King

King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. In a modern context, the title may refer to the ruler of one of a number of modern monarchies (either absolute or constitutional). The title of king is used alongside other titles for monarchs: in the West, emperor, grand prince, prince, archduke, duke or grand duke, and in the Islamic world, malik, sultan, emir or hakim, among others.

Etymology

The word king traces back to late Old English cyning, meaning "ruler" or "leader," derived from Proto-Germanic kuningaz. This root also gave rise to similar terms across other Germanic languages, such as Dutch koning, Old Norse konungr, Danish konge, and German König. The precise origin of "kuningaz" remains uncertain, but it may be linked to Old English cynn ("family, race"), suggesting that a king was originally viewed as the "leader of the kin" or "head of the people." Another theory proposes that the term referred to one "of noble descent," connecting kingship with divine or aristocratic lineage. Linguists and historians have long debated the social and ideological meanings behind this relationship between king and kin, though the linguistic connection is widely accepted.

Current kings

Currently (), eighteen kings are recognized as the heads of state of sovereign states. Most of these kings serve as heads of state in constitutional monarchies. However, those ruling over absolute monarchies include the King of Saudi Arabia and the King of Eswatini.

Sovereign state Portrait King Title House Since Monarchy Charles III 8 September 2022Hereditary, constitutional , , Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa () Khalifa 14 February 2002Hereditary, semi-constitutional Philippe , , Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 21 July 2013Hereditary, constitutional Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck () Wangchuck 9 December 2006Hereditary, constitutional Norodom Sihamoni () Norodom14 October 2004Elective, constitutional Frederik X14 January 2024Hereditary, constitutional Mswati III Dlamini 25 April 1986Hereditary, absolute Abdullah II () Hashim 7 February 1999Hereditary, semi-constitutional Letsie III , Moshesh7 February 1996Hereditary, constitutional Ibrahim Iskandar ()Temenggong31 January 2024Elective, constitutional Mohammed VI (), () Alawi23 July 1999Hereditary, semi-constitutional Willem-Alexander 30 April 2013Hereditary, constitutional Haakon VIII Glücksburg 28 August 2026Hereditary, constitutional Salman () Saud 23 January 2015Hereditary, absolute Felipe VI Bourbon 19 June 2014Hereditary, constitutional Carl XVI Gustaf Bernadotte 15 September 1973Hereditary, constitutional Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) () Chakri 13 October 2016Hereditary, constitutional Tupou VI , Tupou 18 March 2012Hereditary, constitutional

Bron en licentie