The Legitimacy Of Kingship In Mesopotamia And Ancient Egypt

Many civilizations in our world have given rise to great kings, queens, and emperors leading lavish lives with powerful influences on their people. However, not all rulers had such honorable reigns. Many question the political legitimacy of those kings and queens that governed centuries ago, saying that their rules were all solely based on military power. (I find this to be) This is partially accurate because of the variety of different aspects that were taken into account in addition to military status such as bloodline inheritance and divine choice, and through many nations and civilizations, this has proven to be true. Along with the expansion of kingdoms were the most powerful rulers to ever exist, but their legitimacy differed in every civilization. Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt are among the earliest of civilizations that introduced the prodigy of sacred kings. Kingship in Mesopotamia used religion in the name of legitimizing power through its close relationship with the gods. Ultimately, religion played a big role in the ruling of a king. The first Mesopotamian ruler who declared himself divine by Enlil was Sargon of Agade later followed by his grandson
He posed as head of the civil administration, the supreme commander, and the chief priest of every god in the kingdom. An Egyptian king was known as a Pharaoh who was depicted as a living God and a form of divinity, even in death. A Pharaoh embodies Ma’ at – truth, order, balance and justice. The state formation depended on the existence of a Pharaoh. Priesthood acted as a middle man between Pharaohs and God. (Lecture 3). For them, the legitimacy of a hierarchy meant that the king had to be a living god who led his people wisely and effectively. When the Romans took over Egypt, this belief of kingship was still widespread within the principles of Egyptian people and they moved to exploit on