Who is a monarch, what are his functions? All states at some time passed through such a form of political government as a monarchy. It is one of the most manifested individual forms of government. Power in the state with her belongs to the monarch, that is, the sovereign ruler - the emperor, king, prince, vizier or king. Moreover, this is not an elective "position". Monarchy presupposes a hereditary, customary transfer of power. If the monarch does not have children, this can lead to political strife among high-ranking persons.
Monarchy
True adherents of the monarchy believe that power is granted by God to the monarch. At the same time, he receives grace from above. Based on the above, we can conclude who the monarch is.
- A monarch is a head of state with life-long rights and powers.
- Inheritance of power - the title of the monarch - is determined by law.
- A monarch is the head of the nation or people of his country.
- The monarch has legal independence and immunity.
Types of the earliest monarchies
The earliest, the first in the history of mankind - the ancient Eastern monarchy, where a significant role was played by the patriarchal way of life and the belonging of slaves. Under this type of government, state slaves belonged entirely to the monarch. This organization of power is known in the countries of the Ancient East as the Eastern despotism.
Medieval or feudal monarchy emerged after the fall of the Roman Empire. The result of this was the birth of a number of kingdoms called barbarian: Visigothic, Frankish, Ostrogothic, Anglo-Saxon and others. There are constant strife, strife between the vassals and their king, who bears the title of monarch. There is a constant contestation of the right to the throne. If until the 7th - 8th centuries the king was appointed by election, then later the kings themselves began to appoint their own successors, that is, their sons.
Titles of the Russian Empire
Early feudal monarchy appeared in the 9th - 10th centuries. Kievan Rus, according to historians, belonged to this type of government. At this time, feudal landownership was formed. Common lands are captured by boyars and princes. Subjects who fell under the authority of the prince are obliged to pay him quitrent in kind. That is, under the early feudal monarchy, the prince, endowed with the title of monarch, was at the head of the state. He relied on his military strength - the squad, and then on the council of elders. The Grand Duke was given the role of overlord for other pettyprinces. There were Smolensk, Novgorod, Tver princes. The throne of Kyiv was considered prestigious, and it was occupied by the princes of the Rurik dynasty, recognized by the rest of the princes as senior in succession to the throne.
Early feudal monarchy had its own unique features. Power was transferred in the order of inheritance from father to son without any legislative act - at the level of custom. Whatever actions the monarch did, he did not bear any legal responsibility for them. The state did not have any institutions of power, powers and the status of the council under the prince (king).
In 1472, the niece of the Byzantine emperor married the Grand Duke of Moscow, Ivan III, who put forward the idea of succession to the Byzantine Empire. And in 1480, when the dependence of the Muscovite state on the Mongols ended, Ivan III began to use the term emperor and dictator - autocrat, that is, having power independent of the Golden Horde. In fact, Ivan III declared himself the Russian emperor. Subsequently, the monarchs of the Russian throne called themselves tsars.
The era of Peter the Great
With the coming to power of Peter the Great, innovations and changes began. In 1721, Peter the Great reintroduced instead of the title "king" the title "emperor", in accordance with European traditions. He becomes the Russian emperor. And it was necessary to address Peter the Great only as "Your Imperial Majesty." Russia became known as the Russian Empire.
WoDuring the reign of Peter the Great, there were three titles among the nobility: prince, count and baron, who complained only to the monarch, and only to descendants in the male line. Daughters after marriage lost their title, passing into the clan of her husband.
The title "emperor" was used among Russian monarchs until 1917. The last emperor in Russia was the deposed Nicholas II.
About the Monarchs of the Principality of Monaco
For example, the history of the ups and downs of Monaco is still interesting to the modern public. The uniqueness of the government in this country is due to the fact that with the coming to power of the Grimaldi family and the formation of the Monegasque monarchy in 1215, the dynasty has not changed even once for 700 years. The most ancient state for many years was under the protectorate of France, which recognized this state as free and sovereign. The protectorate ended in 1860. In 1911, the prince of Monaco approved the constitution of the principality. In it, the monarch retained great powers and, with the elected vote of the National Council, shared the legislative power.
Before the First World War, the independence of the country was in question, but Louis II, ruling at that time, retained power and his grandson Rainier III, who ascended the throne in 1949, did a lot for the development of the country. The development of science, industry, sports, culture - these are all his merits. Together with his wife, the popular American actress Grace Kelly, the prince changed the face of Monaco. The wife was engaged in charity and culture.
Crown Prince Albert
Married princeRainier III had three children with Grace Kelly. After the tragic death of his wife in 1982, Prince Rainier III rules the country without marrying a second time. The merits of the ruling prince include the inclusion in the constitution of the principality of a clause that only the legitimate heirs of his son can inherit the throne. He just knew about the wild life of his offspring and weakly believed that he was getting married. After the death of his father in 2005, Prince Albert II (born 1958), the second child in the family, comes to power. The eldest is Princess Caroline (born 1957), the youngest is Princess Stephanie (born 1965).
Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert II - a former participant in the Olympic Games, athlete, climber. He married in 2011 Charlene Wittstock, a swimmer and school teacher from South Africa. In 2014, twins were born: girl Gabriella and boy Jacques. He will become a hereditary prince and inherit his father's throne. In the entire history of the Principality of the Grimalda family, these are the first twins.
History does not hide the fact that before his marriage, Prince Albert II had two illegitimate children with his girlfriends, but they cannot claim the throne. According to the laws of Monaco, if the ruling prince had no children, power after his death would have passed to his older sister, Carolina. But the kids showed up.
Ottoman Empire
Uneasy rule was in the Ottoman Empire. There is no doubt that the Sultan had the title of monarch. Depending on who came to power, the Ottoman Empire developed in this way. There were ups and downs. There was a strong army and a weak one. Coming to power, the next sultan eliminatedfrom his entourage, all those who could lay claim to all-embracing power. Both brothers and concubines were killed. No one was spared.
The reign of Mehmed IV was indicative. At this time, the strong rule of the dynasty of the Albanian family - Köprülü was tested. Mehmed IV handed over the management of his empire to Mehmed Köprül, who can be attributed to the galaxy of great viziers of the Ottoman Empire. From the 17th century, the center of the empire was not the Sultan's palace, but the palace of the Grand Vizier.
Mehmed Keprulu
Tough, unbending will dictator Mehmed Köprülü cleared the sultan's entourage of officials who posed a threat to the empire. He introduced strict discipline in the army, put things in order in the ports and on the islands of the Aegean Sea. He did a lot to defend the lines against the Cossacks beyond the Black Sea. Since 1661, the 26-year-old son of Mehmed Köprülü succeeded his deceased father as Grand Vizier and ruled the empire for the next 15 years.
Dying, the elder Köprülü bequeathed to the 20-year-old Sultan four principles of government:
- do not follow the advice of women;
- prevent subjects from getting too rich;
- have a full treasury;
- to always be in the saddle, that is, to keep the army in action.
Only the truly great viziers of the Ottoman Empire could so wisely help the Sultan govern.
