Absolute monarchy is closest in governance to being a dictatorship. The only difference is it's just a royal dictatorship. Like a dictatorship, an absolute monarchy has no checks and balances in the system. Second closest would be an oligarchy, where a small group of elites exert absolute power. Absolute monarchy used to be the norm and was considered "the right of kings" but this era began to end worldwide with the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 and the formation of constitutional monarchies.
