King

{{Short description|Title given to a male monarch}}
{{Other uses}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
[[File:Aachen Domschatz Bueste1.jpg|alt=|thumb|341x341px|[[Charlemagne]] or Charles the Great (748–814) was [[King of the Franks]], [[King of the Lombards]], and the first [[Holy Roman Emperor]]. Due to his military accomplishments and conquests, he has been called the "Father of Europe".]]
{{Ranks of Nobility}}

'''King''' is the title given to a male [[monarch]] in a variety of contexts. A king is an [[absolute monarch]] if he holds the powers of [[government]] without control, or the entire sovereignty over a [[nation]]; he is a limited monarch if his power is restrained by fixed laws; and he is an absolute, when he holds the whole [[legislative]], [[judicial]], and [[executive power]], or when the legislative or judicial powers, or both, are vested in other people by the king. Kings are [[hereditary monarchy|hereditary sovereigns]] when they hold the powers of government by right of birth or inheritance, and elective when raised to the throne by choice.

*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the title may refer to [[tribal kingship]]. Germanic kingship is cognate with [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] traditions of tribal rulership (c.f. Indic ''[[rājan]]'', Gothic ''[[reiks]]'', and Old Irish ''[[rí]]'', etc.).
*In the context of classical antiquity, king may translate in Latin as ''[[rex (king)|rex]]'' and in Greek as ''[[archon]]'' or ''[[basileus]]''.
*In classical European [[feudalism]], the title of ''king'' as the ruler of a ''kingdom'' is understood to be the highest rank in the feudal order, potentially subject, at least nominally, only to an [[emperor]] (harking back to the [[List of Roman client kings|client kings]] of the [[Roman Republic]] and [[Roman Empire]]).<ref>The notion of a king being below an emperor in the feudal order, just as a [[duke]] is the rank below a king, is more theoretical than historical. The only kingdom title held within the [[Holy Roman Empire]] was the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]], with the Kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Germany|Germany]], [[Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)|Italy]] and [[Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles|Burgundy/Arles]] being nominal realms. The titles of [[King of the Germans]] and [[King of the Romans]] were non-landed titles held by the Emperor-elect (sometimes during the lifetime of the previous Emperor, sometimes not), although there were anti-Kings at various points; Arles and Italy were either held directly by the Emperor or not at all.

The [[Austrian Empire|Austrian]] and [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian Empires]] technically contained various kingdoms ([[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]], [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]], [[Kingdom of Dalmatia|Dalmatia]], [[Kingdom of Illyria (1816–49)|Illyria]], [[Lombardy–Venetia]] and [[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria|Galicia and Lodomeria]], as well as the Kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg)|Croatia]] and [[Kingdom of Slavonia|Slavonia]] which were themselves subordinate titles to the Hungarian Kingdom and which were merged as [[Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia|Croatia-Slavonia]] in 1868), but the emperor and the respective kings were the same person. The [[Russian Empire]] did not include any kingdoms. The short-lived [[First French Empire]] (1804–1814/5) included a number of [[client state|client]] kingdoms under [[Napoleon I]], such as the [[Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)|Kingdom of Italy]], the [[Kingdom of Westphalia]], the [[Kingdom of Etruria]], the [[Kingdom of Württemberg]], the [[Kingdom of Bavaria]], the [[Kingdom of Saxony]] and the [[Kingdom of Holland]]. The [[German Empire]] (1871–1918) included the Kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], Bavaria, Württemberg and Saxony, with the Prussian king also holding the Imperial title.</ref>
*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 (title)|hakim]], etc.<ref name="pine">{{cite book | title=Titles: How the King became His Majesty | publisher=Barnes & Noble | author-link=L.G. Pine | last=Pine | first=L.G. | year=1992 | location=New York | page=[https://archive.org/details/titleshowkingbec0000pine/page/86 86] | isbn=978-1-56619-085-5 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/titleshowkingbec0000pine/page/86 }}</ref> 
*The [[city-states]] of the [[Aztec Empire]] each had a ''[[tlatoani]]''. These were the kings of pre-Hispanic [[Mesoamerica]]. The ''[[Huey Tlatoani]]'' was the [[emperor]] of the Aztecs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=History Crunch Writers |title=Aztec Emperors (Huey Tlatoani) |url=https://www.historycrunch.com/aztec-emperors-huey-tlatoani.html#/ |website=History Crunch - History Articles, Summaries, Biographies, Resources and More |access-date=18 April 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
The term ''king'' may also refer to a [[king consort]], a title that is sometimes given to the husband of a [[queen regnant]], but the title of [[prince consort]] is more common.

==Etymology==
{{Further|Rex (title)|Knyaz}}
The English term {{wikt-lang|en|king}} is derived from the [[Old English language|Anglo-Saxon]] ''cyning'', which in turn is derived from the [[Common Germanic]] *''kuningaz''. The Common Germanic term was borrowed into Estonian and Finnish at an early time, surviving in these languages as {{wikt-lang|fi|kuningas}}. It is a derivation from the term ''*kunjom'' "kin" ([[Old English]] {{wikt-lang|ang|cynn}}) by the ''-inga-'' suffix. The literal meaning is that of a "scion of the [noble] kin", or perhaps "son or descendant of one of noble birth" ([[OED]]).

The English term translates, and is considered equivalent to, Latin ''[[Rex (title)|rēx]]'' and its equivalents in the various [[European languages]]. The Germanic term is notably different from the word for "King" in other Indo-European languages (''*rēks'' "ruler"; [[Latin]] ''[[King of Rome|rēx]]'', [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] ''[[Raja|rājan]]'' and [[Irish language|Irish]] ''[[rí]]g''; however, see Gothic ''[[reiks]]'' and, e.g., modern German ''Reich'' and modern Dutch ''rijk'').

==History==
The English word is of Germanic origin, and historically refers to [[Germanic kingship]], in the pre-Christian period a type of [[tribal kingship]]. The [[monarchies of Europe]] in the Christian [[Middle Ages]] derived their claim from [[Christianisation]] and the  [[divine right of kings]], partly influenced by the notion of [[Germanic king|sacral kingship]] inherited from  [[Germanic antiquity]].

The [[Early Middle Ages]] begin with a fragmentation of the former [[Western Roman Empire]] into [[barbarian kingdoms]]. In Western Europe, the kingdom of the [[Franks]] developed into the [[Carolingian Empire]] by the 8th century, and the [[Heptarchy|kingdoms]] of [[Anglo-Saxon England]] were unified into the [[kingdom of England]] by the 10th century.

With the breakup of the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century, the system of [[feudalism]] places kings at the head of a pyramid of relationships between liege lords and vassals, dependent on the regional rule of [[baron]]s, and the intermediate positions of [[counts]] (or [[earl]]s) and [[duke]]s. The core of European feudal [[manorialism]] in the [[High Middle Ages]] were the territories of the former [[Carolingian Empire]], i.e. the [[kingdom of France]] and the [[Holy Roman Empire]] (centered on the nominal kingdoms of [[kingdom of Germany|Germany]] and [[Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)|Italy]]).<ref>
see e.g. M. Mitterauer, ''Why Europe?: The Medieval Origins of Its Special Path'',  University of Chicago Press (2010),
[https://books.google.com/books?id=0IU9fduDRIMC&pg=PA28 p. 28].</ref>

In the course of the European Middle Ages, the [[Monarchies in Europe|European kingdoms]] underwent a general trend of centralisation of power, so that by the [[Late Middle Ages]] there were a number of large and powerful kingdoms in Europe, which would develop into the [[great power]]s of Europe in the [[Early Modern period]].
*In the [[Iberian Peninsula]], the remnants  of the [[Visigothic Kingdom]], the petty kingdoms of [[kingdom of Asturias|Asturias]] and [[Kingdom of Pamplona|Pamplona]], expanded into the [[kingdom of Portugal]], the [[Crown of Castile]] and the [[Crown of Aragon]] with the ongoing [[Reconquista]].
*In [[southern Europe]], the [[kingdom of Sicily]] was established following the [[Norman conquest of southern Italy]]. The [[Kingdom of Sardinia]] was claimed as a separate title held by the [[Crown of Aragon]]  in 1324. In the Balkans, the [[Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)|Kingdom of Serbia]] was established in 1217.
*In [[central Europe]], the [[Kingdom of Hungary]] was established [[Europe in AD 1000|in AD 1000]] following the Christianisation of the [[Magyars]]. The kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385)|Poland]] and [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]] were established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1025 and 1198, respectively. 
*In [[eastern Europe]], the [[Grand Duchy of Moscow]] did not technically claim the status of kingdom until the early modern [[Tsardom of Russia]].
*In [[northern Europe]], the tribal kingdoms of the [[Viking Age]] by the 11th century expanded into the [[North Sea Empire]] under [[Cnut the Great]],  king of Denmark, England and Norway. The [[Christianization of Scandinavia]] resulted in "consolidated" kingdoms of [[Consolidation of Sweden|Sweden]] and [[Norwegian expansion during the Middle Ages|Norway]], and by the end of the medieval period the pan-Scandinavian [[Kalmar Union]].

==Contemporary kings==
{{Further|List of current sovereign monarchs|List of current reigning monarchies|List of current constituent monarchs}}
{{Monarchism}}
Currently ({{as of|2023|lc=y}}),<!--but note death of [[Bhumibol Adulyadej]] in October 2016--> seventeen kings are recognized as the heads of state of [[sovereign state]]s (i.e. English ''king'' is used as official translation of the respective native titles held by the monarchs).

Most of these are heads of state of [[constitutional monarchy|constitutional monarchies]]; kings ruling over [[absolute monarchy|absolute monarchies]] are the [[King of Saudi Arabia]], the [[King of Bahrain]] and the [[King of Eswatini]].<ref>The distinction of the title of "king" from "sultan" or "emir" in oriental monarchies is largely stylistics; the  [[Sultanate of Oman]], the [[State of Qatar]], the [[State of Kuwait]] and the [[United Arab Emirates]] are also categorised as absolute monarchies.</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Monarch !! House !! Title !! Kingdom 
!Reign begin
!Age!!Monarchy est. 
|-
|[[Harald V of Norway|Harald V]], [[Monarchy of Norway|King of Norway]] || [[House of Glücksburg|Glücksburg]] ||''konge'' || [[Kingdom of Norway]] 
|January 17, 1991
|{{Age|1937|2|21}}|| 11th c.
|-
|[[Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden|Carl XVI Gustaf]], [[Monarchy of Sweden|King of Sweden]] || [[House of Bernadotte|Bernadotte]] || ''konung'' || [[Kingdom of Sweden]] 
|September 15, 1973
|{{Age|1946|4|30}}|| 12th c.
|-
|[[Felipe VI of Spain|Felipe VI]], [[Monarchy of Spain|King of Spain]] || [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]] || ''rey'' || [[Kingdom of Spain]] 
|June 19, 2014
|{{Age|1968|1|30}}|| 1978 / 1479
|-
|[[Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands|Willem-Alexander]], [[Monarchy of the Netherlands|King of the Netherlands]] || [[House of Orange-Nassau|Orange-Nassau]] || ''koning'' || [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]] 
|April 30, 2013
|{{Age|1967|4|27}}|| 1815
|-
|[[Philippe of Belgium|Philippe]] , [[Monarchy of Belgium|King of the Belgians]] || [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] || ''koning / roi / König'' || [[Kingdom of Belgium]] 
|July 21, 2013
|{{Age|1960|4|15}}|| 1830
|-
|[[Salman of Saudi Arabia|Salman]], [[King of Saudi Arabia]] || [[House of Saud|Saud]] || ملك ''malik'' || [[Kingdom of Saudi Arabia]] 
|January 23, 2015
|{{Age|1935|12|31}}|| 1932 
|-
|[[Abdullah II of Jordan|Abdullah II]], [[King of Jordan]] || [[Hashemites|Hashim]] || ملك ''malik'' || [[Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan]] 
|February 7, 1999
|{{Age|1962|1|30}}|| 1946
|-
|[[Mohammed VI of Morocco|Mohammed VI]], [[King of Morocco]] || [[Alaouite dynasty|Alaoui]] || ملك ''malik'' || [[Kingdom of Morocco]] 
|July 23, 1999
|{{Age|1963|8|21}}|| 1956  
|-
|[[Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa]], [[King of Bahrain]] || [[House of Khalifa|Khalifa]] || ملك ''malik'' || [[Kingdom of Bahrain]] 
|February 14, 2002
|{{Age|1950|1|28}}|| 1971 
|-
|[[Vajiralongkorn]], [[King of Thailand]] || [[Chakri Dynasty|Chakri]] || กษัตริย์ ''kasat'' || [[Kingdom of Thailand]] 
|October 13, 2016
|{{Age|1952|7|28}}||  1782
|-
|[[Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck]], [[King of Bhutan]] || [[House of Wangchuck|Wangchuck]] || འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་པོ་ ''druk gyalpo'' || [[Kingdom of Bhutan]]  
|December 9, 2006
|{{Age|1980|2|21}}|| 1907
|-
|[[Norodom Sihamoni]], [[King of Cambodia]] || [[House of Norodom|Norodom]]|| ស្ដេច  ''sdac'' || [[Kingdom of Cambodia]] 
|October 14, 2004
|{{Age|1953|5|14}}|| 1993 / 1953 
|-
|[[Tupou VI]], [[King of Tonga]] || [[House of Tupou|Tupou]] || ''king / tu'i'' || [[Kingdom of Tonga]] 
|March 18, 2012
|{{Age|1959|7|12}}|| 1970 
|-
|[[Letsie III of Lesotho|Letsie III]], [[King of Lesotho]] || [[House of Moshesh|Moshesh]]|| ''king / morena'' || [[Kingdom of Lesotho]] 
|February 7, 1996
|{{Age|1963|7|17}}|| 1966 
|-
|[[Mswati III]], [[King of Eswatini]] || [[House of Dlamini|Dlamini]] || ''[[ngwenyama]]''  || [[Kingdom of Eswatini]] 
|April 25, 1986
|{{Age|1968|4|19}}|| 1968
|-
|[[Charles III]], [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|King of the United Kingdom]]||[[House of Windsor|Windsor]]|| ''King'' || [[United Kingdom|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]] and [[Commonwealth realm]]s
|September 8, 2022
|{{Age|1948|11|14}}|| 927 / 843 
|-
|[[Frederik X]], [[Monarchy of Denmark|King of Denmark]]
|[[House of Glücksburg|Glücksburg]]
|''Konge''
|[[Danish Realm|Kingdom of Denmark and its autonomous territories]]
|January 14, 2024
|{{Age|1968|May|26}}
|710
|}

==See also==
{{colbegin}}
*[[Anointing]]
*[[Big man (anthropology)]]
*[[Buddhist kingship]]
*[[Client king]]
*[[Coronation]]
*[[Designation (monarchy)|Designation]]
*[[Divine right of kings]]
*[[Germanic kingship]]
*[[Great King]]
*[[High King]]
*[[King consort]]
*[[King of Kings]]
*[[Petty king]]
*[[Queen regnant|Queen]]
*[[Realm]]
*[[Royal and noble ranks]]
*[[Royal family]]
*[[Sacred king]]
*[[Tribal kingship]]
;Titles translated as "king":
*[[Khan (title)|Khan]]
*[[Archon]]
*[[Basileus]]
*{{Lang|sux|[[Lugal]]|italic=no}}
*[[Kabaka of Buganda|Kabaka]]
*[[Mepe (title)]]
*[[Malik|Malik/Melekh]]
*[[King of Rwanda|Mwami]]
*[[Negus]]
*[[Oba (ruler)|Oba]]
*[[Raja]]
*[[Rex (king)]]
*[[Rí]]
*[[Tlatoani]]
*[[Shah]]
*[[Armenian nobility|Tagavor]]
{{colend}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book|editor-last1=Cannadine|editor-first1=David|editor-link1=David Cannadine|editor-last2=Price|editor-first2=Simon|editor-link2=Simon Price (classicist)|year=1987|title=Rituals of Royalty: Power and Ceremonial in Traditional Societies|url=https://archive.org/details/ritualsofroyalty0000unse|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=0-521-33513-2|lccn=86-29881}}
*{{Cite book|last=Craughwell|first=Thomas J.|year=2009|title=5,000 Years of Royalty: Kings, Queens, Princes, Emperors & Tsars|url=https://archive.org/details/5000yearsofroyal0000crau|publisher=[[Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers]]|isbn=978-1-60376-189-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Hani|first=Jean|author-link=Jean Hani|year=2011|title=Sacred Royalty: From the Pharaoh to the Most Christian King|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Joqu8GJsVbcC|publisher=[[The Matheson Trust]]|isbn=978-1-908092-05-2}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|cyning}}
*{{commons category-inline|Kings}}
{{wikiquote}}
*{{cite EB1911 |last=Phillip |first=Walter Alison |wstitle=King|author-link=Walter Alison Phillips|volume=15 |pages=805–806 |short=x}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Royal titles]]
[[Category:Kings| ]]
[[Category:Gendered occupations]]