sovereign power
Ultimate state authority
Sovereign power is the supreme authority within a political territory—the ultimate source of law and governance that recognizes no higher earthly authority.
In monarchies, sovereign power resides in the crown; in democracies, it theoretically rests with the people.
The Constitution vests sovereign power in the nation's citizens.
The term appears in legal and political philosophy discussions about where final authority lies.
- rulerOne who governs
- head of stateNation's chief representative
- Treaty of Westphalia1648 sovereignty-establishing peace
- legitimacyLawful or rightful status
- rule of lawSupremacy of established laws
monarchy · absolutism · command · nation-state · constitution · autocracy · social contract · natural rights · feudalism · governance · dominion · crown · judiciary · Magna Carta · autonomy · political authority · decree · royal
- royaltyking, queen, prince, princess, kings
- political philosophypolitical philosophy, political theory, political thought, social contract, natural rights
- medieval governancefeudal hierarchy, vassalage, lordship, commons, royal authority
- powerauthority, potency, energy, hydropower, horsepower
- authorityleaders, ruler, rulers, monarch, bosses
- Royal inheritancethrone, crown, succession, heir, heiress
sovereign powersubjugation
Forcing into submission
dependency · colonial rule · vassalage · subordination · foreign domination
sovereign powerdelegated authority
Power granted by another
foreign rule · limited government · federal power · checks and balances · popular sovereignty
sovereign powerfailed state
Ungovernable nation lacking authority
anarchy · powerlessness · impotence · statelessness · political vacuum