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Divine Right of Kings |
Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.02 sec. |
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The authority of a monarch to rule a realm by virtue of birth. The concept of the divine right of kings, as postulated by the patriarchal theory of government, was based upon the laws of God and nature. The king's power to rule was derived from his ancestors who, as monarchs, were appointed to serve by God. Regardless of mis-conduct, a king or his heir could not be forced to forfeit the right to the obedience of subjects or the right to succeed to the throne. This concept was formulated to dispel any possibility of papal and ecclesiastical claims to supremacy in secular as well as spiritual matters. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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The same is true of The Saints Knowledge of Christs Love, which argued for the divine right of kings alongside not "suffering the Law to rule but over my outward man," (35) and The House of the Forest of Lebanon, which, notwithstanding its plea for toleration mentioned earlier, said that "even in Gospel times, Kings [in the iconoclastic mold of 50) Charles McIlwain found it "the most comprehensive of all [James's] political writings,"(51) while Wilfrid Harrison doubted "to what extent a significant doctrine of the divine right of kings is to be found in King James's not too coherent book. |
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