A form of government where two people share supreme power and authority equally or jointly.
From Greek duo- (two) + -arkhia (rule, from arkhein, to rule). The term emerged in political philosophy texts to describe systems like ancient Sparta's two-king government and Rome's dual consulate.
Sparta's duarchy lasted 400 years, with two kings from competing families—the system worked because neither could become a tyrant while the other watched, a political innovation most democracies essentially reinvented through checks and balances.
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