Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
James--I, --King of England, --1566-1625--Political works; Divine right of kings;
Abstract
This thesis, An Analysis of the Concept of the Divine Right of Kings in the Political Works of James I, is a study of the theory of the divine right of kings as formulated by James Stuart (1566-1625). As King James VI of Scotland, and later as King James I of England, he was both a practitioner of kingship and a political theoretician. The thesis evaluates his theory of divine right in the context of western political thought. James succeeded to the Scottish throne in 1567 at the age of thirteen months and remained under the control of a series of regents until his assumption of personal rule in 1583. His principal tutor, George Buchanan, early on imbued James with a pedantic interest in academic and scholarly pursuits. James fancied himself a theologian and in the 1590 1 s turned to prose as a means of espousing his theories of church and state. Thus, in 1598, Basilikon Doran and The Trew Law of Free Monarchies were published. In these volumes, as in his later works, James's concept of the divine right of kings emerged. He subscribed to the medieval theory of parallelism. Church and state were seen as two distinct and separate realms, each maintaining primacy within its own sphere of influence. This idea was not new. However, he also insisted on the broadest interpretations of the royal prerogative. Kings are only under God. They are God's "lieutenants". Their breath has the force of law. They are absolute and supreme in their sovereignty. Nonresistance and passive obedience are enjoined to the populace. There is no lawful means of resistance to evil kings. Thus, James stated his case. Upon his accession to the English crown in 1603 James confronted a foreign nation of which he knew little. England was beset with economic and religious problems. His inept handling of the Puritans and Catholics led to the major theological disputes of his reign. His issuance of an Oath of Allegiance in 1606 spurred a religious controversy that continued until about 1620 and that also involved a further elaboration of James's theories of divine right monarchy. His English reign was generally unsuccessful and his troubles may be traced in part to his political theory which he reiterated at various points during his rule. By 1649 the divine right of kings was no longer a viable political doctrine, but the disputations involving church and state eventually resulted in the secularization of politics, the separation of church and state, and religious toleration.
Year of Submission
1977
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of History
First Advisor
Howard Jones
Second Advisor
John L. Eiklor
Third Advisor
William K. Metcalfe
Date Original
1977
Object Description
1 PDF file (111 leaves)
Copyright
©1977 Kenneth Francis Cox
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Cox, Kenneth Francis, "An Analysis of the Concept of Divine Right of Kings in the Political Works of James I" (1977). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2413.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2413
Comments
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