High king
A high king is a king who holds a position of seniority over a group of other kings. Rulers who have been termed "high king" (either by their contemporaries or by modern observers) include:
- Various ancient Celtic rulers, notably the High Kings of Ireland. Some other monarchs, such as King Arthur, Uther Pendragon, and Vortigern, have been termed "High King of Britain" in some accounts.
- The ruler of the Picts.
- The ruler of Scotland.
- Some ancient Greek rulers, such as Agamemnon (see anax).
- The most powerful king of the various Etruscan city-states.
Compare Overlord.
- In C.S. Lewis's fictional Chronicles of Narnia, Peter was the High King of Narnia over Edmund, Susan and Lucy by virtue of being the eldest.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong in Malaysia could probably be seen as a "high king", as he is selected from among nine Malay rulers (seven Sultans, a Raja, and a Great Lord) by election \de facto? on a rotational basis. In practice, however, the term "high king" is rarely applied to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The Hindi titles "Maharaja", Maharao, Maharana (used by some Indian rulers), which translate as Great King, and "daewang" (used by some Korean rulers) could possibly be rendered as "high king", although "great king" is perhaps more accurate.
Roughly equivalent, or rather a tac higher, are various more imperial titles that translate as King of Kings, such as "Shahanshah" (used by Persian emperors), Negus neghesti.