History glossary
Divine authority
a claim that power is backed by, granted by, or connected to the gods.
- Category
- Political and religious idea
What it means
Divine authority means political or social power is justified through religion. A ruler, priest, law, or institution might claim divine authority by saying it represents a god, has been chosen by a god, or protects a sacred order.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Roman Empire
From Augustus to the fall of the Western Empire, Rome built a vast imperial system whose law, cities, armies and ideas shaped the ancient and medieval worlds.
The Indus Valley
From farming villages to great planned cities, the Indus Valley civilisation rose across South Asia and left an enduring legacy despite its many mysteries.
Ancient Egypt
Follow Ancient Egypt from its unification around 3100 BCE to Cleopatra's defeat in 30 BCE. This story explains how the Nile River, pharaohs, pyramids, gods, temples, hieroglyphics and burial beliefs helped one of history's longest-lasting civilizations endure for more than 3,000 years.
Mesopotamia
Ancient Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, was one of the birthplaces of urban civilisation. In this Tigris and Euphrates civilization, communities built some of the first cities, developed cuneiform writing, organised law codes, and created early empires. From Sumer and Akkad to Babylon and Assyria, this history of Mesopotamia shows how farming, irrigation, temples, kingship, trade, and record-keeping helped create the structures of complex society. It also works as a Mesopotamia timeline and Mesopotamia civilization overview, with clear Mesopotamia facts tracing how Mesopotamian civilization grew from villages into states and empires.
Early China
From Neolithic farming villages to the Shang and Zhou dynasties, Early China built the writing, bronze culture, and political doctrines that gave Chinese civilisation its enduring character.
