   diarchy (or dyarchy; from the greek Î´Î¹- / Î´ÏÎ¿ meaning "two" and á¼ÏÏÏ meaning "to rule") is a form of government in which two individuals ("diarchs") are joint heads of state. most diarchs hold their position for life, passing the position to their children or other family members. diarchy is one of the oldest forms of government: examples include ancient sparta, rome, carthage as well germanic and dacian tribes. several ancient polynesian societies also exhibited a diarchic political structure. ranks in the inca empire were structured in moieties, with two occupants of each rank, but with different prestige, one hanan (upper) and one hurin (lower). in modern usage, diarchy means a system of dual rule, whether this be of a government or of an organization. such 'diarchies' are not hereditary. modern examples of diarchies are the principality of andorra, whose heads of state are the president of france and the bishop of urgell; the republic of san marino, led by two collegial captains regent; and the kingdom of swaziland, where the joint heads of state are the king and his mother. ==current diarchies== ===andorra=== andorra is a parliamentary co-principality with the president of france and the bishop of urgell (catalonia, spain), as co-princes. this peculiarity makes the president of france, in his capacity as prince of andorra, an elected reigning monarch, even though he is not elected by a popular vote of the andorran people, but rather by the french people. ===san marino=== see captain regent ===swaziland=== the kingdom of swaziland is a diarchy in which the king (ngwenyama) rules in conjunction with his mother, the queen mother (indlovukazi). in practice, however, most power is vested in the king, though it is often argued that the giving of authority wholesale to the royal male in this way is a neo-traditionalistic as opposed to truly traditional custom. ==former diarchies== ===roman republic=== the roman republic was ruled by two consuls, elected each year and each holding a veto power over the other's actions. ===swedish monarchs=== *erik and alrik *yngvi and alf *bjÃ¶rn at hauge and anund uppsale *eric the victorious and olof bjÃ¶rnsson *eric the victorious and olof skÃ¶tkonung *halsten stenkilsson and inge i *philip and inge ii ===in england, scotland, and ireland=== *
Collective_heads_of_state Diarchies Forms_of_government