Question

who refuted the doctrine of divine and absolute right of monarch?
(A) John Locke
(B) Rousseau
(C) Montesquieu
(D) Louis XVI

Answer 1

Hint: Divine right of kings is a doctrine supposing that god will select people to rule the earth for him. Absolute monarchy means an all- powerful king or queen. Kings and queens provided their power down to their children. It was a line of succession that stayed in the family.

Complete step by step solution
1. Absolute Monarchies and Divine Right Rule ( $1500 - 1700$ )
2. Long term causes:
3. Decline of feudalism
4. Arising of cities and growth of middle class
5. Growth of nations or kingdoms
6. Decline of church’s power

Immediate causes:
1. Religious and territorial conflicts
2. Buildup of armies
3. Need for increased taxes
4. Rebels by peasants and nobles.

Immediate effects of Absolute monarchies:
1. Regulation of religion and society
2. Huge building projects
3. Loss of power by nobility and legislatures

Long term effects of absolute monarchies:
1. Revolution in France
2. Western European influence on France
3. English political reform that influences US democracy.

The monarchs: Phillip II of Spain, Queen Elizabeth I of England, Louis XIV of France, Frederick the Great of Prussia, Maria Theresa of Austria, Peter the Great of Russia, Catherine the Great of Russia, Suleiman the Magnificent.

John Locke was born in $1632$ year , during the reign of King Charles I. He was motivated by a humanistic and enlightened viewpoint that all humans are equal. Therefore, he refuted the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch.

Thus the option (A) is correct

Note John Locke published “two Treatises of Government” book. It was published in $1689$ . The divine rights have been a key element for legitimizing many absolute monarchies. John Locke is also called “Father of Liberalism”. Louis XIV is also called Louis the Great.