An elective monarchy is a monarchy whose reigning king or queen is elected in some form. A monarchy, (from the Greek monos, one, and archein, to rule) is a form of government that has a monarch as Head of State. ...

In the ancient Kingdom of Rome, the kings were elected by the Assemblies. The Holy Roman Empire was another example of this, in which the Emperor was elected by a small council of nobles called prince-electors. For the son of Napoleon I of France, styled the King of Rome, see Napoleon II of France. ... The Roman Republic (Latin: Res Publica Romanorum) vested formal governmental powers in four separate peoples assemblies — the Comitia Curiata, the Comitia Centuriata, the Comitia Tributa, and the Concilium Plebis. ... This page is about the Germanic empire. ... The prince-electors or electoral princes of the Holy Roman Empire — German: Kurfürst (singular) Kurfürsten (plural) — were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Emperors of Germany. ...

In Gaelic Order Ireland, a Rí, or king was elected to rule clan lands both large and small. While Rí (king) is used regardless of the size of the territory, in English, the lesser rulers are more commonly called chieftains. The Ard Rí Éireann, or High King of Ireland was also elected from among the provincial kings. A high king is a king who holds a position of seniority over a group of other kings. ...

A system of elective monarchy existed in Anglo-Saxon England. See Witenagemot. The Anglo-Saxons refers collectively to the groups of Germanic tribes who achieved dominance in southern Britain from the mid-5th century, forming the basis for the modern English nation. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... The Witenagemot (or Witan) was a political institution in Anglo-Saxon England which operated between approximately the 7th century and 11th century. ...

In Poland, after the death of the last Piast in 1370, Polish Kings were initially elected by a small council; gradually, this privilege was granted to all members of the gentry. Kings of Poland during the times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569-1795) were elected by gatherings of crowds of nobles at a field in Wola, today the neighbourhood of Warsaw. Every one of an estimated 500,000 nobles could potentially have participated in such elections in person. During the election period, the function of the king was perfomed by an interrex. The Piast dynasty is a line of Kings and dukes that ruled Poland from its beginnings as an independent state up to 1370. ... Events Beginning of the rule of Poland by Capet-Anjou family. ... Polish szlachcic. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Events January 11 - First recorded lottery in England. ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Election of Michal Korybut Wisniowiecki as king of Poland at Wola, outside Warsaw ( 1669). ... Sowiński defending Wola during the November Uprising German forces during their failed assault on Wola, suburb of Warsaw, on September 9, 1939 Wola is a district of western Warsaw, Poland, formerly the village of Wielka Wola, that was incorporated into Warsaw in 1916. ... Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa, see also other names, in full The Capital City of Warsaw, Polish: Miasto StoÅ‚eczne Warszawa) is the capital of Poland and its largest city. ... Interrex or inter-rex (Latin; plural, interreges) was literally a ruler between kings. ...

At the start of the 20th century, first monarchs of several newly-independent nations were elected by parliaments: Norway is the prime example. Previously, following precedent set in newly-independent Greece, new nations without a well-established hereditary royal family, often chose their own monarchs from among the established royal families of Europe rather than elevate a member of the local power establishment, in the hope that a stable hereditary monarchy would eventually emerge from the process. The now-deposed royal families of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania were originally appointed in this manner. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. ... A hereditary monarchy is the most common style of monarchy and is the form that is used by almost all of the worlds existing monarchies. ...

Other monarchs, such as the Shah of Iran, have been required to undergo a parliamentary vote of approval before being allowed to ascend to the throne. One of the worlds longest-lasting monarchies, the Iranian monarchy went through many transformations over the centuries, from the days of Persia to the creation of what is now modern day Iran. ...

When it was usual

Elective succession has been, in its various forms, the most usual official succession system in monarchies. The world's perhaps oldest method to determine succession as the leader of military has been through some sort of election. Elective monarchies were once common, although usually only a very small portion of the population was eligible to vote.

Most kingdoms were officially elective long into the historical times (though the election usually, or always, fell to family of the deceased monarch.) Hereditary systems came into being mostly in order to avoid instability and discontinuity which are ingrained in elective systems (Elective system attracts powerful leaders to use violence, make coups, and otherwise manipulate elections).

As the impact of the archaic democracy diminished, many elected monarchs were eventually allowed to introduce hereditary succession, guaranteeing that the title and office will stay within their own family. Today, almost all monarchies are hereditary monarchies in which the monarchs come from one royal family with the office of sovereign being passed from one family member to another upon the death or abdication of the incumbent. A hereditary monarchy is the most common style of monarchy and is the form that is used by almost all of the worlds existing monarchies. ... A hereditary monarchy is the most common style of monarchy and is the form that is used by almost all of the worlds existing monarchies. ... A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. ... Abdication (from the Latin abdicatio, disowning, renouncing, from ab, from, and dicare, to declare, to proclaim as not belonging to one) is the act of renouncing and resigning from a formal office, especially from the supreme office of state. ...

In monarchical government, a desire to ensure a continuity of operations has resulted in having some formalized order of succession. Particularly interregnums, but also for example quarreled elections, have been a sore point in efficacy of monarchical form of government, due to which much of their potential has been tied to or nubbed away with more or less precise succession laws. An interregnum is a period between kings, between popes of the Roman Catholic Church, or between consuls of the Roman Republic. ...

Female rulers have almost never succeeded in an elective monarchy. Hereditary monarchy has thus evidently given females better opportunities than elective monarchy.

Current

Currently, the world's only true "elective monarchies" are:

• Vatican City, where the Pope is elected to a life term by (and usually from) the College of Cardinals
• Malaysia, where the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is selected to a five-year term from a small group of local hereditary rulers using a system of rotation, originally based on seniority, and varied by a council.
• Samoa, where the eventual successor will be selected by the legislature for a 5-year term.
• the Kingdom of Cambodia, in which kings are chosen for a life term by The Royal Council of the Throne from candidates of royal blood.

Arguably, the transfer of power in many communist states as established by Joseph Stalin shows some parallels with elective monarchies: successors are chosen from within a leadership cadre of the Communist Party, adjudged "throne-worthy" by the Politburo, approved by the Central Committee and acclaimed in open assembly by an elected elite. However, in the majority of cases there were no blood ties between a leader and his successor. Heirs were chosen according to political criteria, not family relations. One exception to this rule is North Korea, where Kim Jong-il succeeded his father Kim Il Sung as leader. The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Catholic Church. ... The Sacred College of Cardinals is the body of all Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Replicas of the thrones of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and his consort, the Raja Permaisuri Agong, National History Museum, Kuala Lumpur Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a Malay title usually translated as Supreme Head, Supreme Ruler or Paramount Ruler, is the official title of the head of state of Malaysia. ... A Communist state is a term for a state governed by a single political party which declares its allegiance to the principles of Marxism-Leninism. ...   Joseph Stalin? (Russian, in full: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин, real name: Иосиф Джугашвили, Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი; December 6 (OS)/December 18 (NS), 1878 – March 5, 1953) was the leader of the Soviet Union from mid-1920s to his death in 1953 and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922-1953), a position which had... In modern usage, a Communist party is a political party which promotes communism, a sociopolitical philosophy based on the particular interpretation of Marxism put forth by Vladimir Lenin. ... Politburo is short for Political Bureau. ... The 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China meets in 2002 The Central Committee is a leading body of an organization, most often a political party, especially Communist parties. ... Kim Jong-il (born February 16, 1941) has led North Korea since 1994. ... Kim Il-sung (April 15, 1912–July 8, 1994) was a Korean Communist politician and the ruler of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea) from 1948 until his death. ...

Many non-communist republics also show similarities to monarchies. In Syria the head of state is President Bashar al-Assad, the son of president Hafez al-Assad, who led the country from 1971 until his death in 2000. Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (بشار الاسد) (born September 11, 1965) is the current President of Syria (The Syrian Arab Republic) and the son of former President Hafez al-Assad. ... Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad (October 6, 1930 - June 10, 2000) was the President of Syria from 1971 to 2000. ...

Elective monarchies in fiction

In second trilogy of Star Wars films, there is a planet named Naboo which is an elected monarchy. Padmé Amidala, one of the series' main characters, was elected queen at the age of fourteen. Star Wars is a series of science fantasy films created by writer/producer/director George Lucas. ... Naboo is a planet in the fictional Star Wars universe with a mostly green terrain and which is the homeworld of two societies: the Gungans who live in underwater cities and the humans who are run by a government type called popular sovereignty. ... Padmé Naberrie (46 - 19 BBY), also known as Queen and then finally, Senator Amidala, is a prominent citizen of the planet Naboo in the fictional Star Wars universe. ...

See also

• Free election
• Papal election
• Papal conclave, 2005
• President for life