What term refers to the type of government that has a king, queen, or emperor who has total authority?
1 Answer
A monarchy.
Explanation:
A monarchy is ruled by a king, queen, or emperor, and power generally passes from father/mother to son/daughter, although these transitions are rarely smooth (most of the time some cousin or brother tries to seize power and has to be put down). Sometimes, especially when discussing 16th and 17th century France, you'll hear the term "absolute monarch", which means a king, queen, or emperor who truly has absolute power.
As a side note, the definition of "absolute monarch" is debated amongst historians because "absolute" is a strong word. Of course, a king or queen cannot control everything about his/her kingdom; citizens make their own decisions whether they're legal or not. But absolute means total; so if kings don't have absolute control over their citizens, are they really absolute monarchs? Food for thought.
