What is sovereign?

Famous quotes containing the word sovereign:

    “My maiden Isabel,
    Reflaring rosabel.
    The fragrant camomel;
    The ruddy rosary,
    The sovereign rosemary,
    The pretty strawberry;
    The columbine, the nept,
    The jelofer well set,
    The proper violet:”
    —John Skelton (1460?–1529)

    “O Sovereign of the willing soul,
    Parent of sweet and solemn-breathing airs,
    Enchanting shell!”
    —Thomas Gray (1716–1771)

    “The Sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy such as ours, three rights—the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn. And a king of great sense and sagacity would want no others.”
    —Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)