A Constitutional Monarch is a king or queen whose power is limited by laws or a constitution. This means they must share power with a group, such as a parliament, that helps make decisions for the country. The ruler cannot do whatever they want; they have to follow the law in terms of what power they actually have as monarch. For example, King William III and Queen Mary II of England, who ruled from 1689 to 1702, agreed to the English Bill of Rights, which gave more power to Parliament and less to the monarchs. This created a government where the king and queen had to work with representative Members of Parliament instead of ruling alone. An Absolute Monarch is a ruler who has total control over their country. They make all the laws, command the army, and decide how people live without needing anyone’s permission. For example, King Louis XIV of France, who ruled in the 1642 to 1715, believed he was chosen by God by Divine Right to rule and that his word was law. He forced many Nobles to live in the Palace of Versailles to control them. Another example is Catherine the Great of Russia, who ruled from 1762 to 1796, expanded her empire and made important decisions by herself. She initially thought about freeing the serfs, peasants who worked lands they could never own, but went against this and crushed serf revolts against her rule.
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