Donald Trump offers little indication he has read history — or anything else worthwhile, really.

If he had, he might have come across the story of King Charles I, who was a big fan of the doctrine known as the divine right of kings.

Charles I ruled as king of England, Scotland and Ireland in the 17th century, believing he should answer to no earthly authority.

Donald Trump has plenty to smile about after the US Supreme Court this week cleared most of the legal hurdles he faced during his election campaign this year.Credit: nna\miriah.davis

Unsurprisingly, such massive arrogance made him increasingly unpopular with a dangerously broad variety of his subjects.

He ended up fighting the armies of both the English and Scottish parliaments in the First English Civil War. He was taken prisoner and handed over to the English parliament, where he spurned demands to embrace a constitutional monarchy.

He was tried for treason.

He refused to plead, declaring the trial was illegal because “no learned lawyer will affirm that an impeachment can lie against the king”.

“One of their maxims is the king can do no wrong,” insisted the king.

Oh, really?

The court judged Charles to be “a tyrant, traitor, murderer and public enemy of the good people of the nation”, and found him guilty of having “traitorously and maliciously levied war against the present parliament and the people therein represented”.

Ten days after the trial........

© Brisbane Times