdom of Yugoslavia
- Kingdom of Iraq
- Kingdom of Thailand
- Kingdom of Laos
- Kingdom of Morocco
- Jamaica
- Barbados
- Kingdom of Lesotho
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- The Bahamas
- Kingdom of Bahrain
- Grenada
- Papua New Guinea
- Solomon Islands
- Tuvalu
- Saint Lucia
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Belize
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Kingdom of Nepal
- Principality of Andorra
- Kingdom of Cambodia
- Kingdom of Bhutan
Federal constitutional monarchies
- United Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Canada
- German Empire
- Commonwealth of Australia
- Federation of Malaya
- Malaysia
- United Arab Emirates
- Kingdom of Belgium
Elective constitutional monarchies
- Negeri Sembilan, the Federation of Malaya, and Malaysia
- Federation of Malaya
- Malaysia
- Independent State of Samoa
- United Arab Emirates
Absolute monarchies
Unitary absolute monarchies
Unitary absolute monarchies are unitary states which are governed as one single unit by a single hereditary or elected leader. Some had or have a single legislature, which may or may not be constitutionally created.- Oman
- Busoga
- Wogodogo Monarchy
- Emirate of Abu Dhabi
- Buganda
- Emirate of Dubai
- Negeri Sembilan
- Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah
- Russian Empire
- Sultanate of Terengganu
- Emirate of Sharjah
- 3rd Burmese Empire
- Kingdom of Siam
- Grand Principality of Finland
- Emirate of Umm al-Quwain
- Kingdom of Nepal
- Kingdom of Bahrain
- Ankole
- French Empire
- Austrian Empire
- Kingdom of Holland
- Kingdom of Hungary
- Principality of Liechtenstein
- Kingdom of Hawaii
- Kingdom of Poland
- Kingdom of Brazil
- Kingdom of Lesotho
- Emirate of Ajmān
- Qatar
- Kingdom of Greece
- Austro-Hungarian Empire
- Kingdom of Bhutan
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Kingdom of Iran
- Kingdom of Cambodia
- Sultanate of Brunei
- Kingdom of Swaziland
- Kingdom of Afghanistan
- Central African Empire
Elective absolute monarchies
- Holy See
Subnational monarchies
- Sultanate of Kelantan
- Sultanate of Kedah
- Sultanate of Pahang
- Principality of Perlis
- Kingdom of Bohemia
- Kingdom of Germany
- Luxembourg
- Kingdom of Pattani
- Murcia
- Vaduz
- Sultanate of Selangor
- Sultanate of Yogyakarta, and Republic of Indonesia
- Sultanate of Terengganu
- Sultanate of Sulu
- Grand Duchy of Finland
- Barotseland ; within Zambia
- Māori Kingship
- Kingdom of Lesotho
- Kingdom of Bavaria ; held a privileged status within the German Empire
- Negeri Sembilan
- Sultanates of Lanao
- Sultanate of Perak
- Principality of Bulgaria
- Wogodogo Monarchy
- Bunyoro
- Ashanti
- Ankole
- Kingdom of Egypt
- Sultanate of Johor
- Buganda
- Busoga
- Emirate of Abu Dhabi
- Emirate of Ajmān
- Emirate of Dubai
- Emirate of Fujairah
- Emirate of Sharjah
- Emirate of Umm al-Quwain
- Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah
Shared monarchies
- Between 925 and 1035 the Kingdom of Aragon shared a monarchy with the Kingdom of Navarre.
- From 1150 to 1319, the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona formed a dynastical union named Crown of Aragon; from 1319 to 1479, the Crown was a federation of these two countries and the Kingdom of Valencia.
- The Kingdoms of León and Castile were united three times under the same monarch, first between 1037 and 1078, again from 1072 to 1157, and finally between 1230 and sometime in the 16th century.
- Between 1072 and 1095 León, Castile, and Galicia were united under a common monarch, whereafter Portugal separated under a different dynasty, and the others were absorbed by Spain.
- The Kalmar Union was a period between 1397 and 1536 in which Denmark, Norway and Sweden shared the same monarch as three independent countries. Norway and Denmark continued to share a monarchy from 1536 to 1814. Norway was then united under a common monarchy with Sweden from 1814 to 1905.
- From 1490 to c. 1740 Hungary and Bohemia shared a monarchy. These kingdoms shared a monarch from the Habsburgs who were Archdukes of Austria and Holy Roman Emperors. Briefly Naples and Sardinia in 1707, and Sicily in 1714 to their departure in 1735, 1720 and 1734, respectively. The Habsburgs declared themselves Emperors of Austria in 1804. The three countries remained in this situation until the union was ended in the aftermath of World War I, in 1918. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was the union of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary between 1867 and 1918 under a new constitution, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, or Ausgleich.
- From 1541, King Henry VIII of England was declared King of Ireland, after being excommunicated by the pope and losing the title of Lord of Ireland. England and Ireland were joined in a personal union until 1603, when the James VI of Scotland became king of England and Ireland. All three crowns remained in personal union until 1707 when England and Scotland were united by the Acts of Union 1707 to become the Kingdom of Great Britain. The two crowns remained under personal union until the Acts of Union 1800 when the kingdoms became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This union lasted until Irish Independence in 1921 when with the departure of the 26 southern counties of Ireland, the UK officially became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- From 1580 to 1640, Portugal was under a united monarchy with Spain, in the period known as the Iberian Union.
- Between 1867 and 1890 Luxembourg and the Netherlands shared the same monarch.
- Elizabeth II currently reigns over 16 Commonwealth realms.
- The King of France was also the co-prince of Andorra. After the abolition of the French monarchy the co-prince is now the president of the French Republic.