The Divine Right of Kings (Bossuet, James I, Louis XIV)

http://www.tomrichey.net/absolutism

As absolutism began to gain traction in the seventeenth century, one of the philosophies used to grant authority to this political system was the Divine Right of Kings. Jacques Bossuet, Louis XIV's court preacher, was a staunch advocate of the idea, using scripture for added authority. James I of England also wrote extensively on the subject and his son, Charles I, would unsuccessfully try to follow in his absolutist footsteps. According to James, divine right absolutism was not only about uninhibited power to be exercised by the monarch, but also about a monarch's obligation to guide and protect his people as a servant of God. Louis XIV's revocation of the Edict of Nantes can be read partly in this light, as Louis felt he had an obligation to make sure that his subjects practiced true religion as he saw it.

A primary source excerpt from Bossuet's Politics Derived from the Words of Holy Scripture is available here: https://www.tomrichey.net/uploads/3/2...

For more lectures from this period of European History, check out my Absolutism and Constitutionalism playlist:    • AP Euro - Absolutism and Constitution...