Divine right of kings

This article is about the Western tradition. For the Sinospheric tradition, see Mandate of Heaven. For various rulers who claim a divine relationship, see God emperor.
Henry VIII of England and Louis XIV of France were both adherents to the concept of the divine right of kings, and each of their reigns saw a rise in absolutism in their respective kingdoms.

The divine right of kings is a political and religious doctrine of political legitimacy of a monarchy in post-Reformation Western Christianity culminating in the Age of Absolutism (c. 1610 – c. 1789). It is also known as the divine-right theory of kingship.

The doctrine asserts that a monarch is not accountable to any earthly authority (such as a parliament or the Pope) because their right to rule is derived from divine authority. Thus, the monarch is not subject to the will of the people, of the aristocracy, or of any other estate of the realm. It follows that only divine authority can judge a monarch, and that any attempt to depose, dethrone, resist or restrict their powers runs contrary to God's will and may constitute a sacrilegious act. It does not imply that their power is absolute.

In its full-fledged form, the Divine Right of Kings is associated with Henry VIII of England (and the Acts of Supremacy), James VI and I of Scotland and England, Louis XIV of France, and their successors.

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