The Compleat Monarchist

"The arguments for monarchy are basically of three kinds: providentialist-monarchy has been the state form most used by the providence of God to further the Christianization of peoples; sacramental-monarchy permits the symbolic clothing of civil authority with the mantle of Christ the Servant-King, thus setting in a most desirable way the ethos of the state; pragmatic-monarchy transcends factions (no one has voted either for or against the king) as well as the ravages of time (the royal institution necessarily considers both conservation of heritage and provision for future generations). In this humorous yet serious book, Coulombe interweaves such arguments with a great stock of monarchist lore.... The overall message emerges clearly enough: royalism, or supporting the Reichsidee, is not so much a sign of political immaturity as a dawning of wisdom."-from the Foreword by Fr. Aidan Nichols, OP

Praise for this book

"Enhanced by Coulombe's literary, philosophical, and theological scholarship, The Compleat Monarchist is a powerful book that will persuade any rational person of the merits of monarchy. Its author has earned his reputation as a voice of sanity amid the madding crowd."-Mark Dooley, author of Moral Matters: A Philosophy of Homecoming

"Charles Coulombe is one of the most erudite and eloquent of Catholic writers. His deep understanding of history, theology, and political philosophy and his vivid literary imagination are woven together in this thoughtful and thought-provoking defence of monarchy. It might be said, were the pun to be permitted, that it is his crowning achievement!"-Joseph Shaw, editor of A Defence of Monarchy

"Why would monarchy-a principle that emerges directly out of nature and which has been consecrated by supernatural religion for millennia-need an American historian to explain it to us? But following centuries of violent revolution and civilisational repudiation in what has been a succession of egalitarian, democratic, and utopian experiments, most of us are so uprooted from our own tradition that we stand in desperate need of an authoritative guide. We are all in Coulombe's debt as we seek to find our way home."-Sebastian Morello, author of Conservatism and Grace

"In a world that appears to be increasingly suffering from an acute case of cultural drought and crisis of identity, time and time again we see that the further the West strays from its Christian foundations, including sacral monarchy, the more severe this cultural drought and amnesia becomes. In The Compleat Monarchist, Coulombe captures the essence of what monarchy was and can be again, taking the reader on a masterful exploration of Christian kingship's embodiment of immortal principles that served our civilization for centuries. Whether you are a devoted monarchist, a convicted republican, or a skeptic of all political programs, this book will inform, enlighten, and challenge you."-Ross M. McEwen, The Royal Stuart Society