History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c41.s21.2

v3.c41.s21.2

As described in Vol. II (p. 228) at the end of the 10th century India was divided, from Kabul to Kamrup and from Kashmir to Kumari, into several kingdoms, some large and some small which were ruled by despotic Hindu kings most of these being Rājputs. These kingdoms were so to speak, limited monarchies; for according to the modern theory of politics in the west, the sovereign has an unlimited power to legislate and a limited monarchy means a state where the monarch's power to promulgate laws is limited by the power of parliament or popular assembly to legislate. In India, as explained in Vol. II (p. 225), the kings or even the people had no right to promulgate new laws or to alter or abrogate existing ones, all the necessary laws having been in the beginning gives by the creator to Manu the first king to guide him in the government of the people. This divine Smriti-made law was followed in the different kingdoms of India and this set a limit to the despotic power of kings by preventing despotic administration becoming doubly oppressive by the addition of despotic legislation. The several despotic kingdoms in India, thus, were really limited monarchies in this sub-period and were, therefore, generally well-governed and happy.