Kingship: The Politics of Enchantmant

by Francis Oakley

From despots to powerless figureheads, and from the Neolithic era to the present, this book traces the history of kingship around the world and the tenacity of its connection with the sacred.

Genres: Politics, World History

212 pages, Hardcover

First published January 16, 2006

Reviews

[Jackie Roving · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing work about the history of monarchies and kingship. It traces the evolution of kingship from viewing kings as a sacred entity mandated or pre-given by a higher, metaphysical force to their eventual desacralization by modern forces, leaving kingship a mere shell of its ancient counterparts.

At its core, kingship is premised on the idea of the king as a mediator between the earthly and cosmic realms—or whatever metaphysical force a society reveres. The king serves as a nexus of enchantment and vitality, embodying the connection between people and spiritual or higher forces. This role, in turn, legitimizes the king’s authority to govern. Oakley illustrates how diverse societies, through their unique theologies, philosophies, and belief systems, have shaped the manifestation of kingship across human history.

The book also delves into how secularism, a world in which things like politics and power are viewed in very secular terms, is a unique and small part of history due to how things played a unique role in allowing human beings to secularize the world and see in ways that would be deemed naturalistic. Among those factors is the rise of the Abrahamic faiths (especially Christianity) and their unique theological approach that generated a sort of separation between the divine and earthly in such a way that it would leave the door open for polity to be seen as something a purely human or earthly affair in contrast to a deity.

I would recommend this as an essential book for anyone wanting to learn about monarchism and kingship.

[Oolalaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

16/20