Origins of Monarchs and Kings

By John Doe

What exactly is a King? and what exactly is a Sultan or even a Raja? We all know that the concept of the Sultan (Tipu) and (Maha) Raja is of Indian Origin. Raja, in Hindi means “Sand”, “Silvery”, “Emotion”, “King”, and “Affection”. In Sindhi, it means “Hope”.

Religious and social relations between Muslims and Hindus have been a topic of academic debate for decades, with opinions ranging from hostility, misunderstanding and contempt, to an ideal of socio-religious harmony. The variety of opinions shows the complexity of responses to data reflecting the coexistence of these dominant socio-religious groups in India.

The early Rajas would build a Palace reminiscent of Mount Meru, just like in Angkor Watt. Go to the nearest kopitiam, and chat with our Hindu Brethren, and listen to what they tell you. Had Parameswara been a Hindu, we have yet to find his Mount Mehru. And if he did indeed build a Mount Meru, it must have been a cheap Mt Meru, coz his would be the only Mt Meru which did not survive. Had he been a Buddhist, then the lack of a “Mount Meru” would be much more acceptable. Aftr all, the Palembang/Jambi area is full of both Hindu, as well as Buddhist archaeological Artifacts. And Kampong Melayu, in Jambi, is extremely full of Buddhist Artifacts. Scores of Professors, and archaeologists are still busy excavating the area, resuming only shortly after the recent earthquake.

Egypt Monarch Origins
At first, Pharaoh was not a title, but the name of the palace. The original Egyptian word – per-aa – was formed from the hieroglyphics for house and column and it meant High House. Eventually it evolved into Great House and became the name of the monarch. Egyptians, called their rulers by many names, the most common being nesu.

Religion and religious ceremony was necessary to hold together the primitive civilisations and cultures that were beginning to form some 7,000 years ago or more. The great fear of the time was death and the blackness that this brought. The promise of life after death for those that believed and followed the ‘true’ teachings was a big incentive to conform.

The country may have been unified under one ruler with one set of laws and a single legal and taxation system but the people would only be unified by a single religion. The various festivals, ceremonies and communal acts of worship were what really brought the people together as a nation.

Akhanathan got into serious trouble when he decided that he would no longer worship the pantheon of Egyptian Gods, and concentrated on the Sun God, Ra. To the citizens of ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh was divine, the living form of the Falcon God, Horus, and the posthumous son of the divine king, Lord of Lords, Son of Light, and God of the afterlife, Osiris. She was the Virgin who gave birth to Horus. If any of you are in Cairo, stop over and have a chat with Zawi Hawass. He can go on and on and on about Egyptology. I personally find this chap very likeable.

China Monarchy Origins
Pre-imperial rulers of the Zhou Dynasty bore the title of the Son of Heaven (天子). The Qin founder did not employ this title, perhaps as it implied submission to a supreme divine authority; but the title was restored under the Han dynasty and employed thereafter for all rulers of China. As the descendant and representative of Heaven on Earth, he had absolute power over all matters, big or small, under Heaven (天下). His mandate to rule was regarded as divine and predestined. In contrast to modern international relationships, the Emperor of China was seen in East Asia not merely as the head of one nation-state among many, but also as the sole and supreme overlord of the entire civilized world.

The emperor’s words were considered sacred edicts (聖旨), and his written proclamations “directives from above” (上諭). In theory, the emperor’s orders were to be obeyed immediately. He was elevated above all commoners, nobility, and members of the imperial family. Addresses to the emperor were always to be formal and self-deprecatory, even by the closest of family members.

In practice, however, the power of the emperor varied between different emperors and different dynasties. Generally, in the Chinese dynastic cycle, Emperors founding a dynasty usually consolidated the empire through absolute rule, as evidenced in Emperors Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty, and Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. These emperors ruled as absolute monarchs throughout their reign, maintaining a centralized grip on the country. During the Song Dynasty, the Emperor’s power was significantly overshadowed by the power of the chancellor.

The Emperor’s position, unless deposed in a rebellion, is always hereditary usually by agnatic primogeniture. As a result, there are many cases where a child Emperor ascends the throne when his father dies. When this occurs, the Empress Dowager, or the Emperor’s mother, is in a position of significant power. In fact, the vast majority of female rulers during the entirety of Chinese Imperial history have come to power through ruling as regents on behalf of their sons; prominent examples include the Empress Lü of the Han Dynasty, as well as Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci’an of the Qing Dynasty, who for a time ruled jointly as co-regents. If the Empress Dowager is too weak to assume power, court officials usually seize control. The presence of eunuchs in the court is also important in the power structure, as the Emperor usually relied on a few of them as confidants, which gave them access to many court documents. There are cases where eunuchs wielded absolute power, most prominent was the rule of eunuch Wei Zhongxian during the Ming Dynasty. There are also situations wherein other members of the nobility seized power as regents. The actual area ruled by the Emperor of China varied from dynasty to dynasty. In some cases, such as during the Southern Song dynasty, political power in East Asia was effectively split among several governments; nonetheless, the political fiction that there was but one ruler was maintained. All this came to a sudden end when Pu-Yi was dethroned.

British Monarchy Origins
After the barbarian migrations of the fifth and sixth centuries had subdued or displaced the Celtic Britons, the various Anglo-Saxon peoples formed several kingdoms in England. The kingdom of Wessex became the most powerful and eventually conquered and absorbed all the others. The house of Windsor and all previous English dynasties, except for the Danish kings, can trace themselves back to the kings of Wessex.

The current style of British monarchy, that is to say, a constitutional monarchy, dates from 1660, and the restoration of the monarchy. The previous style, absolute monarchy had been going since the conquest. However, the rules of succession have changed as well. Nowadays, the laws are that of primogeniture, that is to say, the eldest son, then the next son etc, then the eldest daughter, etc. However, the successor in pre-Stuart rule was much more at the discretion of the previous monarch. For example, Henry I was succeeded by Stephen, his nephew. However, he had a legitimate daughter, Matilda. She then launched a war against Stephen which engulfed most of his reign. Interestingly, Stephen, despite having two legitimate sons, was succeeded by Henry II, son of Matilda. This illustrates the point that, although the monarch had some choice in their successor, there was another power, or Stephen would have chosen his own son. The Witan, a council of wise men dating back to the height of the Saxon times, had the power to make a king. It was a kind of elected monarchy. They would choose who they thought was the most worthy from a particular family, so there was a limit to the choice. This family claimed descent from the great Celtic hero, Cerdic or Cerdig, who, it was claimed was a descendant of Woden or Odin, the chief of the Saxon deities. This is how kings were made throughout the Saxon period, which is why there were comparatively few weak kings, Ethelred II being one of the few. Incidentally, his nickname ‘Unready’ comes from the Saxon word ‘Unraed’, meaning ‘Ill-advised’, so he may have just been easily influenced rather than unprepared. Sorry for digressing, I just thought it was interesting.

Malaysian Monarch Origins
Migrated here from Indonesia, and/or Pattani in Thailand. Case closed. End of story.