The Ideology of Absolutism: Divine Right of Kings
Bishop Jacques Bossuet (1627-1704) was a prominent scholar and tutor to Louis XIV’s son. To help the dauphin
understand his future role as king, Bossuet wrote Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture. The
following excerpts from this classic work explain Bossuet’s theory of the divine right of kings. Louis XIV, himself,
subscribed to the ideology expressed in these passages.
The person of the king is sacred, and to attack him in any way is an attack on religion itself. God has the kings
anointed by his prophets…in the same way he has bishops and altars anointed. But this is merely an external sign
that kings are the representatives of the divine majesty who have been appointed to carry out His purposes…
The respect given to a king is religious in nature. Serving God and respecting kings are bound together. St. Peter
unites these two duties of subjects when he says, “Fear God. Honor the king.”
But though their power comes from on high, kings should not believe that they are masters of that power to use it at
their own pleasure;…They must employ it with fear and self-restraint, as a thing coming from God, remembering that
God will demand an account of how His power has been used…
Kings should tremble then as they use the power God has granted them; and let them beware if they use it for evil
purposes. We have known of unjust kings who, profane and arrogant, use the power God has given them to act
contrary to His laws and to perform deeds of violence and to slay God’s children!...
The royal power is absolute. Many writers who hate absolutism have tried to confuse absolute government with
arbitrary government, in which the king uses his power to further his own pleasures. But arbitrary government and
absolute government are completely different.
The king is not responsible to anyone on earth for his acts…Without this absolute authority, the king could neither do
good nor repress evil. His power must be such that no one can hope to escape him. The only protection individuals
have against the king’s authority is that they are innocent of having acted against him or God…
God is infinite, God is all. The king, as king, is not a private person. He belongs to the public. He embodies the state.
The will of the people is included in his will. As all perfection and all strength are united in God, so all the power of
the individual subjects is united in the person of the king…
The power of God embraces the whole earth and holds it together; the power of the king spreads throughout his
realm and holds it together. Should God withdraw His power, the earth would fall to pieces; should the king’s
authority cease in the realm, all would be confusion…
The majesty of the king is borrowed from God, who gives it to him for the good of the people. It is good for the
people to be checked by a superior force. Divinity itself is attached to kings, and it inspires fear in the people. The
king should not forget this…
O kings, use your power boldly, for it is divine and good for human kind. But use it with humility. You are given this
power from God. When all is said and done, you are still feeble, you are still mortal, you are still sinners. And, you
are still answerable to God, needing to give Him a greater account of yourself than ordinary men.
Questions for the Ideology of Absolutism: Divine Right of Kings
1. According to the ideology of absolutism, whose purpose should the king carry out? Give 2 examples to
support this view.
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2. Provide evidence from the reading that kings have a responsibility to act responsibly.
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3. INTERPRET: What is meant by “the will of the people is included in his (the king’s) will?”
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4. EVALUATE: The writer states, “It is good for the people to be checked by a superior force.” Do you agree or
disagree with this statement? Give reasons to support your answer.
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5. PREDICT: How might the Divine Right of Kings ideology be invoked for reasons other than those explained in
the reading?
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