Divine Right of Kings
Definition
The Divine Right of Kings is a political and religious doctrine that asserts the monarchy derives its authority directly from God, not from the people or any earthly authority. This means that only God can judge a king's actions.
Analogy
Think of the Divine Right of Kings like an exclusive VIP pass at a concert. Just as this pass gives you special privileges and access that regular ticket holders don't have, the Divine Right gave kings unique powers and rights that ordinary citizens didn't possess. And just like how a VIP pass is given by the event organizers (in this case, God), not by other attendees, a king's power was believed to be granted by God, not by his subjects.
Related terms
Absolute Monarchy: A form of government where the monarch has absolute power among his or her people. An absolute monarch wields unrestricted political power over the sovereign state and its people.
Monarchism: A political system based on the belief in ruling through a single leader who is either appointed or inherited (like kingship). It supports maintaining such systems or returning to them if they are gone.
Sovereignty: The full right and power of a governing body over itself, without any interference from outside sources or bodies.
"Divine Right of Kings" appears in:
Subjects (1)
Study guides (3)
Practice Questions (4)
- Who came up with the concept of the Divine Right of Kings, asserting that the ruler should have political and religious authority above anything else?
- Which English king advocated for the divine right of kings just before the English Civil War?
- Which event from the New Monarchies period (1450-1648) can be directly linked to the earlier medieval concept of Divine Right of Kings?
- How did the concept of 'the divine right of kings' impact social hierarchies according to Marxist theory?
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