Editing Constitutional monarchy (section)

=== Constitutional and absolute monarchy ===

====England, Scotland and the United Kingdom====

In the [[Kingdom of England]], the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688 furthered the constitutional monarchy, restricted by laws such as the [[Bill of Rights 1689]] and the [[Act of Settlement 1701]], although the first form of constitution was enacted with [[Magna Carta]] of 1215. At the same time, in [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]], the [[Convention of Estates (1689)|Convention of Estates]] enacted the [[Claim of Right Act 1689]], which placed similar limits on the Scottish monarchy.

[[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] was the last monarch to veto an Act of Parliament when, on 11 March 1708, she blocked the [[Scottish Militia Bill]]. However Hanoverian monarchs continued to selectively dictate government policies. For instance [[King George III]] constantly blocked [[Catholic Emancipation in Britain|Catholic Emancipation]], eventually precipitating the resignation of [[William Pitt the Younger]] as prime minister in 1801.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hague|first1=William|title=William Pitt the Younger|date=2004|publisher=HarperCollins|location=London|isbn=0007147198|pages=469–472|edition=1st}}</ref> The sovereign's influence on the choice of prime minister gradually declined over this period. [[William IV of the United Kingdom|King William IV]] was the last monarch to dismiss a prime minister, when in 1834 he removed [[Lord Melbourne]] as a result of Melbourne's choice of [[Lord John Russell, 1st Earl Russell|Lord John Russell]] as Leader of the House of Commons.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hurd|first1=Douglas|title=Robert Peel – a biography|date=2007|publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson|location=London|isbn=978-0297848448|pages=169–170|edition=1st}}</ref><ref name="Mitchell">{{cite book|last1=Mitchell|first1=L.G.|title=Lord Melbourne 1779–1848|date=1997|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=0198205929|page=147|edition=}}</ref> [[Queen Victoria]] was the last monarch to exercise real personal power, but this diminished over the course of her reign. In 1839, she became the last sovereign to keep a prime minister in power against the will of Parliament when the [[Bedchamber crisis]] resulted in the retention of Lord Melbourne's administration.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mitchell|first1=L.G.|title=Lord Melbourne 1779–1848|date=1997|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=0198205929|pages=241–242|edition=}}</ref> By the end of her reign, however, she could do nothing to block the unacceptable (to her) premierships of [[William Ewart Gladstone|William Gladstone]], although she still exercised power in appointments to the Cabinet. For example, in 1886 she vetoed Gladstone's choice of [[Hugh Childers]] as War Secretary in favour of [[Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=John|title=CB - A life of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman|url=https://archive.org/details/cblifeofsirhenry0000wils|url-access=registration|date=1973|publisher=Constable and Company Limited|location=London|isbn=009458950X|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cblifeofsirhenry0000wils/page/161 161–162]|edition=}}</ref>

Today, the role of the British monarch is by convention effectively ceremonial.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parliament and Crown |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/role/relations-with-other-institutions/parliament-crown/ |access-date=22 February 2024 |website=UK Parliament}}</ref> The [[British Parliament]] and the [[Government of the United Kingdom|Government]] – chiefly in the office of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] – exercise their powers under [[Royal prerogative|"royal (or Crown) prerogative"]]: on behalf of the monarch and through powers still formally possessed by the monarch.{{sfn |Dunt|2015}}{{sfn|Parliamentary staff|2010}}

No person may accept significant public office without swearing an [[Oath of Allegiance (United Kingdom)|oath of allegiance to the King]].{{sfn|Sear|2001|page=3}} With few exceptions, the monarch is bound by [[Constitutional conventions of the United Kingdom|constitutional convention]] to act on the [[advice (constitutional)|advice]] of the government.

====Continental Europe====
Poland developed the first constitution for a monarchy in continental Europe, with the [[Constitution of 3 May 1791]]; it was the second single-document constitution in the world just after the first republican [[Constitution of the United States]]. Constitutional monarchy also occurred briefly in the early years of the [[French Revolution]], but much more widely afterwards. [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] is considered the first monarch proclaiming himself as an embodiment of the nation, rather than as a divinely appointed ruler; this interpretation of monarchy is germane to continental constitutional monarchies. German philosopher [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel]], in his work ''[[Elements of the Philosophy of Right]]'' (1820), gave the concept a philosophical justification that concurred with evolving contemporary political theory and the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] Christian view of natural law.{{sfn|Hegel|1991|p={{page needed|date=December 2015}} }} Hegel's forecast of a constitutional monarch with very limited powers whose function is to embody the national character and provide constitutional continuity in times of emergency was reflected in the development of constitutional monarchies in Europe and Japan.{{sfn|Hegel|1991|p={{page needed|date=December 2015}} }}

==== Executive monarchy versus ceremonial monarchy ==== <!-- Linked to by [[Fumimaro Konoe]] -->
{{More citations needed|section|date=September 2024}}
There exist at least two different types of constitutional monarchies in the modern world – executive and ceremonial.<ref name=":0">Ginsburg, Tom and Rodriguez, Daniel B. and Weingast, Barry R., The Functions of Constitutional Monarchy: Why Kings and Queens Survive in a World of Republics (21 May 2023). Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 23-29, U of Chicago, Public Law Working Paper No. 831, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4454620 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4454620</ref> In executive monarchies (also called ''semi-constitutional monarchies''), the monarch wields significant (though not [[Absolute monarchy|absolute]]) power. The monarchy under this system of government is a powerful political (and social) institution. By contrast, in ceremonial monarchies, the monarch holds little or no actual power or direct political influence, though they frequently still have a great deal of social and cultural influence.

Ceremonial and executive monarchy should not be confused with democratic and non-democratic monarchical systems. For example, in Liechtenstein and Monaco, the ruling monarchs wield significant executive power. However, while they are theoretically very powerful within their small states, they are ''not'' absolute monarchs and have very limited ''[[de facto]]'' power compared to the [[Monarchy#Monarchies in the Muslim world|Islamic monarchs]], which is why their countries are generally considered to be [[liberal democracies]] and not undemocratic.<ref name=":0" /> For instance, when [[Hereditary Prince Alois]] of Liechtenstein threatened to veto a possible approval of a [[2011 Liechtenstein referendums|referendum to legalize abortion in 2011]], it came as a surprise because the prince had not vetoed any law for over 30 years<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 September 2011 |title=Liechtenstein prince threatens to veto referendum |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2011/09/08/liechtenstein-prince-threatens-to-veto-referendum/ |access-date=12 September 2024 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> (in the end, this was moot, as the proposal was not approved).