Divine Right of Kings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Divine Right of Kings is a European political and religious doctrine of political absolutism. Such doctrines are largely, though not exclusively, associated with the medieval and ancien régime eras. It states that a monarch owes his rule to the will of God, not to the will of his subjects, parliament, the aristocracy or any other competing authority. This doctrine continued with the claim that any attempt to depose a monarch or to restrict his powers ran contrary to the will of God.
Its symbolism remains in the coronations of the British monarchs, in which they are anointed with Holy oils by the Archbishop of Canterbury, thereby ordaining them to monarchy. It is further evidenced by efforts to trace the genealogy of European monarchs to King David of the Old Testament, in the apparent belief that it legitimizes the rule of the present monarch. The king or queen of the United Kingdom is the last monarch still to undergo such a ceremony, which in other countries has been replaced by an inauguration or other declaration. It is the reason why the British Royal Family's motto is Dieu Et Mon Droit (God and my [birth] Right - i.e. I rule with God's blessing).
It may also include a belief in the right of the monarch to rule due to direct decendency from God, usually tracing genealogy back to a divine being, such as Jesus of Nazareth; hence being the person most likely to be able to correctly acertain the will of God.
[edit] The concept
The concept of Divine Right incorporates the broader concept of "royal God-given rights", which simply says that "the right to rule is anointed by God (or gods)" which is found in other cultures. This concept was also found in the Aryan and Egyptian traditions. Thomas Aquinas accepted the overthrow of a king and even regicide when the laws of the king are untenably unjust, and towards the end of the Middle Ages many philosophers such as Nicholas of Cusa and Francisco Suarez propounded similar theories. In addition, the concept of Mandate of Heaven required that the emperor properly carry out the proper rituals, consult his ministers, and made it extremely difficult to undo any acts carried out by an ancestor.
Much of the Scriptural basis of the Divine Right of Kings comes from Romans 13:1-2, which state: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation." A surface interpretation of these verses appear that since a king is put in power by God, every order given by the king must be obeyed, so as to not disobey God.
[edit] See Also
- Separation of church and state (medieval)
- Sovereignty
- Mandate of Heaven
- Robert Bellarmine Roman Catholic arguements denying such divine rights of monarchs
- Robert Filmer
