<P> The divine right of kings , divine right , or God 's mandate is a political and religious doctrine of royal and political legitimacy . It asserts that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority , deriving the right to rule directly from the will of God . The king is thus not subject to the will of his people , the aristocracy , or any other estate of the realm . It implies that only God can judge an unjust king and that any attempt to depose , dethrone or restrict his powers runs contrary to the will of God and may constitute a sacrilegious act . It is often expressed in the phrase `` by the Grace of God '' , attached to the titles of a reigning monarch . </P>
<P> The divine right of kings , divine right , or God 's mandate is a political and religious doctrine of royal and political legitimacy . It asserts that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority , deriving the right to rule directly from the will of God . The king is thus not subject to the will of his people , the aristocracy , or any other estate of the realm . It implies that only God can judge an unjust king and that any attempt to depose , dethrone or restrict his powers runs contrary to the will of God and may constitute a sacrilegious act . It is often expressed in the phrase `` by the Grace of God '' , attached to the titles of a reigning monarch . </P>
later kings insisted they answered only to god an idea called
later kings insisted they answered only to god an idea called
divine right , or God 's mandate
divine right , or God 's mandate