The
divine right of kings or
divine right is a
political and
religious doctrine of royal and
political legitimacy. It asserts that a
monarch is subject to no earthly authority, deriving the right to rule directly from the will of
God. The king is thus not subject to the will of his people, the
aristocracy, or any other
estate of the realm, including (in the view of some, especially in Protestant countries or during the reign of Henry VIII of England) the Catholic Church. It is often expressed in the phrase "
by the Grace of God," attached to the titles of a reigning monarch.