Oh, we do have royalty these days too. But think something on the lines of Serene Doges and Italian Signorias of the Renaissance era. Private citizens amassing

Oh, we do have royalty these days too. But think something on the lines of Serene Doges and Italian Signorias of the Renaissance era. Private citizens amassing enough wealth and power to control governments not only during their lifetimes, but the lifetimes of their children as well, not unlike Sforza in Milan or the Medicis.