DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS
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 govern-
ment, 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
