Term

Divine Right of Kings

The theory that a legitimate monarch has a God-given right to authority, making rebellion against the monarch a rebellion against God.

Filed underChurch History

Definition

The theory that a monarch in the legitimate line has a God-given right to his kingship and authority and that to rebel against him is to rebel against God.

Connections

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Influenced: NonjurorsTerm

Sources

1.Alan Richardson and John Bowden The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983). 270Original citation: Richardson, Alan, and John Bowden. The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983, 270.

Last revised August 14, 2026