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In reply to the discussion: No kings, bit of a misnomer. [View all]Ocelot II
(126,264 posts)Historically, some kings were despots and some were not. The power of kings has eroded over the years with the increasing powers of legislatures and parliaments; as early as 1215 King John's power was limited by a group of rebel barons in Magna Carta, and in 1649 Charles I was executed following a held by a court created by the House of Commons (Charles was accused of treason against England by using his power to pursue his personal interest rather than the good of the country). The backlash in Europe from the rise of legislative powers was the development of a philosophy of the "divine right of kings," the notion that kings derived their authority from God and could not be held accountable for their actions by any earthly authority. The French monarchs, especially Louis XIV, relied on this absolutist theory, and George III at least flirted with it, but it didn't work out well for him. Hereditary kings in the 21st century are mostly constitutional monarchs whose only powers are symbolic and ceremonial. Still, "No Kings" is a great slogan that symbolizes our origins as a nation that rebelled from an authoritarian (and possibly mad) king.
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