1625 Tower Charles I Shilling

Divine Right of Kings
This is a theory that God intended a sovereign's family to lead the nation. Most divine right sovereigns ruled with absolute power, believing that they had to report only to God, not their advisors, nobles, or citizens. If some one threatened the sovereign's rule, that person was considered an enemy of God, and usually was excommunicated, killed, or exiled. It was in 17th-century England maintained by the supporters of the Stuarts in opposition to the democratic theories of the Whigs and Puritans. Many of this latter group migrated to the American colonies to avoid persecution.