8 oldest monarchies in the world

A system of government where the ultimate power is vested in the hands of a single ruler/monarch/person is known as a monarchy. This person functions as the head of the government and country. Usually, such a position is hereditary and passes from one generation of rulers of the same dynasty to another. While this form of government was strongly prevalent back in the ancient days, when no one believed in democracy and people’s government, today the surviving monarchies are more of a social symbol in their country. They don’t necessarily serve as a political-administrative organization. Today, fewer than 45 monarchies exist in the world and even fewer countries where monarchs have absolute power. Let's take a look at 8 of the oldest monarchies.

Eric the Victorious was the first monarch of Sweden, which was founded in 970 AD. His rule was not long, but he laid the foundations for one of the longest surviving monarchies in the world. The country of Sweden is both a constitutional and a hereditary monarchy. The decisions for the country happen through a parliamentary system with the monarchy having no real power. The current monarch, Carl XVI Gustaf, is a descendant of the House of Bernadotte. The current monarch and the later ones will play a ceremonial role only.

The Danish monarchy too plays more of a ceremonial role, and they don’t intervene with the policymaking government. It is estimated that the Kingdom of Denmark was founded in 935 AD by Gorm the Old-who reigned over it until 985 AD. The Kingdom had a progressive system of elective monarchy up until Frederick III in the 17th century transformed it into a hereditary monarchy. However, in 1849, with the writing of Denmark’s first Constitution, the country became a parliamentary democracy. Recently, in 2023, Queen Margrethe, only the second female ruler of the kingdom, abdicated the throne for the next generation to continue her position.

The history of the Norwegian monarchy dates back to the 9th century, when Harald Fairhair, after the Battle of Hafrsfjord, merged smaller kingdoms into one big kingdom. Today, the country’s monarchs belong to the House of Glücksburg, which has been ruling Norway since 1905. Norway, until 1905, was united with both Denmark and Sweden. However, it became an independent country in 1905 and Haakon VII became the first monarch.

Setting a date for when exactly the British monarchy is a little confusing. There are two dates that most people agree upon. One side believes Alfred the Great, who ruled from 871-899, was the first King of England, while the other side considers William the Conqueror, who invaded England from Normandy, was the first ruler of unified England, which was prior divided into 7 major kingdoms. The current monarchs are direct descendants of William the Conqueror.

The Kingdom of Morocco was founded by Idriss I (Idris ibn Abdallah) in 788 AD. The Idrisid dynasty ruled Morocco until 971 AD. Mohammed VI, the current monarch, is the descendant of the Alaouite dynasty which took over the reign of Morocco in 1666. Morocco is a constitutional monarchy and King Mohammed VI holds a lot of authority in the country. He shares the executive powers with the Prime Minister.

The first ruler of Oman- Al-Julanda bin Mas’ood, was established in 751 AD. Al-Julanda bin Mas’ood was made a religious authority, through the Ibadi Islamic movement. This imamate continued to be a strong authority until the al-Said dynasty founded Oman’s first sultanate. All the latter rulers are direct descendants of this dynasty, including the current monarch, Qaboos bin Said.

Established in 68 AD, the Kingdom of Cambodia is among the first kingdoms that had a woman as its founder. Queen Soma, was not only the kingdom’s first monarch, but also a female leader. Since 1993, Cambodia’s monarch has been elected by the Royal Council of the Throne instead of passing it down to the apparent heir. Today, they serve ceremonial roles only and have little to no influence over the politics of the country. The current monarch is Norodom Sihamoni.

Japan’s monarchy is the oldest surviving monarchy in the world. It was founded in 660 BCE, by Emperor Jimmu. The official records of royal succession date back to Emperor Ōjin’s reign in the 4th century. However, they have recognized 125 monarchs till now. The current monarch, who ascended in 1989, is Emperor Akihito. In its constitution, Japan considers monarchs as “the symbol of the state and the people’s unity.”