Diarchy, duarchy, or duumvirate is a form of government characterized by corule, with two people ruling a polity together either lawfully or de facto, by collusion and force. The leaders of such a system are usually known as corulers.
Kings of the Visigoths (c. 1641) by Alonso Cano
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic, to fully autocratic, and can span across executive, legislative, and judicial domains.
The Weld-Blundell Prism, inscribed with the Sumerian King List
King George III of the United Kingdom, portrait by Allan Ramsay, 1762
King Salman of Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarch.
Postcard of ruling monarchs, taken in 1908, between February (accession of King Manuel II of Portugal) and November (death of the Guangxu Emperor)