Monarchs and Rulers

Hereditary or dynastic heads of state who held sovereign authority in their own right: kings, queens, emperors, pharaohs, sultans, caliphs acting as head of state, and paramount rulers whose office was a crown or throne rather than an elected or appointed position. Belongs here: any figure whose primary historical identity is holding a throne or an equivalent hereditary sovereign office, whatever the era or region, including consorts and regents who exercised real ruling authority and rulers of Indigenous empires with their own recognized succession, such as the Inca and Aztec emperors. Does not belong here: elected or appointed heads of government in the modern sense, grouped under Statesmen and Political Leaders, or generals and warlords who never held sovereign title even when they effectively ruled, grouped under Military Leaders and Commanders.