Science Fair Project Encyclopedia For related meanings see also
Monarch (disambiguation) A monarchy, (from the Greek monos,
"one," and archein, "to rule") is a form of government that has
a monarch as Head of State. The distinguishing characteristic of
monarchies is that the Head of State holds his office for life,
unlike in republics, where presidents are generally elected for
a certain amount of time. The term monarchy is also used to
refer to the people and institutions that make up the royal
establishment, or to the realm in which the monarchy functions.
Elective monarchies, distinguished by the monarchs being
appointed for life, have in most cases been succeeded by
hereditary monarchies. In the hereditary system, the position of
monarch involves inheritance according to an order of
succession, usually within one royal family tracing its origin
back to a historical dynasty or bloodline. In some cases the
royal family may claim to hold authority by virtue of God's
choosing, or other religious-based authori