Divine right of kings
In England, Henry VIII broke free of the Catholic church and the authority of the Pope. By the Acts of Supremacy in 1534 Henry was both king and "Supreme Head" of the Church of England. Following the Protestant Reformation the theory of divine right gave the king absolute authority as God's representative on earth in both political and spiritual matters. It made him accountable to no one but God. James I of England in his speech to Parliament in 1609 said: