Patriarcha

Description

Sir Robert Filmer (1588-1653), was an English political theorist who defended the divine right of kings. His most famous work Patriarcha, gives a theory of absolute monarchy and the divine right of kings. Filmer takes the offence against the enemies of royal power, the Calvinists and the Jesuits. Outlining the two royalist principles: divine right and the duty of passive obedience. He demonstrates that the king's power is derived from the natural authority of the parents and that the biblical Adam was the first king. Filmer attacks notions such as contract and consent as being explanations of political obligation.