Types of Fantasy Kingdoms and Other Governments

Ever since humans came together to form communities, we have needed hierarchies and power structures. From a small group of people living in the woods to a whole village being overseen by a lord in a castle, governments and ruling bodies can be useful or even necessary to set up conflict, create character relationships, and form your world’s history.

The fantasy kingdom you pick could affect your geography, cultural customs, and that land’s relationship with other parts of your world. Not to mention, politics and the appointment of leaders often creates social hierarchies, which influence the ways people interact with each other and what each person is allowed to do.

A proper fantasy world needs a government. Here’s how to choose one.

Inspirations for Power Structures

You can start from scratch, or you can emulate an existing concept. First, think historically: kingdoms, feudal systems, dictatorships, etc. But look beyond the typical Western history of kings and queens. Ancient cultures from across the globe might feature dynasties, emirates, or other ways of governing that might work for your fantasy novel.

You can also take inspiration from nature. Any animal that lives in groups will have a “ruling” system and a culture that stems from that. Think of everything from the matriarchal societies of whales to colonial animals like flamingos or even coral. How can those pieces be used to fit your book’s needs?

If you aren’t sure what fantasy kingdom type to pick, figure out a bit of your background world-building first and decide your system from there. For example, if your plot necessitates war, you can think backward from soldiers and set up a hierarchy leading to whoever leads the army (a general, a king, a president, etc.). Different fantasy areas within a single world might need to have different governments to produce conflict in the plot.

Finally, think outside the box. Cults, hoards, and communes are all unique communities with rules and leaders. Studying how groups of people similar to your fantasy characters live can reveal new ways of looking at governments and social structures. Then, you can make up your own system that’s an amalgamation of others.

10 Kingdoms & Governments to Explore

There are hundreds of types of fantasy kingdoms and ways you can design a government or power structure. Try basing your world on one of these common structures from history:

Kingdom

In a fantasy kingdom, power would be centralized in a monarch (often called king/queen, but you can get creative!) who inherits their position through birthright or divine blessing. Everyone else would be under them in descending order of class. The structure of a kingdom adds to political intrigue and power struggles because others may be fighting for control of the throne, or the protagonist or antagonist might covet a place in the monarchy. Neighboring kingdoms might also go to war for control of territory.

Empire

Empires are formed when a single ruler oversees diverse and widespread territories and people. Because expansion of empires often happens by force, this penchant for conquering opens your fantasy novel’s plot to much intrigue as cultures clash and protagonists act as rebels.

Democracy

Democratic societies give control of the government to the people, who participate through voting or electing representatives as advocates for their interests. Democracies may be led by a president, prime minister, chancellor, etc. Giving power to the people can heighten political and societal tensions because not every person or entity is going to vote the same way, causing a lot of disappointment for one group or another.

Republic

In a republic, elected officials uphold a constitution or doctrines that help set up and run the political system. There is often great transparency, as government issues are handled publicly, not behind closed doors by just a few people. Republics are often democratic, with the people electing their officials, but you can also make a republic an oligarchy, aristocracy, or autocracy.

Theocracy

A theocracy is a religious society ruled by the religious elite or a divinely chosen ruler. Laws and customs are based on faith doctrines. If your fantasy kingdom is a theocracy, you can have characters explore themes of faith, fanaticism, and the tension between secular and religious rules.

Regency

A regent is a temporary ruler who takes over in the event that a new monarch is a minor or otherwise incapable of ruling. Fantasy novels that explore regency periods might be dealing with issues of leadership or transition during political upheaval.

Dynasty

Dynasties are formed when a single-family lineage holds power over generations. If your novel’s government is a dynasty, you may explore themes of legacy, loyalty, responsibility, and family intrigue as various members of the ruling family struggle for power.

Guild

When artisans, merchants, or other groups come together to protect their interests, they might be called a guild. These systems have intrinsic struggle as characters within a guild fight, or it could be extrinsic tension as various guilds struggle to rule together or take over.

Council

A council is a group of individuals who make collective decisions for a large group of people. Council members may be chosen by the people, or it may be a job they earn or are born into. Systems with councils have to deal with in-house negotiations, consensus-building, and group decision-making.

Clan

A clan is a social group, usually with ties of kinship that make it difficult for outsiders to find their place in the system. Novels with clans may explore themes of family, loyalty, and social ties. Even when you just mean “a crowd of people with common interests,” it’s best not to call your clan a tribe. Tribe is closely associated with Native American and Indigenous peoples and is often used to indicate that society is somehow undeveloped.

Additional Aspects of Hierarchies

Governments need rules that dictate how they are run. You can apply different rules to the same power structure and end up with very different worlds. For example, a government or kingdom could be either a patriarchy or matriarchy depending on whether men or women are in power. Perhaps your world is a centaurarchy because the centaurs are in charge.

Your kingdom or empire could be an autocracy (one person holds all the power), an oligarchy (a small group of elite people holds power), or a synarchy (joint rule by two or more people, such as siblings). This could apply to a kingdom, a dynasty, an empire, etc.

When designing your world, you should also know how power is transferred or shared. If the system works by inheritance, who inherits? It could be the firstborn heir, the firstborn son or daughter, or the first offspring with magic. Perhaps the ruler chooses among their children based on who has the most aptitude for ruling. Power may also pass between people via elections or even political coups.

A final aspect to consider is having a government within a government. Some worlds may appear to be ruled in one way, but underneath the surface, a different person or group really holds the power. Is your government a sham?

A Caveat

One big warning when it comes to types of fantasy kingdoms: most readers don’t want all the details. Unless the power structure of your world is integral to the plot, readers might become confused or bored with long explanations of how the government works. You as the author should know its inner workings, but readers of your fantasy novel probably want to get back to the action. A little explanation now and then would suffice.

Getting Your Fantasy Kingdom/Government Right

A fantasy world needs a power structure to govern how characters interact. Different governments and ruling systems offer different advantages for your plot and theme. If you need help deciding how to set up your fantasy kingdom/democracy/theocracy/etc., let’s jump on a brainstorming call. Or if your fantasy novel is written, I can perform a developmental edit to ensure the structure is solid and makes sense with the plot. Let’s get your fantasy world set up today!

Large moon or planet over the horizon. Foreground is a body of water with a mountain in the far distance. — Types of Fantasy Worlds