This category is for child monarchs from Europe , the Middle East , and North Africa who began their rule between the years 551 and 1500. The Middle East includes the Iranian plateau , but nothing further east. North Africa is bounded by the Sahara and the Nile cataracts . Rulers from other regions should not be placed here, but in the appropriate geographical category (see Category:Child monarchs for appropriate categories). "Child ruler" generally means one occupying an office of supreme temporal authority who has not yet attained the age of majority; to clarify, it is someone who hasn't reached their 15th or 16th birthday. It will almost always mean that actual rule is exercised by others. See Category:Child monarchs for further definition and discussion.