Monarchs, Emperors and Madmen

 Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain died this week.  Our TV coverage has been extensive, more than any other foreign dignitary that I can recall.  Britain has, perhaps, the best, most stable monarchy in the world. It is also true that Elizabeth was a great monarch; steady, smart and measured.  She deserved all the accolades she has received.  Under the British Parliament system, legislative power rests with it, not the monarch. This has been the case since the early 18th century.  

When the monarch ruled he/she had all the power.  The monarch was the king, the legislature and the judge.  He/she could order anyone to be killed at will, as did King Henry VIII.  I've always been fascinated at how a country, of say, 60 + million people can be ruled by one person as was the case prior to the parliamentary system.  The king/queen was selected by accident of being born to the right person and place.  No experience necessary.  No rationality need be demonstrated.  In many cases, as with Henry VIII, you could be insane and could be killed at will.  He could order your people to go to war, whether it was necessary or not; just on his/her whim.  Indeed a tyrant.  Tyrants are with us today.  Just look at China, North Korea, or Russia.  The people have no voice, only the tyrant.  The British corrected the sinking ship when they started the parliamentary ship.  Very few other countries has been able to throw off the tyrant.  For this reason, the British throne stands out as the best possible monarchy.  The rest of the world should take some lessons; few will ever do.

The Roman Empire started with a Republic, which was very successful until the time of Julius Caesar.  Most of the territory of the empire was already in place by the time the Emperors started, with Caesar Augustus who reigned from 27 BC to 14 AD.  Augustus was a good emperor but many who followed him were not.  Nero who was probably insane, as was Henry VIII of Britain, ended up burning Rome.  Other Roman emperors were equally bad.  These men were tyrants with total control.  They could order the murder of anyone who may be a threat to them, whether real or imagined.  

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the late 5th century, the Eastern Roman Empire took over and lasted another thousand years.  The Byzantines, as they were called were ruled by emperors, or tyrants.  By the end of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 with the fall of Constantinople by the invading Turks, the empire was left with the city of Constantinople by itself.  Each emperor, ran it down.  Suffice it to say, emperors and tyrants do not have a successful history of rule.