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John Milton, English poet and polemicist, publishes his first political treatise, "The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates" on February 13, 1649, arguing that a king's power comes from the people, not divine right, and that he is accountable to them and stating the right of the people to depose and execute a tyrannical ruler.
His treatise was written in the aftermath of King Charles I's execution. arguing for popular sovereignty and the rule of law. His work justifies the English revolutionaries' actions by asserting that a ruler who violates the law and oppresses his people forfeits his right to rule. A second, expanded edition was published on February 15, 1650.
