Lex Rex - Defying the King

Lex Rex, the Law & the Prince (or the Law is King), published in 1644, is one of the most influential books of he 17th century. Challenging the Stuart Kings’ belief in the Divine Right, it was so incendiary that Charles II’s regime ordered it to be burned at the Restoration and its author indicted for treason.

In this episode we look at the life of the writer, Samuel Rutherford, Professor of Divinity and Rector of St Andrew’s University, discuss his arguments, and debate why Lex Rex was such an important document in the formation of modern constitutional theory.