    a high king is a king who holds a position of seniority over a group of other kings, without the title of emperor. similar titles include great king and king of kings. ==high kingship== in history and literature, high kings may be found where there is a high degree of cultural unity, along with sufficient political fragmentation that the high king's subordinates style themselves kings. in this respect, high kingships frequently differ from empires, which are culturally as well as politically heterogeneous, as well as from feudal monarchies, where the subordinate rulers take lesser titles (such as duke or count) and may be, at least in theory, subject to appointment and dismissal by the sovereign. in this model, a high king might be chosen from among a group of kings in his personal capacity, for instance by election or on the basis of genealogical superiority. alternatively, the high kingship might be attached to the kingship of one of the constituent kingdoms, either permanently or when one kingdom is able to assert supremacy over the others. the high king's authority over other kings is usually limited, and in some high kingships his duties are largely ceremonial, or restricted to occasions such as war that create a need for a unified command structure. ==historical high kings== rulers who have been termed "high king" (by their contemporaries or by modern observers) include: *various ancient irish and british rulers, notably the high king (ard rÃ­) of ireland. some other monarchs, such as king arthur, uther pendragon, and vortigern, have been termed "high king of britain" in some accounts. *the ruler of the picts. *the ard rÃ­ alban, high king of scotland. *some ancient greek rulers, such as agamemnon (see anax). *the most powerful king of the various etruscan city-states. *mepe-umaglesi "most high king" was a predicate of the georgian orthodox mepe-mepeta ("king of kings") *in lithuania, the title of "didysis kunigaikÅ¡tis" is more accurately translated as "high king", although it is traditionally rendered as "grand duke" *in ancient sumer, the rulers of all sumer held the title of "nam-lugal" (high king).dawson, doyne. the first armies. london: cassell & co. 2001, p. 80. the bretwalda was essentially the high king of the anglo-saxons, though the name is rarely translated as such. the [[ya
Heads_of_state Noble_titles Royal_titles Titles_of_national_or_ethnic_leadership