Kingmaker
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Akingmakeris a person or group that has great influence on a monarchy or royal in their political succession, without themselves being a viable candidate. Kingmakers may use political, monetary, religious, and military means to influence the succession. Originally, the term applied to the activities ofRichard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick— "Warwick the Kingmaker" —during theWars of the Roses(1455–1487) inEngland.[1][2]
Examples
[edit]- The prophetSamuelof theHebrew Bible,in the transition from the period of thebiblical judgesto the institution of aKingdom of IsraelunderSaul,and again in the transition from Saul toDavid
- Chanakyain theMaurya Empire
- ThePraetorian Guardin theRoman Empire
- Yeon GaesomuninGoguryeo
- Tonyukukin theSecond Turkic Khaganate[3][4]
- Sayyid brothersin theMughal Empire
- Vidyaranyain theVijayanagara Empire
- Ricimerin the lateWestern Roman Empire–magister militumwho appointed a series ofpuppet emperors
- Nogai,Mamai,andEdiguin theGolden Horde
- Janissaries,Midhat Pasha[5]in theOttoman Empire
- Godwin, Earl of Wessexin lateAnglo-Saxon England
- Baron Carl Otto Mörnerin theHouse of Bernadotte(King of Sweden)
- Henry of Blois,Bishop of WinchesterduringThe Anarchy
- Wiremu Tamihanain theMāori King Movement
- Hato HasbúninEl Salvador
- Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick– wealthiest peer in England during theWars of the Roses,who overthrewKing Henry VIand then restored him over his successorKing Edward IV
- Hajji Ebrahim Shirazi[6][7]– thekalantar(lord mayor) ofShirazand later thegrand vizierofQajar Iranwho enthroned four kings from two different dynasties:Jafar Khan,Lotf Ali Khan,Agha Mohammad KhanandFath-Ali Shah.
- Mithqal Al-Fayez– dubbed the kingmaker of the Hashemites after inviting the thenSharif Abdullah bin Husseinto Jordan and would rebrand his tribal army ofBani Sakherto become the firstArab Army of Transjordanagainst rebels andWahhabisin the 1920s.[8]
- Mahatma Gandhi– a pre-eminent political and ideological leader ofIndiaduring theIndian independence movementunder whose influence were all the major political leaders of the Indian freedom struggle includingJawaharlal NehruandVallabhbhai Patel
- James Farley– orchestrated the gubernatorial and presidential elections ofFranklin D. Roosevelt(1928–1940)[9]
- Che Guevara– accompaniedFidel Castroin theRevolutionand later helped him attain power
- K. Kamaraj– instrumental in bringingLal Bahadur ShastriandIndira Gandhias Prime Ministers ofIndiain 1964 and 1966, respectively[10]
- G. K. Moopanar– The 'kingmaker' who rose to prominence in the Indian national scene during the post-Emergency daysofPrime MinisterIndira Gandhi.He was the General Secretary in charge of theCongress Working Committee,a body of High Command in the rulingIndian National Congressgovernment. Moopanar, who decided the fate ofIndian National Congress chief ministersin thestatesofIndia,was more than any other responsible for the elevation ofRajiv Gandhito the Premiership on theassassination of his mother,Indira Gandhi. He was the longest serving General Secretary ofAll India Congress Committee(1980–1988), and served with Indria Gandhi,Sanjay Gandhiand Rajiv Gandhi.[citation needed]
- Girija Prasad Koirala– described as a kingmaker inNepalwith the election ofMadhav Kumar Nepal[11]
- Fred Malek– described as a kingmaker for theRepublican Partyin the United States[12]
- David Axelrod– formerChicago Tribunereporter described byU.S. News & World Reportas a "reporter turned kingmaker" with respect toBarack Obama's2008 presidential campaign.[13]
- Bakili Muluzi– described as a kingmaker inMalawi[14]
- Muhammad Ali Jinnah– an influential politician who became an ideological leader ofAll-India Muslim Leagueand the firstGovernor-GeneralofPakistan;widely regarded as the founder ofPakistan.
- Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński–Primate of Polandwho was highly instrumental in the1978 papal electionofKarol Wojtyła,Archbishop of Kraków,as Pope John Paul II[citation needed]
- Abdul Rashid Dostum–Afghan ArmyMarshal, leader of the AfghanUzbekcommunity, and founder ofJunbish-e Milliknown for frequently backing the winning factions and political parties ofAfghanistan's wars and elections.[15]
- Rupert Murdoch– a media tycoon in ownership ofNews Corpand theFox Corporationwho has consistently backed every winningPrime Minister of the United Kingdomsince the1979 general election[citation needed]
- Sheldon G. Adelson– a Las Vegas gambling entrepreneur who had tremendous influence in the American and Israeli political spectrums and often made large donations especially toDonald Trump's political campaigns andadministration[citation needed]
- George Soros,hedge fund manager, has had long-standing influence in theDemocratic Party.In the 2022 election cycle Soros gave $128 million to the Democratic party.[citation needed]
- Nick Clegg– described as a kingmaker in the2010 general electionas the leader of theLiberal Democratsfollowing ahung parliament[16]
- Richard J. DaleyasMayor of Chicagoand Chairman of theCook County Democratic Partywas the leading figure in theIllinois Democratic Party.As such, he controlled a large bloc of delegates atDemocratic National Conventionsand provided crucial support to theDemocratic Party's presidential nominees, includingAdlai Stevenson,John F. Kennedy,Lyndon Johnson,andHubert Humphrey.[17]
- Jarosław Kaczyński,Poland's kingmaker according toThe Financial Timesin February 2016.[citation needed]
- Democratic Unionist Partyand its leaderArlene Fosterbecame regarded as a kingmaker after theJune 2017 general electionresulted in a hung parliament in theUK Parliament.[18]
- Winston Petersand his partyNew Zealand First,New Zealand's kingmaker after both the1996and2017elections.[19]
- Avigdor Liebermanand his partyYisrael Beiteinuin theSeptember 2019 Israeli legislative election.[citation needed]
- Devlet Bahçeliand his party theNationalist Movement Party,Turkey's kingmaker according toThe Financial Times.[20]
- Albanian partiesare said to beNorthern Macedonia's kingmaker.[21][22]
- Kurdsin the Middle East.[23]
- Turkey,Libya's kingmaker.[24]
- Adat Perpatihsystem ofcustomary lawsinNegeri Sembilan,Malaysia
- Andrew Asiamah Amoakoafter the2020 Ghanaian general election.[25]
- Alliance 90/The GreensandFree Democratic Partyafter the2021 German federal election.[26]
- Asif Ali ZardariinPakistanafterNo-confidence motion against Imran Khanand selection ofChief Minister of Punjab (Pakistan)Hamza Shahbaz[citation needed]
- The Republicans(LR) were widely regarded as kingmakers in the FrenchNational Assemblyafter theJune 2022 parliamentary electionsresulted in a hung parliament, leaving them effectively holding thebalance of power.[27]
- Sinan Oğanin the2023 Turkish presidential election[28][29]
- Ko Wen-jeandTPPparticipated in2024 Taiwanese presidential electionandlegislative electionrespectively, the latter caused the first time that no party held an absolute majority in the Legislative Yuan.[30][31]
- Amit Shahwas an instrumental in bringingNarendra Modito power in the back-to-back elections in2014,2019and2024which were held inIndia.[citation needed]
In game theory
[edit]Ingame theory,a kingmaker is a player who lacks sufficient resources or position to win at a given game, but possesses enough remaining resources to decide which of the remaining viable players will eventually win.
Contemporary usage
[edit]The termkingmaker,though always unofficial, has tended to gain more importance in places of power struggle—e.g., politics, sports organizations etc. Consequently, bestowal of such a title is looked upon significantly and more often as a means of indirect gratification for individuals wanting to silently dictate the affairs of the organization. The term is also occasionally used in a pejorative sense during elections where a small number of independent political candidate(s) who hold a sizeable sway in the "vote bank" can most likely decide the course of an outcome.
As well as referring to an individual, the term can also be applied to institutions or think tanks whose opinions are held in great regard by the interested organization. The influence of the religious orders like the Roman Catholic Church in running the affairs of the state during medieval times (through the king) is a well-known example. Kingdoms and empires in the Indian sub-continent often relied on their religious heads. Besides religious orders, even countries can fit into this terminology when they can dictate the affairs of the other country (either directly or indirectly). In current political scenarios across the world the term can expand its scope to include powerfullobbyinggroups, whose role is often seen as a defining factor on major issues.
Citizens ofWest Africansub-national monarchies often use the wordkingmakerto refer to the members of the electoral colleges that choose their sovereigns because they also usually officiate during the coronation rituals and rites of purification, the word in this particular case taking on a literal meaning i.e. amakerof the king.
The termkingmakeris also used to describe situations in multi-player games where a player is either unable to win or has claimed an unassailable lead, but, in either case, plays a strong role in determining the outcome for other players.
In fiction
[edit]- The characterLeon Fortunatofrom theLeft Behindseries of novels is often described as a kingmaker.
- Marcus Jefferson Wall, the antagonist of much of theMatador seriesby Steve Perry is called the Kingmaker, and controls the President of the Galactic Federation
- The characterMayvar Kingmakerfrom theSaga of the Exilesseries of novels tests the ability of aspirants before they can be proclaimed king of theTanu.
- Ser Criston Cole, a character fromGeorge R. R. Martin’sA Song of Ice and Fireseries, is commonly referred to as "the kingmaker". In the story in which he appears The Dance of Dragons (The Blacks and the Greens,) the king dies while his eldest child and designated heir is absent from the castle, and Ser Criston, the head of the king's bodyguard, immediately plots with other like-minded individuals to crown the king's second child, because the king's younger child is male, whereas the heir is female. This triggers a nationwide civil war. The Dance of Dragons draws inspiration from bothThe AnarchyandThe War of the Roses,events in British history that each contained kingmaker figures (Henry of Blois and Richard Neville, respectively.)
- Minato Yoko, a character fromKamen Rider Gaim,considers herself a kingmaker, wanting to see who has what it takes to take the Forbidden Fruit, a fruit of great power that can essentially make a person a king. Likewise, another character, Mitsuzane Kureshima, also has traits of a kingmaker, hanging around with and manipulating events so as to put the ruler in his favor.
- Harry Leong, the ultra-rich, secretive billionaire fromCrazy Rich Asians,is revealed to be one of the kingmakers in the government of Singapore.
- One of the villains in the NBC TV seriesThe Blacklistwent under the aliasThe Kingmaker.
- Uhtred of Bebbanburg, from Bernard Cornwell'sThe Saxon Storiesand the Netflix AdaptationThe Last Kingdom,was considered a kingmaker during the succession of King Edward of Wessex after the death of Alfred the Great.
- In the TV seriesPorus,Porus' uncle, Shiv Dutt acts as a kingmaker, deposing a king and installing another king in his place.
References
[edit]- ^"What is a 'kingmaker'?".15 March 2010 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^Hicks, Michael (2002) [1998].Warwick the Kingmaker.Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.ISBN978-0-631-23593-4.Retrieved12 February2009.
- ^Ülkü(in Turkish). Türkiye Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi. 1937. p. 352.
- ^Peter B. Golden (2010).Central Asia in World History.p. 42.
- ^Roderic H. Davison (1963).Reform in the Ottoman Empire, 1856-1876.p. 397.
- ^"وارونه نویسی در تاریخ"[Inversion in history].پرتال جامع علوم انسانی(in Persian).Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^Amanat, Abbas (30 August 2020),"EBRĀHĪM KALĀNTAR ŠĪRĀZĪ",Encyclopaedia Iranica Online,Brill,retrieved26 October2021
- ^Lieber, Dov."How Jordan's 'sheikh of sheikhs' negotiated with Zionists, founded a kingdom".www.timesofisrael.com.Retrieved20 October2023.
- ^"Kingmaker".Tititudorancea.com. 19 May 2009.Retrieved14 April2012.
- ^"The King Maker Kamaraj, Former Chief Minister of Tamilnadu and Former President of All India Congress Committee".Kamaraj.com.Retrieved14 April2012.
- ^"Zee news".
- ^Vogel, Kenneth P. (19 May 2009)."GOP kingmaker leans toward Mitt".POLITICO.
- ^ "Obama's Power Players: Axelrod Helps Refine the President's Message",U.S. News & World Report,19 May 2009.
- ^"Nyasa Times".Archived fromthe originalon 15 May 2009.
- ^"The Return of the Kingmaker: Afghanistan's General Dostum Ends his Exile".Jamestown.
- ^"Nick Clegg 'will not be a post-election king-maker'".BBC News. 5 January 2010.Retrieved14 April2012.
- ^"Richard J. Daley: Kingmaker Book Chronicles Daley's Iron Grip on Chicago".The Wisconsin State Journal. 2 July 2000. Archived fromthe originalon 24 September 2015.Retrieved10 May2016.
- ^Sawer, Patrick (9 June 2017)."Arlene Foster: DUP leader emerges as the kingmaker, but who is she?".The Telegraph.
- ^"Kiwis react to Winston Peters, the kingmaker".11 August 2023.
- ^"Kingmaker brings ultra-nationalism to Erdogan's Islamist mix".Financial Times.30 June 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 10 December 2022.
- ^"Albaner als Königsmacher".16 July 2020.
- ^"Week in Review: The Show Must Go On".15 July 2020.
- ^"The Middle East's Newest Kingmakers".vocativ.com.Archived fromthe originalon 5 June 2016.Retrieved10 May2016.
the Kurds in Iraq, Syria and Turkey now have a chance to become the Middle East's most unlikely power brokers
- ^Walsh, Declan (22 May 2020)."In Stunning Reversal, Turkey Emerges as Libya Kingmaker".The New York Times.
- ^"Ghana's Hung Parliament Sets President Up for Tough Term".Bloomberg.18 December 2020 – via www.bloomberg.com.
- ^Chazan, Guy (27 September 2021)."Greens and FDP emerge as kingmakers in bid to succeed Merkel".Financial Times.Archived fromthe originalon 10 December 2022.Retrieved29 September2021.
- ^"The French Republicans: kingmakers?".www.euractiv.com.20 June 2022.
- ^"Sinan Ogan, the unexpected kingmaker in Turkey's presidential election".Le Monde.15 May 2023.
- ^"For Turkey runoff, potential kingmaker draws red line at Kurdish concessions".Reuters.15 May 2023.
- ^Lin, Sean (24 November 2023)."ELECTION 2024/TPP's Ko registers presidential candidacy, names lawmaker Wu as running mate".Central News Agency.Archivedfrom the original on 24 November 2023.Retrieved24 November2023.
- ^"No party gets legislative majority; small TPP to play key role".Focus Taiwan. 13 January 2024.Retrieved13 January2024.