The Rights And Duties Of A Sovereign Monarch - 1655 Words

By the 1640s the population of Europe was divided in a civil war on the power and rights of monarchs in their countries. Many thought that a sovereign king had absolute power that was bestowed upon them by the will of God and should not be overthrown no matter the condition or injustices they had committed against their people. Others thought that an unjust king is not sovereign and goes against the will of God and must be overthrown in such a situation. During this civil war philosophers, Thomas Hobbes, Jean Bodin, and John Locke wrote articles that covered the rights and duties of a sovereign monarch, why a sovereign monarch is needed and how the rights of the sovereign is absolute. Why is a government needed in order to ensure people within a commonwealth are protected? In this paper, I will argue that the need for a government and a sovereign ruler was to protect people not only from foreign invaders and enemies, but from their own human-ness. â€Å"Two Treatises on Governmentâ €  written by John Locke starts off by referring to paternal power. More closely, what power parents have over their children and which parent has that power. He states that both parents have equal power over their children not just the father. But this power that parents possess over their children in limited, up until they grow up and can govern themselves. In this we see Locke beginning to argue against the fact that â€Å"fatherhood† begets authority. Locke proposes the idea that the paternal authorityShow MoreRelated The State of Nature and its Implications for Civilization in Hobbes and Rousseau1639 Words   |  7 Pagesup certain rights so that the violent nature of the human animal can be subdued. Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s vision of the state of nature parallels that of Hobbes but for its more optimistic tone: â€Å"I assume that men reach a point where the obstacles to their preservation in a state of nature prove greater than the strength that each man has to preserve himself in that state.† In general, Rousseau’s words prove reasonably less severe than Hobbes’s. According to Hobbes the bestial rights that a manRead MoreThe Leviathan Vs. Hobbess Ideal Society910 Words   |  4 PagesLocke’s democracy ruled by the majority, Hobbess ideal society is ruled by a sovereign power that’s only duty is to protect the commonwealth, he says that the sovereign needs absolute authority to ensure the common defense. He uses the example of an artificial person to illustrate the sovereign’s position in this social contract. The Leviathan is made up of the bodies of the commonwealth, and the head is the sovereign, Hobbes uses this monstrous being to constitute the necessity of the LeviathanRead More Comparing Mores Utopia, Machiavellis The Discourses, and Hobbes The Leviathan2608 Words   |  11 PagesRelationship Between the Sovereign and the Subjects in  Mores Utopia, Machiavellis The Discourses, and Hobbes The Leviathan  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Thomas More, Niccolo Machiavelli, and Thomas Hobbes offer models for the relationship between the sovereign and the people in their works Utopia, The Discourses, and The Leviathan. Each argues that ensuring the common good of the people should be the primary goal of the sovereign. However, they differ in the specifics of their descriptions of this relationshipRead MoreAnalysis Of Machiavelli s The Prince 1505 Words   |  7 Pagesto fulfill their right and obligation to preserve their own lives. The fifth law of nature, complaisance, orders, â€Å"that every man strive to accommodate himself to the rest† (L 15, 17) and so, if others are willing, it is their right, as well as one’s own right and duty to ensure such peace. Under the social contract people transfer their rights to a sovereign, the end of the institution is, â€Å"the peace and the defence of them all, and whosoever has the right to end has the right to the means, it belongethRead MoreThomas Hobbes, John Locke and Samuel Rutherford1678 Words   |  7 PagesIn 1642 England was starting to seek for changes in the way their government was set up. John Locke and Samuel Rutherford were the leaders of this change, calling for the removal of an absolute monarch. Their works would be opposed by the ideas of Thomas Hobbes, during this eighteen-year civil war in England. The ideas represented in this period would heavily influence the way England’s government would be set up in the eighteenth century. In 1644 Bishop Ross, also known as John Maxwell, publishedRead MoreThe Role and Influences of the Royal Family in Uk Society Today2262 Words   |  10 Pagesmaintain social stability and promoting national unity (royal.gov.uk, 2010).Therefore, the Royal Family not just a general noble family, also is the symbol and representative of the United Kingdom. Basic the British society, this paper research the duties and effects of Monarchy today. Background British Royal Family has long history in the Europe. Throne of England was first built in the ninth century. In the long history, the Monarchy was the most supreme rule in the country until 1688. ThisRead More Denmark s A Prison : Sovereignty, Surveillance And Oppression1211 Words   |  5 Pagesconstant surveillance infringes upon the individual rights of many of the characters, including Hamlet. In the play, the sovereign state, represented by Claudius, places limitations upon the individual subject’s right to exercise their agency by regulating their bodies and actions. Hamlet’s rebellion against his uncle’s oppressive regime positions him as a figure who, by consciously and deliberately rejecting the political demands made by the sovereign state, is able to achieve a greater degree of politicalRead MoreMonarchy Is The Oldest Form Of Government1657 Words   |  7 PagesHead of State (or Sovereign), but the ability to make and pass legislation resides with a n elected Parliament. Although the British Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important part in the life of the nation. The Monarch also has constitutional and representational duties which have developed over the past one thousand years. In addition to the State duties, The Monarch has a less ornate role as Head of Nation . The Sovereign acts as a centralRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke911 Words   |  4 Pagesare some key distinctions to be made between the arguments Hobbes and Locke make in Leviathan and Second Treatise of Civil Government, respectively. In this paper I will argue the differences between how each of them viewed the right of the subjects to revolt from the sovereign. Thomas Hobbes published his most famous work, Leviathan, during the height of the English Civil War. This was possibly the most violent and chaotic time in all of British history, and is certainly reflected in Hobbes’ writingRead MoreOrder In A Civic Society Is Kept By A Great Many Agents1733 Words   |  7 PagesOrder in a civic society is kept by a great many agents; its political and cultural institutions, popular recognition of a sovereign authority, and security from foreign or domestic attack. Yet, the pursuit of one’s self-interest is not among the most traditionally cited examples. Its effect is indeed ambiguous; will it cause officials serving the people to corrupt the State or preserve it all the same? The political theorists Niccolà ² Machiavelli in The Discourses on Livy and Thomas Hobbes in Leviathan