History Main / TheTheocracy

-->'''[[WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice The Man-Emperor Of Mankind]]''': [[AC:[[BeliefMakesYouStupid Religion is stupid superstitious brainwashing crap that makes you into an Asshole]]. This is why I specifically said when designing ''The Imperial Truth'': that Equality, Science, and Galaxy Conquest is the way to go, and Religion needs to be thrown out a window.]]

->'''[[WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice The Man-Emperor Of Mankind]]''': [[AC:[[BeliefMakesYouStupid Religion is stupid superstitious brainwashing crap that makes you into an Asshole]]. This is why I specifically said when designing ''The Imperial Truth'': that Equality, Science, and Galaxy Conquest is the way to go, and Religion needs to be thrown out a window.]]

It's common to have an official state religion, but this doesn't necessarily equate to a theocracy or even an especially religious country, or that the head of the state is also the head of the religion. For example, in England the head of state (the monarch) is also the head of the Church, bringing an overtly religious aspect into the governmental system, but England and the UK in terms of population are much less religious than nearby, officially secular Ireland and France.

In settings were God or gods [[PhysicalGod definitely exist]] and have powers above and beyond any mortal government, it could be argued that ''every'' society would be a ''de facto'' theocracy whether consciously modelled on one or not, especially if worship of such deities was the main religion, but normally that is not what this trope means.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/FrostPunk https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/frostpunk_new_faith_1.png]]]]

Theocracies, in both fiction and RealLife, have a rather bad reputation (at least in the modern, post-Enlightenment era) -- as such, the Theocracy is almost always portrayed negatively, and is often portrayed as TheEmpire and/or a [[OrderIsNotGood brutal, authoritarian]] {{Dystopia}}n [[TheDictatorship Dictatorship]] that preaches TheEvilsOfFreeWill. Thus a CorruptChurch is often the head of a Theocracy, but not always. See also GodEmperor, where the rulers go one step further to proclaim themselves living gods with a personal religion. Compare ChurchMilitant, where the clergy is badass, but not necessarily the rulers of a country.

* UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire had become this by the end of the 4th century. Following Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in AD 337, successive emperors of the Eastern and Western Empires fell under the influence of the patriarchs of the Nicene Church, whose power only grew as the empire became more and more Christian. An attempt by Emperor Julian in the 360s to restore secularism and resuscitate [[Myth/ClassicalMythology the old Roman polytheism]] [[note]]or rather, his modified version of the old Roman polytheism, which was almost as unpopular with the non-Christians as the Christians[[/note]] only failed and further tightened the church's grip on the empire. It was when Emperor Theodosius I declared Christianity the state religion of the empire in AD 391 that Rome fully became a Christian theocracy, with the emperor taking the role of God's representative on Earth, and pagans, as well as Christians who did not adhere to the Nicene Creed, being either forcibly converted or persecuted in accordance with the church's strict interpretation of Biblical law. After the theocratic west fell less than a century later, the eastern half [[UsefulNotes/TheByzantineEmpire managed to survive]], albeit with a more equal balance between the power of the church and the emperor. However, the theocratic model of the Western Roman Empire was preserved largely by the Papacy, which continued to control the kingdoms of Europe for more than a millenium.

*** The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus was founded due to mediation from the church to end the war that the first king Loog initiated to fight for its independence from the Adrestian Empire. That said, it is noted that the country's rulers are long-time supporters of the church [[spoiler:and this automatically puts them at odds with the empire when Edelgard initiates her plan to destroy the church's grip on Fódlan. When Dimitri dies on the Crimson Flower route, the country rallies around Rhea and the Church and install her as their new leader, becoming a truly proper version of this.]]

* UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire had become this by the end of the 4th century. Following Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in AD 337, successive emperors of the Eastern and Western Empires fell under the influence of the patriarchs of the Nicean church, whose power only grew as the empire became more and more Christian. An attempt by Emperor Julian in the 360s to restore secularism and resuscitate [[Myth/ClassicalMythology the old Roman polytheism]] [[note]]or rather, his modified version of the old Roman polytheism, which was almost as unpopular with the non-Christians as the Christians[[/note]] only failed and further tightened the church's grip on the empire. It was when Emperor Theodosius I declared Christianity the state religion of the empire in AD 391 that Rome fully became a Christian theocracy, with the emperor taking the role of God's representative on Earth, and pagans being persecuted in accordance with the church's strict interpretation of Biblical law. After the theocratic west fell less than a century later, the eastern half [[UsefulNotes/TheByzantineEmpire managed to survive]], albeit with a more equal balance between the power of the church and the emperor. However, the theocratic model of the Western Roman Empire was preserved largely by the Papacy, which continued to control the kingdoms of Europe for more than a millenium.

* ''Literature/{{Overlord}}'' has the Slane Theocracy and the Roble Holy Kingdom, both nations run by priesthoods, though the latter also appoints a monarch.

* ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'' has the Slane Theocracy and the Roble Holy Kingdom, both nations run by priesthoods, though the latter also appoints a monarch.

* Ireland has been described as a de-facto theocracy in the early decades of independence despite being officially a democratic republic. The Catholic Church played a significant role in drafting the country's constitution and the [[HighPriest Archbishop of Dublin]] wielded immense political power and had an effective veto over any legislation. Also, the vast majority of schools, hospitals and public assistance in Ireland were run by the Church rather than the state, which gave them immense control over what people were able to think and do. A number of scandals from UsefulNotes/TheSeventies through to UsefulNotes/TheNineties destroyed the Church's credibility and moral authority,. and Ireland is now a generally secular and very liberal country.

Simply put, a Theocracy is any society that is ruled by God or by gods, which in practice usually means TheChurch is the government. Often the laws of a theocracy are based off religious law, or claims that God (or Gods) is the supreme ruler of their state with the temporal ruler almost always being the HighPriest. This is especially prevalent in pre-modern settings.

* UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire had become this by the end of the 4th century. Following Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in AD 337, successive emperors of the Eastern and Western Empires fell under the influence of the patriarchs of the Nicean church, whose power only grew as the empire became more and more Christian. An attempt by Emperor Julian in the 360s to restore secularism and resuscitate [[Myth/ClassicalMythology the old Roman polytheism]] only failed and further tightened the church's grip on the empire. It was when Emperor Theodosius I declared Christianity the state religion of the empire in AD 391 that Rome fully became a Christian theocracy, with the emperor taking the role of God's representative on Earth, and pagans being persecuted in accordance with the church's strict interpretation of Biblical law. After the theocratic west fell less than a century later, the eastern half [[UsefulNotes/TheByzantineEmpire managed to survive]], albeit with a more equal balance between the power of the church and the emperor. However, the theocratic model of the Western Roman Empire was preserved largely by the Papacy, which continued to control the kingdoms of Europe for more than a millenium.

** UsefulNotes/{{Iran}} is, since 1979, a Shi'a ''Islamic republic'', which in Iran translates into a weird system that combines theocratic and democratic elements. There are other states who claim to be "Islamic republics", but the clerics are nowhere near as powerful as they are in Iran. Similarly to the Vatican, it is headed by a religious authority (called the Supreme Leader), elected by a council of high clerics (called the Assembly of Experts). However, unlike the Vatican Conclave, the Assembly is (at least formally) democratically elected (of course, you have to already be a high-ranked cleric to be nominated), and there exists an entirely separate layer of secular government under the Supreme Leader headed by a subservient president. The resulting system is complex to say the least (although it's generally agreed that the most power is held by the Supreme Leader and the Guardian Council under him): the Iranian government ''on paper'' looks like [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Iran_gov_power_structure.svg this]] ''after'' you simplify things, and even the more complicated theoretical structure doesn't fully take in all of the weird shapes the system has taken in practice. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement The subject is also very delicate]], so let's leave it there.

It's common to have an official state religion, but this doesn't necessarily equate to a theocracy or even an especially religious country, or that the head of the state is also the head of the religion. This situation is called ''caesaropapism''. For example, in England the head of state (the monarch) is also the head of the Church, bringing an overtly religious aspect into the governmental system, but England and the UK in terms of population are much less religious than nearby, officially secular Ireland and France.

Theocracies, in both fiction and RealLife, have a rather bad reputation -- as such, the Theocracy is almost always portrayed negatively, and is often portrayed as TheEmpire and/or a [[OrderIsNotGood brutal, authoritarian]] {{Dystopia}}n [[TheDictatorship Dictatorship]] that preaches TheEvilsOfFreeWill. Thus a CorruptChurch is often the head of a Theocracy, but not always. See also GodEmperor, where the rulers go one step further to proclaim themselves living gods with a personal religion. Compare ChurchMilitant, where the clergy is badass, but not necessarily the rulers of a country.

* The Republic of Florence under Girolamo Savonarola after he had driven out the Medici rulers out. Christian practices became formal law, and books, statues and works of art he deemed "un-Christian" were burned (this is where the term "bonfire of the vanities" originated-all things deemed "vain" were destroyed). In time the Papacy overthrew him, with Savanorala ultimately burned as a heretic.

Simply put, a Theocracy is any society in which TheChurch is the government. Often the laws of a theocracy are based off religious law, or claims that God (or Gods) is the supreme ruler of their state with the temporal ruler almost always being the HighPriest. This is especially prevalent in pre-modern settings.

The term was first used by Flavius Josephus, a Romano-Jewish author, who used it to describe the Israelite system of government.

* As of 2021, there are two full-on theocracies left in the world plus one unclear case:

** UsefulNotes/{{Iran}} is, since 1979, a Shi'a ''Islamic republic'', which in Iran translates into a weird system that combines theocratic and democratic elements. Similarly to the Vatican, it is headed by a religious authority (called the Supreme Leader), elected by a council of high clerics (called the Assembly of Experts). However, unlike the Vatican Conclave, the Assembly is (at least formally) democratically elected (of course, you have to already be a high-ranked cleric to be nominated), and there exists an entirely separate layer of secular government under the Supreme Leader headed by a subservient president. The resulting system is complex to say the least (although it's generally agreed that the most power is held by the Supreme Leader and the Guardian Council under him): the Iranian government ''on paper'' looks like [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Iran_gov_power_structure.svg this]] ''after'' you simplify things, and even the more complicated theoretical structure doesn't fully take in all of the weird shapes the system has taken in practice. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement The subject is also very delicate]], so let's leave it there.

* Portugal was technically this for two years between 1578 and 1580. The king died young, unmarried and childless, and the only other living legitimate male member of the royal family was his great-uncle Henry, who was a Cardinal. Cardinal-King Henry ruled for two years and then died (obviously) without heirs, the last monarch of the House of Aviz.

* Portugal was technically this for two years between 1578 and 1580. The king died young, unmarried and childless, and the only other living legitimate male member of the royal family was his great-uncle Henry, who was a Cardinal. Cardinal-King Henry ruled for two years and then died (obviously) without heirs, the last monarch of the House of Aziz.

* Ireland has been described as a de-facto theocracy in the early decades of independence despite being officially a democratic republic. The Catholic Church played a significant role in drafting the country's constitution and the [[TheHighPriest Archbishop of Dublin]] wielded immense political power and had an effective veto over any legislation. Also, the vast majority of schools, hospitals and public assistance in Ireland were run by the Church rather than the state, which gave them immense control over what people were able to think and do. A number of scandals from UsefulNotes/TheSeventies through to UsefulNotes/TheNineties destroyed the Church's credibility and moral authority,. and Ireland is now a generally secular and very liberal country.