What is Political authority? Explain the various types of political authority

Authority is the right to
give orders which are to be obeyed by other people as a matter of duty. 
According to Max Weber, a German
Sociologist, authority can classified into: 

• Traditional
  Authority: In this type of authority, the
  rule of the ancestor guide the People. It
  is based on long established customs, traditions
  and beliefs. This is the type of authority being exercised
  by traditional rulers who are
  obeyed by the subjects/people, based on age-long traditions. 
• Legal – Bureaucratic Authority: This means the existence
  of law, constitution, decrees and rules. The custodians of such constitution,
  decrees and rules are obeyed by the people. This type
  of authority give government functionaries
  the capacity to take decisions that are obeyed by the people. Once decrees have been made by the government, the people now see it as a duty to obey them. The civil service is also operated on rules in
  which members of the service must
  obey.
•  Charismatic Authority:The leader has certain exceptional characteristics which make people
  to believe that he is endowed with some
  supernatu-ral abilities. Sources of belief could be secular
  or religious.