Institution

Elective monarchy

Also known as elected monarchy, elected kingship

An elective monarchy is a system in which the monarch is chosen by election rather than inheriting the throne. In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the whole nobility could take part in electing the king, who had to accept conditions limiting his powers. The system protected noble liberties but invited foreign interference and weakened the state.

Elective monarchy
Image: Bernardo Bellotto · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 profiles

Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthFoundation, GovernancePapal StatesGovernanceMalaysiaSummary

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Elective monarchy. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/elective-monarchy
MLA
“Elective monarchy.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/elective-monarchy. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Elective monarchy.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/elective-monarchy.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Elective monarchy’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/elective-monarchy (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻