Popular culture portrays medieval monarchs as absolute rulers, but reality was far more restrained. Kings depended on nobles, clergy, and military support to govern. Power was negotiated through ...

In the Middle Ages, kings ruled by divine right and could not be removed, no matter their condition. As a result, entire kingdoms were sometimes governed by men suffering severe mental breakdowns.

Continental Europe is home to four microstates with populations of between 30,000 and 80,000 people: Andorra, on the border between France and Spain; Liechtenstein, nestled between Switzerland and ...