What does "Rule by Divine Right" mean?

"Rule by Divine Right" is a political and religious doctrine that asserts that a monarch (such as a king or queen) derives their right to rule directly from the will of God, and not from any earthly authority, such as the consent of their subjects or a governing body. This implies that the monarch is not accountable to their subjects, the aristocracy, or any other estate of the realm. The concept of divine right was often used historically to legitimize the monarch's power and to suggest that any opposition against the monarchy was equivalent to blasphemy, since it would be going against the will of God.

The doctrine of the divine right of kings was used to justify and support the notion that the monarch had absolute power and that their decisions were beyond challenge or criticism. This ideology was most prominent in Europe during the Middle Ages and the early modern period, although similar ideas have appeared in other cultures as well.

The Divine Right of Kings came to the fore in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. It played a critical role in the development of political and monarchical systems, particularly influencing the way that sovereignty and governance were viewed. It served as a means to strengthen the authority of kings and queens, often consolidating their power without the need to justify their rule through democratic consent or merit.

This theory was rooted in the medieval idea that the monarchy was ordained by God and that the monarch acted as God's representative on Earth. It is important to understand that at the time, there was a close intertwining of church and state, and religion permeated many aspects of life, including governance. With the rise of nation-states and the increasing power of monarchs, the Divine Right was a useful tool to maintain power and suppress uprisings or challenges to royal authority.

By invoking the divine right, monarchs could also insist on loyalty and obedience from their subjects, as disobeying the monarch could be construed as disobeying God himself. This became more contentious during and after the Protestant Reformation when different interpretations of religious authority emerged and when some nations began to push back against absolute monarchies.

Interestingly, during the Age of Enlightenment, the concept of the Divine Right of Kings began to decline as more rational and secular ideas about government, power, and individual rights gained popularity. The rise of constitutional monarchies and the eventual development of democratic and republican forms of government also marked the decline of the Divine Right of Kings as a widely accepted doctrine in the Western world.