Essays · Chapter
Of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession explained
Paine argues against monarchy and hereditary succession, asserting that all men are originally equal and that kingship is an unnatural and unjust institution.
What happens
Paine argues against monarchy and hereditary succession, asserting that all men are originally equal and that kingship is an unnatural and unjust institution. He uses biblical examples, such as Gideon and Samuel, to show divine disapproval of monarchy, and criticizes the hereditary system as a source of evil, war, and oppression. He traces the origin of kings to usurpation or election, not divine right, and condemns English monarchy as founded by William the Conqueror, a French bastard and usurper.
Themes in this chapter
Natural Rights and Equality
Paine asserts that all men are originally equal and that monarchy violates natural rights by exalting one man above others.
Critique of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession
The entire chapter is a sustained attack on monarchy and hereditary rule, calling it absurd, evil, and contrary to scripture and reason.
Representative Government vs. Hereditary System
Paine contrasts the hereditary system with the biblical republic of Israel under judges, implying the superiority of representative or elective government.
Revolution and the Right to Resist Oppression
By condemning monarchy as oppressive and illegitimate, Paine implicitly justifies the American colonies' right to resist and overthrow British rule.
Characters to notice
- Thomas Paine
Author and primary voice, delivering a scathing critique of monarchy and hereditary succession.
- Samuel
Biblical prophet who warned the Israelites against choosing a king, as cited by Paine to argue divine disapproval of monarchy.
- Gideon
Biblical judge who refused kingship, asserting that only the Lord should rule, used by Paine as an example against monarchy.
- William the Conqueror
Described by Paine as a French bastard and usurper who established English monarchy through conquest and banditry.
- Henry
Mentioned in the context of the Wars of the Roses, where Henry was prisoner to Edward and vice versa, illustrating the instability of hereditary succession.
- Edward
Mentioned in the context of the Wars of the Roses, where Edward and Henry fought twelve pitched battles, highlighting the chaos of hereditary monarchy.
Key passages
“Mankind being originally equals in the order of creation, the equality could only be destroyed by some subsequent circumstance”
All people are born equal, and any inequality must come from later events, not from nature or divine will.
Paine establishes the foundational principle of natural equality to argue against monarchy.
“Government by kings was first introduced into the world by the Heathens, from whom the children of Israel copied the custom. It was the most prosperous invention the Devil ever set on foot for the promotion of idolatry.”
Kingship originated among pagans and was adopted by the Israelites; it is a diabolical institution that fosters idolatry.
Paine uses religious rhetoric to demonize monarchy as un-Christian and idolatrous.
“A French bastard landing with an armed banditti, and establishing himself king of England against the consent of the natives, is in plain terms a very paltry rascally original.”
William the Conqueror was a French illegitimate son who invaded with a gang of thieves and made himself king without the people's consent—a shameful and dishonest beginning.
Paine attacks the legitimacy of English monarchy by highlighting its violent and illegitimate origins.
“Hereditary succession ... opens a door to the foolish, the wicked, and the improper, it hath in it the nature of oppression.”
Passing the throne through inheritance allows unfit rulers—fools, villains, and incompetents—to gain power, making it inherently oppressive.
Paine argues that hereditary succession is dangerous because it does not select for merit.
