Chinese historians interpreted a successful revolt as evidence that Heaven had withdrawn its mandate from the ruler. The Mandate of Heaven was often invoked by philosophers and scholars in China as a way to curtail the abuse of power by the ruler, in a system that had few other checks. Intrinsic to the concept of the Mandate of Heaven was the right of rebellion against an unjust ruler. Retaining the mandate is contingent on the just and able performance of the rulers and their heirs. The concept is in some ways similar to the European concept of the divine right of kings however, unlike the European concept, it does not confer an unconditional right to rule. Chinese dynasties such as the Han and Ming were founded by men of common origins, but they were seen as having succeeded because they had gained the Mandate of Heaven.

The Mandate of Heaven does not require a legitimate ruler to be of noble birth, depending instead on how well that person can rule. A brief flow chart depicting the flow of auctoritas in the transfer of the Mandate of Heaven at the transition of dynastic cycles.

Star wars dlt 19