page_title: Monarchy
section_title: Absolute monarchy
hierarchical_section_title: Monarchy / Kinds of Monarchical Powers / Absolute monarchy
caption_attribution_description: Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, October 13, 1998
context_page_description: A monarchy is a kind of government where a monarch, a kind of hereditary ruler, is the head of state. Monarchs usually rule until they die or pass down. Most monarchies are hereditary, but some are elected. The most famous elected monarch is the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Some well known titles for monarchs are King, Queen, Emperor, Empress, Czar, Kaiser, Shah, Emir and Sultan.
context_section_description: In an absolute monarchy the monarch is the only source of all laws.  The monarch has total power to make any law just by deciding it.  Any other institution in the country cannot make laws that affect the monarch, unless the monarch decides to allow it. Sometimes the monarch is also the head of the state religion and makes religious laws also. All land and property in the country can be taken or given away by the monarch at any time for any reason. The army and navy is under the personal control of the monarch and can be used for any purpose at any time. The monarch can also pick who gets to be the next monarch and can change the rules at any time. There is usually no elected government or Parliament, and if there is one, it has no real power. This kind of government is very rare today.  The people do not have a lot of power in it.
  Countries that are examples of an absolute monarchy are Vatican City, Brunei, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Swaziland.
caption: King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarch
exif: {}