A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy.[1][2] In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it as one's own.[3] Usurpers can rise to power in a region by often unexpected physical force, as well as through political influence and deceit.[4]
The word originally came from the Latin word usurpare (“to seize", "to take forcefully" or "to use”).[5]
Politicsedit
The Greeks had their own conception of what usurpers were, calling them tyrants.[6] In the ancient Greek usage, a tyrant (tyrannos/τύραννος in Greek) was an individual who rose to power via unconstitutional or illegitimate means, usually not being an heir to an existing throne.[6] Such individuals were perceived negatively by political philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.[7][8]
Usurpers often try to legitimize their position by claiming to be a descendant of a ruler that they may or may not be related to. According to Herodotus, this was done by someone impersonating Smerdis in order to seize the throne of Cyrus the Great after his death.[9]
The concept of usurpation played a huge role in the governance of monarchies, often carrying disdain to those who have been accused of it.[10] Lengthy advice was given to potential and actual usurpers by the political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli in his book The Prince.[11][12] Methods discussed were pertinent to the establishment of a more secure principality for the ruler, which Machiavelli stated would require evil to be done at some point. [13]
See alsoedit
The dictionary definition of usurper at Wiktionary
^"Definition of USURPER". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
^"In the end, usurpers accumulate power by taking it from the other State institutions, either by minimizing the role of the legislative power, or undermining the independence of the judiciary.", openDemocracy
^"Whilst Henry possessed all the qualities necessary to be a successful medieval king, his path to kingship as a usurpation rather than a hereditary succession would cast doubt over his legitimacy for the entirety of his rule." -HistoricUK
^Butterfield, Herbert (1962). "The Statecraft of Machiavelli".
^Strauss, Leo (4 July 2014). Thoughts on Machiavelli. University of Chicago Press. ISBN9780226230979.
usurper, usurp, usurpation, redirect, here, other, uses, disambiguation, list, list, usurpers, usurper, illegitimate, controversial, claimant, power, often, always, monarchy, other, words, takes, power, country, city, established, region, oneself, without, for. Usurp and Usurpation redirect here For other uses see Usurper disambiguation For a list see List of usurpers A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power often but not always in a monarchy 1 2 In other words one who takes the power of a country city or established region for oneself without any formal or legal right to claim it as one s own 3 Usurpers can rise to power in a region by often unexpected physical force as well as through political influence and deceit 4 Contents 1 Etymology 2 Politics 3 See also 4 Further reading 5 ReferencesEtymology editThe word originally came from the Latin word usurpare to seize to take forcefully or to use 5 Politics editThe Greeks had their own conception of what usurpers were calling them tyrants 6 In the ancient Greek usage a tyrant tyrannos tyrannos in Greek was an individual who rose to power via unconstitutional or illegitimate means usually not being an heir to an existing throne 6 Such individuals were perceived negatively by political philosophers such as Socrates Plato and Aristotle 7 8 Usurpers often try to legitimize their position by claiming to be a descendant of a ruler that they may or may not be related to According to Herodotus this was done by someone impersonating Smerdis in order to seize the throne of Cyrus the Great after his death 9 The concept of usurpation played a huge role in the governance of monarchies often carrying disdain to those who have been accused of it 10 Lengthy advice was given to potential and actual usurpers by the political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli in his book The Prince 11 12 Methods discussed were pertinent to the establishment of a more secure principality for the ruler which Machiavelli stated would require evil to be done at some point 13 See also edit nbsp The dictionary definition of usurper at Wiktionary Coup d etat Embezzlement Misappropriation Roman usurperFurther reading editKey T Hewitt 1855 On the Derivation and Meaning of the Latin Verb usurpare Transactions of the Philological Society 8 References edit THE USURPATION OF RICHARD THE THIRD 31 Jul 1936 The Spectator Archive The Spectator Archive Levine Mortimer 1959 Richard III Usurper or Lawful King Speculum 34 3 391 401 doi 10 2307 2850815 ISSN 0038 7134 JSTOR 2850815 Definition of USURPER www merriam webster com Retrieved 2019 03 22 In the end usurpers accumulate power by taking it from the other State institutions either by minimizing the role of the legislative power or undermining the independence of the judiciary openDemocracy usurp CollinsDictionary com HarperCollins Retrieved 2019 08 30 a b Kagan Donald October 1998 Pericles Of Athens And The Birth Of Democracy Simon and Schuster p 250 ISBN 9780684863955 The Republic by Plato www gutenberg org Retrieved 2019 10 05 Aristotle 2010 02 15 The Politics Book 5 chapter 10 University of Chicago Press ISBN 9780226026701 Herodotus The Histories Book 3 61 79 Whilst Henry possessed all the qualities necessary to be a successful medieval king his path to kingship as a usurpation rather than a hereditary succession would cast doubt over his legitimacy for the entirety of his rule HistoricUK Butterfield Herbert 1962 The Statecraft of Machiavelli Strauss Leo 4 July 2014 Thoughts on Machiavelli University of Chicago Press ISBN 9780226230979 The Prince chap 15 end nbsp This government related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Usurper amp oldid 1219900117, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
