From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A
king
is usually a male
monarch
who rules a
country
or
territory
which is a
monarchy
. The person usually
inherits
the title and position. A king comes to power when the previous
monarch
dies, who is usually a family member of his, most likely a parent. Sometimes a person may become king due to the previous monarch's
abdication
, for example
George VI
(who became
King of Britain
after his brother decided to abdicate).
If a country has a king or a queen, that means it is a
monarchy
. A country which a king or queen rules is called a
kingdom
.
For most of history, most countries were ruled in this way, especially in
Europe
. However, most countries, such as
France
, decided to become
republics
. Some, such as the
United Kingdom
, still have a
royal family
. In some countries, people chose a new king from other people to decide from.
The wife of a king is called a
queen
. A woman who becomes a ruler because of inheritance is also called a queen.
If there is a queen without a husband she might be inducted as the king in certain monarchies in Africa and Europe. Her Royal Majesty Queen Diambi is the current female king of the Bakwa Luntu People of Central Kasai, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the
Muslim world
a King would be known as Malik,
Sultan
or shah.
Shah (Persian: ???) is a Persian word which means the king or ruler of a country. The term "Shah" often means
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
, Shah of
Iran
from 1949 to 1979.
Some modern kings today include
Charles III
of the
United Kingdom
and
Felipe VI
of
Spain
.