Sacred king
Monarch with a religious significance / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the tradition in general. For the ancient Roman position, see Rex Sacrorum. For Western tradition, see Divine right of kings. For Sinosphere tradition, see Mandate of Heaven.
"Priest king" redirects here. For the sculpture belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization, see Priest-king (sculpture).
In many historical societies, the position of kingship carried a sacral meaning and was identical with that of a high priest and judge. Divine kingship is related to the concept of theocracy, although a sacred king need not necessarily rule through his religious authority; rather, the temporal position itself has a religious significance behind it. The monarch may be divine,[1] become divine,[2] or represent divinity to a greater or lesser extent.[3]
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