Federal monarchy
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A federal monarchy is a federation of states with the executive under the authority of a monarch; today almost always a constitutional monarch. A monarchy run as a federation of smaller units is generally governed by constitutional convention, unlike in a unitary state which can accommodate both constitutional and absolute monarchs. There are divisions between both the powers and duties of all levels of the federation and the responsibility of the monarch in each jurisdiction.
Although each member unit of a federal state has a degree of sovereignty, individual units within the federation are not monarchies in and of themselves. The monarch is the head of state of the country as a whole rather than of each unit individually; there is a Queen of Canada, but no Queen of Saskatchewan. Nevertheless, a monarch of a federation is able to act as two separate sovereign entities when a federal government is debating with one of its constituents, such as a case between the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of Victoria, which would be titled Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Victoria v. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Australia.[citation needed]
The exception to this rule is Malaysia. While there is a Yang di-Pertuan Agong who acts as king of the entire country, nine of the thirteen states of Malaysia have their own monarchs, in most cases sultans.
In earlier federal monarchies, i.e. the historic North German Confederation and the historic German Empire, most states had their own king, grand-duc, duc, or prince; the few other states were (more or less aristocratic organised) republics ("Freie Städte", free cities).
The monarchical form of federation is contrasted with the federal republic.
[edit] List of federal constitutional monarchies
[edit] Historical federal constitutional monarchies
| Federation | Style | Subdivisions | Head of State | Era |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North German Confederation | (none) | States of the North German Confederation | Federal Presidency (i.e. the King of Prussia) | 1867-1871 |
| German Empire | (none) | States of the German Empire, 1 Reichsland | German Emperor (i.e. the King of Prussia) | 1871-1918 |
[edit] References and notes
- ^ The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (c. 12) specifically mentions the Queen: "The provisions of this Act referring to the Queen shall extend to Her Majesty’s heirs and successors in the sovereignty of the United Kingdom." Here, Her Majesty refers to Queen Victoria.
- ^ The United Kingdom is not officially a federation, but some of its constituent countries (esp. Scotland) have considerable power and autonomy.
- ^ The Dutch Constitution only speaks of Koning (King), but uses the term in a gender-neutral way.
- ^ Spain is not officially a federation, but its constitution gives considerable power and autonomy to the governments of its subdivisions.
- ^ According to the Spanish Constitution females may inherit "the Crown of Spain", however, the document (in an unofficial translation) only speaks of "King", "Queen consort", and "consort of the Queen".
