the.com/legitimacy
The shared belief that power deserves obeying — and the only thing crowns are actually made of.
means The widely accepted right of a person, rule, or institution to hold authority and be obeyed.
from From Latin legitimus, lawful, rooted in lex, law — originally about being born within marriage, later about whose rule counts as rightful.
Weber's threeTradition, charisma, and legal rules legitimize rulers.
Self-fulfillingAuthority survives only while enough people think it should.
Lost cheaplyOne stolen election can erase centuries of credibility.