Dynasty

Family photograph of the Imperial House of Japan, the world's oldest continuous royal dynasty since at least 539, with three generations (from left) Empress Michiko, Emperor Akihito, their son Emperor Naruhito and his consort Empress Masako, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Akishino, and behind them their children (2021)

A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,<ref> English Dictionary, Template:Nowrap "dynasty, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897.</ref> usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A "house" is a royal or noble family, not always ruling. Historians periodize the histories of many states and civilizations, such as the Roman Empire (27 BC – AD 1453), Imperial Iran (678 BC – AD 1979), Ancient Egypt (3100–30 BC), and Ancient and Imperial China (2070 BC – AD 1912), using a framework of successive dynasties. As such, the term "dynasty" may be used to delimit the era during which a family reigned.

Before the 18th century, most dynasties throughout the world were traditionally reckoned patrilineally, such as those that followed the Frankish Salic law. In polities where it was permitted, succession through a daughter usually established a new dynasty in her husband's family name. This has changed in all of Europe's remaining monarchies, where succession law and conventions have maintained dynastic names de jure through a female.

Terminology

The word "dynasty" (from the Template:Langx, dynasteía "power", "lordship", from dynástes "ruler")<ref>Template:OEtymD</ref> is sometimes used informally for people who are not rulers but are, for example, members of a family with influence and power in other areas, such as a series of successive owners of a major company, or any family with a legacy, such as a dynasty of poets or actors. It is also extended to unrelated people, such as major poets of the same school or various rosters of a single sports team.<ref name=OED>Oxford English Dictionary, Template:Nowrap "dynasty, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897.</ref>

The dynastic family or lineage may be known as a "noble house",<ref name="OED2">Oxford English Dictionary, Template:Nowrap "house, n.¹ and int, Template:Nowrap" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2011.</ref> which may be styled as "imperial", "royal", "princely", "ducal", "comital" or "baronial", depending upon the chief or present title borne by its members, but it is more often referred by adding the name afterwards, as in "House of Habsburg".

Dynast

The Spanish royal family of the House of Bourbon dates its roots to the Capetian dynasty of the 9th century, thus making it the oldest still reigning dynasty in Europe (photograph of King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, the Princess of Asturias and her younger sister Infanta Sofía, in 2019)

A ruler from a dynasty is sometimes referred to as a "dynast", but this term is also used to describe any member of a reigning family who retains a right to succeed to a throne. For example, King Edward VIII ceased to be a dynast of the House of Windsor following his abdication.

In historical and monarchist references to formerly reigning families, a "dynast" is a family member who would have had succession rights, were the monarchy's rules still in force. For example, after the 1914 assassinations of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his morganatic wife, their son Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg, was bypassed for the Austro-Hungarian throne because he was not a Habsburg dynast. Even after the abolition of the Austrian monarchy, Duke Maximilian and his descendants have not been considered the rightful pretenders by Austrian monarchists, nor have they claimed that position.

The term "dynast" is sometimes used only to refer to agnatic descendants of a realm's monarchs, and sometimes to include those who hold succession rights through cognatic royal descent. The term can therefore describe overlapping but distinct sets of people. For example, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, a nephew of Queen Elizabeth II, is in the line of succession to the British crown, making him a British dynast. On the other hand, since he is not a patrilineal member of the British royal family, he is not a dynast of the House of Windsor.

Comparatively, the German aristocrat Prince Ernst August of Hanover, a male-line descendant of King George III, possesses no legal British name, titles or styles (although he is entitled to reclaim the former royal dukedom of Cumberland). He was born in the line of succession to the British throne and was bound by Britain's Royal Marriages Act 1772 until it was repealed when the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 took effect on 26 March 2015.<ref name=inforce>Statement by Nick Clegg MP, UK parliament website Template:Webarchive, 26 March 2015 (retrieved on same date).</ref> Thus, he requested and obtained formal permission from Queen Elizabeth II to marry the Roman Catholic Princess Caroline of Monaco in 1999. Yet, a clause of the English Act of Settlement 1701 remained in effect at that time, stipulating that dynasts who marry Roman Catholics are considered "dead" for succession to the British throne.<ref name="bbc">Template:Cite news</ref> That exclusion, too, ceased to apply on 26 March 2015, with retroactive effect for those who had been dynasts before triggering it by marriage to a Roman Catholic.<ref name=inforce/>

Dynastic marriage

Family portrait of Empress Maria Theresa of the Habsburg dynasty, surrounded by her children who were married into various European dynasties. Marriage policy amongst dynasties led to the Pax Austriaca.

A "dynastic marriage" is one that complies with monarchical house law restrictions, so that the descendants are eligible to inherit the throne or other royal privileges.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For example, the marriage of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands to Máxima Zorreguieta in 2002 was dynastic, making their eldest child, Princess Catharina-Amalia, the heir apparent to the Crown of the Netherlands. The marriage of his younger brother, Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, in 2003 lacked government support and parliamentary approval. Thus, Prince Friso forfeited his place in the order of succession to the Dutch throne, and consequently lost his title as a "Prince of the Netherlands", and left his children without dynastic rights.

The Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 was an edict issued by Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI on 19 April 1713 to ensure that the Habsburg monarchy could be inherited by his daughter undivided (→ agnatic-cognatic primogeniture).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1736, Francis Stephen of Lorraine married Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, the sole heir of Emperor Charles VI. With the marriage of Maria Theresa, the only offspring of the House of Austria, she became together with her husband the founder of the new dynasty of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Since 1740 he was her co-regent in the Habsburg hereditary lands and from 1745 he was Holy Roman Emperor as Francis I, but was hardly involved in government affairs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Francis was as Duke of Lorraine the last non-Habsburg monarch of the Holy Roman Empire. The couple were the founders of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, which ruled until 1918. Empress Maria Theresa of the Habsburg dynasty had her children married into various European dynasties. Habsburg marriage policy amongst European dynasties led to the Pax Austriaca.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

History

Historians periodize the histories of many states and civilizations, such as Ancient Iran (3200 BC – 1979 AD), Ancient Egypt (3100–30 BC) and Ancient and Imperial China (2070 BC – AD 1912), using a framework of successive dynasties. As such, the term "dynasty" may be used to delimit the era during which a family reigned, and also to describe events, trends and artefacts of that period (e.g., "a Ming dynasty vase"). Until the 19th century, it was taken for granted that a legitimate function of a monarch was to aggrandize his dynasty: that is, to expand the wealth and power of his family members.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

Before the 18th century, most dynasties throughout the world had traditionally been reckoned patrilineally, such as those that followed the Frankish Salic law. In polities where it was permitted, succession through a daughter usually established a new dynasty in her husband's family name. This has changed in all of Europe's remaining monarchies, where succession law and conventions have maintained dynastic names de jure through a female. For instance, the House of Windsor is maintained through the children of Queen Elizabeth II, as it did with the monarchy of the Netherlands, whose dynasty remained the House of Orange-Nassau through three successive queens regnant. The earliest such example among major European monarchies was in the Russian Empire in the 18th century, where the name of the House of Romanov was maintained through Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna. This also happened in the case of Queen Maria II of Portugal, who married Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, but whose descendants remained members of the House of Braganza, per Portuguese law;, since the 1800s, the only female monarch in Europe who had children belonging to a different house was Queen Victoria and that was due to disagreements over how to choose a non German house. In Limpopo Province of South Africa, Balobedu determined descent matrilineally, while rulers have at other times adopted the name of their mother's dynasty when coming into her inheritance. Less frequently, a monarchy has alternated or been rotated, in a multi-dynastic (or polydynastic) system—that is, the most senior living members of parallel dynasties, at any point in time, constitute the line of succession.Template:Cn

Longevity

King Tupou VI of Tonga and Queen Nanasipau'u, head of one of the oldest still ruling royal dynasties in the world, dating back to c. 950 CE of the Tuʻi Tonga Empire

Dynasties lasting at least 250 years include the following. Legendary lineages that cannot be historically confirmed are not included.

Dynasty	Years Ruled	Corrected Length of Rule	Notes
Imperial House of Japan	493 CE – present	1,532 years	Continuous, mostly ceremonial since 12th century; pre-493 CE emperors semi-legendary.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Chera	c. 200 BCE – 1100 CE	~1,300 years	Estimation; fragmented early records, gaps likely.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Pandya	c. 300 BCE – 900 CE	~1,200 years	Estimation; intermittent rule after 900 CE, gaps in continuity.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Tonga	c. 950 CE – present	~1,075 years	Estimation; title changed in 1865, constitutional now.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Capetian	987 CE – present	1,038 years	Continuous through cadet branches (e.g., Bourbon); active in Spain.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Bagrationi	780 CE – 1801 CE	~1,021 years	Georgian royal house; ended with Russian annexation.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Guhila / Sisodia	566 CE – 1537 CE	~971 years	Mewar rajputs; ceremonial after 1537.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Silla	57 BCE – 935 CE	992 years	Korean kingdom; estimation for early start.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Adaside	c. 1700 BCE – 722 BCE	978 years	Neo-Assyrian period; estimation.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Eastern Ganga	498 CE – 1434 CE	~936 years	Odisha rulers; diminished after 1434.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Baduspanids	665 CE – 1598 CE	933 years	Tabaristan rulers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Chola	c. 300 BCE – 200 CE, 848–1279 CE	~929 years	Non-continuous; interregnum ~200–848 CE; early period semi-legendary.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Zhou	1046 BCE – 256 BCE	790 years	Nominal rule in later Warring States period; traditional dates.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Abbasid	750–1258 CE, 1261–1517 CE	764 years	Non-continuous; caliphal rule, ceremonial after 1258.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Rurikid	862 CE – 1598 CE	736 years	Kievan Rus to Tsardom of Russia.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Sayfawa	c. 1085 CE – 1846 CE	~761 years	Kanem–Bornu Empire; estimation.<ref name=":02">Template:Cite book</ref>
Goguryeo	37 BCE – 668 CE	705 years	Korean kingdom; well-documented.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Solomon	1270 CE – 1975 CE	705 years	Ethiopian emperors; restored in 1270.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Bavand dynasty	651 CE – 1349 CE	698 years	Tabaristan rulers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Kachhwaha	1128 CE – 1818 CE	690 years	Jaipur rajputs; effective rule ended with British control.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Bolkiah	c. 1360 CE – present	~665 years	Brunei sultans; estimation for early start.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Habsburg	1278 CE – 1914 CE	636 years	Austrian emperors; main line.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Ottoman	1299 CE – 1922 CE	623 years	Sultans of Ottoman Empire.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Vijaya	543 BCE – 66 CE	609 years	Sri Lankan kings; traditional dates.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Ahom	1228 CE – 1826 CE	598 years	Assam kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Oldenburg	1448 CE – present	577 years	Danish/Norwegian royals; active in Denmark.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Rathore	1243 CE – 1818 CE	575 years	Marwar/Jodhpur rajputs; ended with British control.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Bohkti	c. 1330 CE – 1855 CE	~525 years	Kurdish principality; adjusted start date.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Joseon and Korean Empire	1392 CE – 1910 CE	518 years	Korean rulers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Goryeo	918 CE – 1392 CE	474 years	Korean kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Arsacid	247 BCE – 224 CE	471 years	Parthian Empire.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Nabhani	1154 CE – 1624 CE	470 years	Oman imams.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Han and Shu Han	202 BCE – 9 CE, 25–220 CE	448 years	Non-continuous; Chinese emperors.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Árpád	858 CE – 1301 CE	443 years	Hungarian kings.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Mataram	1586 CE – present	~439 years	Indonesian sultans; estimation for continuity.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Sassanian	224 CE – 651 CE	427 years	Persian Empire.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Davidic	c. 1010 BCE – 586 BCE	~424 years	Kingdom of Judah; traditional dates.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Jafnid	220 CE – 638 CE	418 years	Arab kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Piast	960 CE – 1370 CE	410 years	Polish dukes/kings.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Argead	c. 700 BCE – 309 BCE	~391 years	Macedonian kings; adjusted start.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Copán	426 CE – 810 CE	384 years	Maya city-state.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Siri Sanga Bo	1220 CE – 1597 CE	377 years	Kandy kingdom, Sri Lanka.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Umayyad	661–750 CE, 756–1031 CE	364 years	Non-continuous; caliphs.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Yuan and Northern Yuan	1271 CE – 1635 CE	364 years	Mongol China.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Komnenos	1057–1059 CE, 1081–1185 CE, 1204–1461 CE	363 years	Byzantine emperors; non-continuous.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Later Lê (Primitive and Revival Lê)	1428–1527 CE, 1533–1789 CE	355 years	Vietnamese emperors; non-continuous.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Estridsen	1047–1375 CE, 1387–1412 CE	353 years	Danish kings; non-continuous.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Aryacakravarti	1277 CE – 1619 CE	342 years	Jaffna kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Lakhmid	c. 268 CE – 602 CE	~334 years	Arab kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Stuart	1371–1651 CE, 1660–1714 CE	334 years	Scottish/British royals; non-continuous.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Plantagenet	1154 CE – 1485 CE	331 years	English kings.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Jiménez	905 CE – 1234 CE	329 years	Navarre/Aragon.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Bendahara	1699 CE – present	~326 years	Pahang/Malaysia sultans; estimation.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Song	960 CE – 1279 CE	319 years	Chinese emperors.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Romanov	1613 CE – 1917 CE	304 years	Russian tsars.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Liao and Western Liao	916 CE – 1218 CE	302 years	Khitan rulers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Later Jin and Qing	1616 CE – 1912 CE	296 years	Manchu China.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Ming and Southern Ming	1368 CE – 1662 CE	294 years	Chinese emperors.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Babenberg	962 CE – 1246 CE	284 years	Austrian dukes.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Ptolemaic	305 BCE – 30 BCE	275 years	Hellenistic Egypt.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Tang	618–690 CE, 705–907 CE	274 years	Chinese emperors; non-continuous.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Fatimid	909 CE – 1171 CE	262 years	Caliphs.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Nasrid	1230 CE – 1492 CE	262 years	Granada emirate.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Thutmosid	1550 BCE – 1292 BCE	258 years	Egyptian pharaohs.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Dunkeld	1034 CE – 1286 CE	252 years	Scottish kings.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Achaemenid	550 BCE – 330 BCE	220 years	Persian Empire; adjusted start.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Timurid	1370 CE – 1507 CE	137 years	Central Asian rulers; Mughal branch excluded.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Extant sovereign dynasties

There are 43 sovereign states with a monarch as head of state, of which 41 are ruled by dynasties.Template:Efn There are currently 26 sovereign dynasties.

Dynasty	Realm	Reigning monarch	Dynastic founderTemplate:Efn	Dynastic place of originTemplate:Efn
WindsorTemplate:EfnTemplate:Efn	Template:Flag	King Charles III	King-Emperor George VTemplate:Efn	Thuringia and Bavaria Template:Small
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	Template:Flagdeco New ZealandTemplate:Efn
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Khalifa	Template:Flag	King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa	Sheikh Khalifa bin Mohammed	Najd Template:Small
BelgiumTemplate:Efn	Template:Flag	King Philippe	King Albert ITemplate:Efn	Thuringia and Bavaria Template:Small
Wangchuck	Template:Flag	Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck	Druk Gyalpo Ugyen Wangchuck	Trongsa, Bhutan
Bolkiah	Template:Flag	Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah	Sultan Muhammad Shah	Tarim in HadhramautTemplate:Efn Template:Small
NorodomTemplate:Efn	Template:Flag	King Norodom Sihamoni	King Norodom Prohmbarirak	Cambodia
GlücksburgTemplate:Efn	Template:Flagdeco DenmarkTemplate:Efn	King Frederik X	Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg	Glücksburg Template:Small
	Template:FlagTemplate:Efn	King Harald V
Dlamini	Template:Flag	King Mswati III	Chief Dlamini I	East Africa
YamatoTemplate:Efn	Template:Flag	Emperor Naruhito	Emperor JimmuTemplate:Efn	Nara Template:Small
HashimTemplate:Efn	Template:Flag	King Abdullah II	King Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi	Hejaz Template:Small
Sabah	Template:Flag	Emir Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah	Sheikh Sabah I bin Jaber	Najd Template:Small
Moshesh	Template:Flag	King Letsie III	Paramount Chief Moshoeshoe I	Lesotho
Liechtenstein	Template:Flag	Prince Hans-Adam II	Prince Karl I	Lower Austria Template:Small
Luxembourg-NassauTemplate:Efn	Template:Flag	Grand Duke Guillaume V	Grand Duke Adolphe	Nassau Template:Small
TemenggongTemplate:Efn	Template:FlagTemplate:Efn	Sultan Ibrahim III	Sultan Abu Bakar	Johor Template:Small
Grimaldi	Template:Flag	Prince Albert II	François Grimaldi	Genoa Template:Small
Alawi	Template:Flag	King Mohammed VI	Sultan Abul Amlak Sidi Muhammad as-Sharif ibn 'Ali	Tafilalt Template:Small
Orange-NassauTemplate:Efn	Template:FlagcountryTemplate:Efn	King Willem-Alexander	Prince William I	Nassau Template:Small
Busaid	Template:Flag	Sultan Haitham bin Tariq	Sultan Ahmad bin Said al-Busaidi	Oman
Thani	Template:Flag	Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani	Sheikh Thani bin Mohammed	Najd Template:Small
Saud	Template:Flag	King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud	Emir Saud I	Diriyah Template:Small
Bourbon-AnjouTemplate:Efn	Template:Flag	King Felipe VI	King Philip V	Bourbon-l'Archambault Template:Small
Bernadotte	Template:Flag	King Carl XVI Gustaf	King Charles XIV John	Pau Template:Small
Chakri	Template:Flag	King Vajiralongkorn	King Rama I	Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Template:Small
Tupou	Template:Flag	King Tupou VI	King George Tupou I	Tonga
NahyanTemplate:Efn	Template:FlagTemplate:Efn	President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan	Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa Al Nahyan	Liwa Oasis Template:Small

Political families

Though in elected governments, rule does not pass automatically by inheritance, political power often accrues to generations of related individuals in the elected positions of republics and constitutional monarchies. Eminence, influence, tradition, genetics, and nepotism may contribute to the phenomenon.

Hereditary dictatorship

Hereditary dictatorships are characterized by the dictator keeping political power within their family due to personal choice.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The successor may be groomed during their lifetime, as was the case for Bashar al-Assad and his brother Bassel,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or a member of their family may manoeuvre to take control of the dictatorship after the dictator's death, similar to the case of Ramfis Trujillo.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Current hereditary dictatorships

Dynasty	Regime	Dynastic founder	Current leader	Year foundedTemplate:Efn	Length of rule
Kim family<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Flag	Kim Il Sung	Kim Jong Un	1948	Template:Ayd
Gnassingbé family<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Flag	Gnassingbé Eyadéma	Faure Gnassingbé	1967	Template:Ayd
Bongo family<ref name="family">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Flag	Omar Bongo	Brice Oligui Nguema	1967	Template:Ayd
Nguema Family<ref name=dictators/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Flag	Francisco Macías Nguema	Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo	1968	Template:Ayd
Gulleh family<ref name=dictators>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Flag	Hassan Gouled Aptidon	Ismaïl Omar Guelleh	1977	Template:Ayd
Hun family<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Flag	Hun Sen	Hun Manet	1985	Template:Ayd
Déby family<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Flag	Idriss Déby	Mahamat Déby	1991	Template:Ayd
Aliyev family<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Flag	Heydar Aliyev	Ilham Aliyev	1993	Template:Ayd
Berdimuhamedow family<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Flag	Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow	Serdar Berdimuhamedow	2006	Template:Ayd

Former hereditary dictatorships

Dynasty	Regime	Dynastic founder	Last ruler	Year founded	Year ended	Length of rule
Trujillo family	Template:Flag	Rafael Trujillo	Ramfis Trujillo	1930	1961	Template:Ayd
Duvalier family	Template:Flag	François Duvalier	Jean-Claude Duvalier	1957	1986	Template:Ayd
Assad family<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Flagcountry	Hafez al-Assad	Bashar al-Assad	1971	2024	Template:Ayd
Somoza family<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Flag	Anastasio Somoza García	Anastasio Somoza Debayle	1936	1979	43 years, 39 days
López family<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Flag	Carlos Antonio López	Francisco Solano López	1844	1870	25 years, 293 days

See also

• Cadet branch
• Commonwealth realm
• Conquest dynasty
• Dynastic cycle
• Dynastic order
• Dynastic union
• Elective monarchy
• Family seat
• Genealogy
• Heads of former ruling families
• Hereditary monarchy
• Iranian Intermezzo
• List of current constituent monarchs
• List of current monarchies
• List of current monarchs of sovereign states
• List of dynasties
• List of empires
• List of family trees
• List of kingdoms and royal dynasties
• List of largest empires
• List of monarchies
• List of noble houses
• Non-sovereign monarchy
• Royal family
• Royal household
• Royal intermarriage
• Self-proclaimed monarchy