"What do you mean the people want my head? The people love me, for I am their King,"
- King Aric IV of the Namorian Kingdom before being deposed.
A
king is the male ruler of a monarchy or realm. Kings usually inherit their position by birth, though some become kings through conquest, and others are elected. A king usually rules until death, abdication or being deposed. A
queen is either the consort of a king or a female monarch who rules in her own right.
The children of kings and queens hold the title
prince or
princess. The title prince or princess may also be used by a monarch.
The title
Petty King is used, sometime in a derogatory manner by neighbours, to describe the rulers of smaller or newer kingdoms by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. Noordcross, Eldaroth and the Great Plains after the Kingdom of Theron collapsed). Alternatively, a petty kingdom would be a minor kingdom in the immediate vicinity of larger kingdoms.
Contents
Known Kingdoms
Current Kingdoms
Defunct Kingdoms
Queens
There are two main types of queens: a
queen consort and a
queen regnant.
A
queen consort is the wife of the ruling king. She may marry him before or after he becomes king, though if she marries him before, she only becomes the queen when he becomes king. A queen consort can wield various unofficial powers, given that they usually come from wealthy and influential families. A queen consort's main power comes through her influence on her husband, and she does not share his powers or sovereignty.
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queen dowager, or
dowager queen, is a widowed
queen consort. If one of the queen's issue becomes the ruling monarch, she may sometimes be referred to as the queen mother.
A
queen regent is a queen consort or queen dowager who rules on behalf of the incumbent monarch, usually due to that monarch being underage. The queen consort may also be named regent if her husband is absent or otherwise incapacitated.
A
queen regnant is a female monarch who rules in her own right, inheriting the throne from the previous monarch or taking it through conquest. Due to the male-preference inheritance system in the world, ruling queens are rare - a daughter will usually be skipped over for her younger brother or another close male relative. Unlike a queen consort, a queen regnant possesses the full powers of a monarch, issuing orders directly.
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