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divine right of kings

noun

the doctrine that the right of rule derives directly from God, not from the consent of the people.

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Origin of divine right of kings

First recorded in 1735–45
Also called divine right.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for divine right of kings

divine right of kings

noun

history the concept that the right to rule derives from God and that kings are answerable for their actions to God alone
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Culture definitions for divine right of kings

divine right of kings

The doctrine that kings and queens have a God-given right to rule and that rebellion against them is a sin. This belief was common through the seventeenth century and was urged by such kings as Louis xiv of France. (See absolute monarchy.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.