Throughout history many monarchs have wielded absolute power, sometimes based on their presumed divinity. In ancient Egypt, for example, the pharaoh was deified, as were certain Oriental rulers. By the Middle Ages the monarchical system of government had spread over Europe, often based on the need for a strong ruler who could raise and command military forces to defend the country. European monarchies were dynastic, with the throne usually being passed on to the eldest son or nearest male descendant. Many medieval rulers obtained soldiers and weapons from the feudal lords and thus were dependent on the allegiance of the nobility to maintain their power (see Feudalism).

Divine Right of Kings, ancient doctrine that sovereigns are representatives of God and derive their right to rule directly from God. The concept was formulated from the theocracies of the East. Before the Reformation, the monarch was considered God's representative in all secular matters. Following the Reformation, in Protestant countries, the ruler filled this function in religious matters also. According to the doctrine, a ruler's power is not subject to secular limitation; the ruler is responsible only to God. In the 17th century the doctrine was supported by the English Royalists against the Parliamentarians, who maintained that the exercise of political power springs from the will of the people.

English opponents of divine right included the poet and prose writer John Milton, the republican leader Algernon Sidney, and the political theorist James Harrington. The chief supporters of the doctrine were the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, the French classical scholar Claudius Salmasius, and the English political writer Sir Robert Filmer, whose Patriarcha, or The Natural Power of Kings Asserted (pub. posthumously 1680) contains a complete exposition of the theory.

"Absolute Monaarch and Divine Right of Kings," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.