The Patriarcha (by Robert Filmer)

"The Patriarcha" by Robert Filmer is a political treatise arguing that monarchy is the natural and divine form of government, rooted in the idea that political power is inherited through a chain of paternal authority, similar to a family. Filmer claims that kings have a divine right granted by God, just as a father has authority over his family. He emphasizes that this authority is passed down from Adam, the first man, and thus legitimizes monarchs as sovereign rulers with unquestioned power, rejecting ideas of popular control or democracy.