Monarchy is a political system which puts supreme power in the hands of a hereditary ruler. Monarchs go by various titles such as king/queen, emperor/empress, tsar, sultan, raja, etc. They usually wear special clothing styles and take part in elaborate ceremonies to show their grandeur. Monarchy is one of the oldest form of government, as it was practiced by early civilizations like Sumer and Ancient Egypt and was known by almost all civilized peoples. The system typically has some religious justification, as monarchs can be considered descendants of a deity (in paganism) or annointed by God (in monotheistic religions). Monarchy declined during and after the Enlightenment but it still exists in 43 nations as of 2025. Most of them are constitutional monarchies, having a democratic government while the monarch exercises limited power, with the British royal family as the most famous case. On the other hand most historical monarchies were absolute monarchies, with the monarch having authoritarian power. There are only 7 absolute monarchies left in the world: Brunei, Eswatini, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Vatican City and the United Arab Emirates.