The Sovereign's Lawmaking Power Is Absolute

The unity and supremacy of sovereignty is emphasized so strongly by Bodan, it tends to be the main idea that is associated with him as a political thinker. He sees law in normative terms, meaning that lawmaking has a purpose, namely justice. By his theory, imperfect sovereigns must be obeyed; this will be the usual situation since he admits good rulers are rare. The ideal on which the theory is modeled is a wise and just king dispensing laws that adapt and react to circumstances.