Lesson 30- Section One ( Greek Monarchy )

Greek Monarchies

By Dave Metzger

From about 2000 to 800 B.C.E., a monarch, or king, ruled most Greek city-states. In a monarchy, the governing power is in the hands of one individual, usually a king. Greek settlements did not allow queens to govern.

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​Greek Monarchy

Multiple Choice

How many years did King's rule Greece ( 2000 to 800 BCE ) ?

• 800 years
• 1500 years
• 500 years
• 1200 years

Initially, the people of a Greek city-state chose the kings. When a king died, another leader was selected to replace him. In time, however, kings demanded that, after their death, their power be passed to their children, typically to the oldest son. Consequently, Greek monarchs rose to power through inheritance.

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Greek Monarchy

Multiple Choice

In the context of the previous slide, what does inheritance mean ?

• Inheritance is when a position or something is passed down to another family member

• Inheritance is a system of trading goods.

• Inheritance allows a class to inherit properties from a function.
• Inheritance is a method to delete an event from memory.

The kings of ancient Greece possessed many powers. They had the authority to create laws and act as judges. They also conducted religious ceremonies and led their armies during wars. Additionally, they could use force to punish people who disobeyed the laws or didn't pay their taxes.

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​Greek Monarchy

Multiple Choice

Greek monarchs could conduct religious ceremonies, punish people who didn't pay their taxes, and.........?

• throw big banquets for athletes.

• create laws and act as a judge.

• have 5 maids inside their homes.

• marry multiple wives.

Kings had councils of aristocrats to advise them. The word aristocrat is derived from a Greek word that means "best." The aristocrats were wealthy men who had inherited large pieces of land.

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Greek Monarchy

Multiple Choice

Which characteristic does NOT fit the profile of an aristocrat in ancient Greece ?

• wealthy or rich

• owned land

• ate only meat

• a man

At first, councils of aristocrats had little actual power. However, during wartime, kings depended on their support since only the rich aristocrats could afford to supply soldiers with horses and armor. The aristocrats soon realized that, as a group, they were stronger than their king and wanted a share of his power.

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Greek Monarchy

Multiple Choice

Ancient Greek kings relied on Aristocrats during wartime for ...........?

• cultural exchanges
• economic alliances
• military support and money for supplies

• diplomatic negotiations

In some city-states, aristocrats insisted that their king obtain the crown through an election rather than an inheritance. Then they limited a king's rule to a certain number of years. Eventually, aristocrats in many city-states overthrew the monarchy and took the power for themselves. By 800 B.C.E., very few Greek city-states were ruled by kings.

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Greek aristocrats

Multiple Choice

Aristocrats insisted on the Kings being elected to their position. In this context, what does "insisted" mean ?

• casually suggested
• passively accepted
• ignored the idea
• strongly demanded or asserted