composite monarchy

== English == === Etymology === Coined in 1975 by German-born British historian Helmut Koenigsberger and popularised by Sir John Huxtable Elliott. === Noun === composite monarchy (plural composite monarchies) (politics, historical) A type of monarchy, common in Europe during the early modern period, in which a single ruler governed several territories as if they were separate kingdoms, each with its own local traditions and legal structures. 1995 [Routledge], Conrad Russell, Chapter 8: Composite monarchies in early modern Europe, Alexander Grant, Keith Stringer, Uniting the Kingdom?, 2003, Taylor & Francis e-library, page 133, All multiple kingdoms are composite monarchies, but not all composite monarchies are multiple kingdoms. ==== Synonyms ==== (several territories governed by a single ruler): composite state, personal union