These views were vigorously challenged by groups within the parliamentary army most notably by the so-called "Levellers" who were the first group to argue for the natural rights of individuals (especially property), religious toleration, and elected parliaments which were responsible to the people. He stands above the two pillars of his power: the army (the column on the left) and the established church (on the right). He is thus also literally the “head” of state. His body is literally the “body politic” as it is made up of millions of his subjects. Above is the famous frontispiece of his book The Leviathan (1651) which shows the Leviathan (or the absolute monarch) wearing a crown and holding a sword (a symbol of military power) and a crosier (of religious power). Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) argued for a powerful absolute monarch ("The Leviathan") who could keep order and provide essential government services. John Lilburne (1647)ĭuring the upheavals of the English Civil War when the divine right of the English monarchy was challenged by Parliament, the king executed, and a Commonwealth under Cromwell instituted, there was vigorous debate about the kind of government which should be instituted. The Divine Right of Kings or Regal Tyranny? Thomas Hobbes (1651) vs.
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