An usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, a person who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for themselves, without any formal or legal right to claim it as their own. [1] Usurpers can rise to power in a region by often unexpected physical force, as well as through political influence and deceit. One tactic to deter or defeat usurpation is civilian-based defense.
Etymology
The word originally came from the Latin word usurpare (“to seize" or "to use”).[2]
Politics
The Greeks had their own conception of what a usurper was, calling them tyrants.[3] In the ancient Greek usage, a tyrant (tyrannos in Greek) was an individual who rose to power via unconstitutional or illegitimate means, usually not being an heir to an existing throne.[4] Such individuals were perceived negatively by political philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.[5][6]
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.
References
- ^ "Definition of USURPER". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
- ^ "usurp". CollinsDictionary.com. HarperCollins. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- ^ Kagan, Donald (October 1998). Pericles Of Athens And The Birth Of Democracy. Simon and Schuster. p. 250. ISBN 9780684863955.
- ^ 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.
Further reading
- Key, T. Hewitt (1855). "On the Derivation and Meaning of the Latin Verb usurpare". Transactions of the Philological Society (8).
See also
- Roman usurper
- List of usurpers
- Coup d'etat
- civilian-based defense