Imperial cult

An Imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor, or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title), are worshiped as messiahs, demigods or deities. "Cult" here is used to mean "worship," not in the modern pejorative sense. The cult may be one of personality in the case of a newly arisen Euhemerus figure or one of national identity (e.g. Ethiopian Empire or Empire of Japan) or supranational identity in the case of a multi-ethnic state (e.g. Imperial Era China, Roman Empire). A divine king is a monarch who is held in a special religious significance by his subjects, and serves as both head of state and a deity or head religious figure.

Historical

Ancient China

In ancient China, an emperor was considered the Son of Heaven. The scion and representative of heaven on earth, he was the ruler of all under heaven, the bearer of the Mandate of Heaven, his commands considered sacred edicts. A number of legendary figures preceding the proper imperial age of China also hold the honorific title of emperor, such as the Yellow Emperor and the Jade Emperor.

Ancient Egypt

The Ancient Egyptian male Pharaohs were believed to be incarnations of the god Horus, derived by being the son of the sun deity, Hathor (or later, Isis), or the sky deity, Nut. Pharaohs, both female and male, traced their lineage directly through the matrilineality of the royal women. Some women who were Pharaoh, such as Hatshepsut, went to great lengths to trace their lineage to the most ancient of goddesses, such as Mut. Egyptian Pharaohs were considered deified only upon their death.

Ancient Rome

In the Roman Empire the Imperial cult was the worship of the Roman emperor as a god. This practice began at the start of the Empire under Augustus, and became a prominent element of Roman religion.

The cult spread over the whole Empire within a few decades, more strongly in the east than in the west. Emperor Diocletian further reinforced it when he demanded the proskynesis and adopted the adjective sacrum for all things pertaining to the imperial person.

Although the deification of emperors was gradually abandoned after the emperor Constantine I started supporting Christianity. However, the concept of the imperial person as "sacred" carried over, in a Christianized form, into the Byzantine Empire: in the context of Caesaropapism, the Byzantine emperor was considered "God-crowned", and was called Isapostolos, "Equal-to-the-Apostles", and regarded as God's vicegerent on Earth.

Japan

Before the end of World War II, the Japanese Emperor made similar claims to descent from the gods; see:

Shinto - general article about Japan's religion.
Arahitogami - the concept of a god who is a human being applied to Emperor Hirohito, up till the end of World War II.
Ningen-sengen, the declaration with which Emperor Hirohito, on New Year's Day 1946, (formally) declined claims of divinity, keeping with traditional family values as expressed in the Shinto religion.

Examples of divine kings in history

Some examples of historic leaders who are often considered divine kings are:

Japanese Emperors before 1945
Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt
Kings of the Mayan city-states of the Classical period
Inca Emperors in Pre-Columbian Peru
The Dalai Lamas of Tibet
Many Roman emperors were declared gods by the Roman Senate (generally after their death). (See Imperial cult (ancient Rome))
Chinese Christian leader Hong Xiuquan, leader of the Taiping Rebellion, claimed to be Christ's younger brother, and attempted to establish rule as a divine king.
Javanese Kings during Hindu-Buddhist era (4th century - 15th century AD) such as Sailendra dynasty, Kediri, Singhasari, and Majapahit empire.
Srivijaya emperors.
Kings of Khmer Empire, Cambodia.
Caligula.