The institution of monarchy is the most ancient of all political systems. Through much of early history, a strong monarchy was considered the ideal political system. A powerful king was the glue that held a society together. During the upheavals that occurred as modern nation states were created, the power of the monarchy was greatly reduced. By the early twentieth century, most countries had rejected monarchies, preferring instead to be ruled by elected leaders. This fascinating history uses primary source documents and images to describe the monarchies in ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, Europe in the Middle Ages, and early modern Europe.