Divine right of dynasty: deposing the God-given monarch in protestant Europe
In the early modern period, the discourse on divine right of monarchy reached a peak. At the same time, depositions of monarchs by their own subjects increased as well, events which were — in theory — not possible within the political ideology of divine right. This chapter argues that the theory of...
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| Format: | Book section |
| Language: | English |
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Amsterdam University Press
2023
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| Summary: | In the early modern period, the discourse on divine right of monarchy reached a peak. At the same time, depositions of monarchs by their own subjects increased as well, events which were — in theory — not possible within the political ideology of divine right. This chapter argues that the theory of divine right and the practice of depositions did indeed complement each other when taking a closer look both at the ideas of divinely legimitated monarchy and of the course of events during a deposition. In particular, the role of the dynasty and of the form of government within divine right of monarchy is discussed further and identif ied as central to early modern political thought. |
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