On the Laws of the Jewish State (On the Law in General) (Excerpt‪)‬

I am not listing all of these laws unless I believe that some law seems, in part, at least established well, prudently, and perfectly. In the beginning, there were three types of government: monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. The most perfect was monarchy, the rule of a king, not only because God had modeled it and ruled over it but also because he always wanted one person to stand for the people, as Moses did at first, then Joshua and the judges, then the kings, and then the leaders and chief priests after the Captivity.