List of monarchs by time

Hassanal Bolkiah and Margrethe II of Denmark are the longest-reigning current monarchs

A monarch is the head of a monarchy, a form of government in which a state is ruled by an individual who normally rules for life or until abdication, and typically inherits the throne by birth.^[1] Monarchs may be autocrats (as in all absolute monarchies)^[2] or may be ceremonial figureheads, exercising only limited or no reserve powers at all, with actual authority vested in a legislature and/or executive cabinet (as in many constitutional monarchies).^[3] In many cases, a monarch will also be linked with a state religion.^[4] Most states only have a single monarch at any given time, although a regent may rule when the monarch is a minor, not present, or otherwise incapable of ruling.^[5] Cases in which two monarchs rule simultaneously over a single state, as is the current situation in Andorra, are known as coregencies.^[6]

1. ↑ "Monarch". CollinsDictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
2. ↑ Herb, Michael (1999). All in the family: absolutism, revolution, and democracy in the Middle East. New York: SUNY Press. p. 235. ISBN 978-0-7914-4168-8.
3. ↑ Spellman, W. M. (2001). Monarchies 1000–2000. London: Reaktion Books. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-1-86189-087-0.
4. ↑ Harris, Nathanial (2009). Systems of Government: Monarchy. London: Evans Brothers. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-237-53932-0.
5. ↑ "Regent". CollinsDictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
6. ↑ Hindley, Geoffrey (2000). The Royal Families of Europe. London: Constable & Robinson. pp. 1–6. ISBN 978-0-7867-0828-4.