Hobbes and Locke: the end of divine right monarchy and a confessional state

who was Thomas Hobbes?

* wrote about maths and science but best known for philosophy

what was Thomas Hobbes’ views?

* best known work was Leviathan
* questioned the DROK - right to rule wasn’t granted by God but through a social contract - unwritten or written
* power was granted by the people - monarchs could therefore be removed if they broke this contract
* a justification of submission to England’s new republican regime - as Charles I could not protect the English people they were compelled to obey the new state
* the republican state had as much authority as monarchy
* put forward idea of absolute sovereignty - state was legitimised if it could protect the people under its power

the undermining of DRoK?

* the restoration saw the reimposition of the monarchy and the idea of divine right monarchy and a confessional state
* during the European Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation many countries became confessional states - imposing protestantism or Catholicism as the state religion and imposed it on the entire population.
* the GR finally undermined DRoK and the confessional state as Will and Mary had to rule in accordance with the laws of parliament

what was religion like in England after the glorious revolution?

* in religion there was a broadening comprehension that brought an end to the confessional Anglican Church which was reimposed at the Restoration.
* the toleration act (1689|) exempted dissenters from the penal laws if they took an oath of allegiance
* catholicism remained outlawed and England remains formally a Protestant country, with the monarch as head of state and also head of the Protestant state church

who was John Locke?

* published his work ‘two treaties of govt.’ in 1688 - seen in the context of politics pre-1688 and fear of the growing power of Charles II and James II
* written ad an anti-absolutist response to \`Filmers ‘Patriarcha’ (1680) which supported the DRoK

what were Locke’s views for exclusion

* he focused on the following in support of the argument for exclusion, and this was also used in resistance to the Catholic James II:
* contractual theory of govt. - contract in place between monarch and people to prevent absolutism
* equality of man - all men deserved to be treated equally, no matter their status.
* popular sovereignty - power held by the people
* law of nature - certain rights and values were inherently set by nature, meaning that a monarch could not be absolutist
* right of resistance - people had the right to resist a monarch acting tyrannically