Kings
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 Kasaï, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In historic Ireland there were clans and dynasties. Niall of the nine hostages was a famous king of Ireland.
Shah (Persian: شاه) 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.
Written for younger readers
Kings, in simpler words
This version comes from Wikijunior, a set of books written for children aged 8 to 11. It is shorter and uses plainer language than the article above.
From Wikijunior: Introduction to History
For a few people, life was not so hard. People who were stronger, or were natural leaders, or were smarter, or maybe just lucky, set themselves up as kings, and took for themselves and their families the lion’s share of everything. Sometimes, the kings enjoyed art, music, and philosophy, and would provide for people who could write or draw or sing or make interesting conversation. Most kings were interested in hunting and fighting. However, most people were farmers. They were born, and worked all their lives, and died within a few miles of the place they were born. They knew nothing about the wider world. Still, everyone sang and danced at harvest time, prayed to their gods for rain, held festivals and fairs at which traders could offer their wares. Traders were a special class; they were almost the only people who travelled and who knew something of the wider world.
Where this page comes from
The article above is adapted from “Kings” on Simple English Wikipedia, by its contributors. We removed reference markers, navigation boxes and tables, expanded measurement templates into readable numbers, and kept the prose otherwise intact. The simpler version is adapted from Wikijunior on Wikibooks.
Both sources are published under CC BY-SA 4.0, so this page is published under the same licence. You may share and adapt it, including commercially, as long as you credit the original and keep the same licence.
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