an autocracy governed by a monarch who usually inherits the authority
"The country's monarchy remains stable because the crown passes directly from father to son without any election or vote."
A government in which sovereignty is embodied within a single, today usually hereditary head of state (whether as a figurehead or as a powerful ruler).
"Many people around the world still live under a monarchy where their king's son will inherit the throne after him."
The word monarchy comes from Ancient Greek, where it combined the words for "only" and "power or authority." It originally meant rule by a single person.