In ancient times, subjects were obliged to obey the king.
The etymological origin of subject is the sum of two Latin parts: the prefix «sub-«, which means below, and the verb «dare», which is synonymous with «give».
A subject is someone who is subject to the authority of a superior and has the obligation to obey him. The concept is used to name the citizen of a nation who must submit to the political authorities.
For example: "The leader's mistake was to show weakness before his subjects" , "The monarch always addressed his subjects with sympathy and warmth, with the intention of securing their trust and avoiding revolts" , "Lord Scheniltz refuses to follow being a subject of His Highness .
Differences between subjects and citizens
It is important to establish differences between the subject and the citizen. The subject implies a legal situation by which a person depends on the State for life, with a limited exercise of civil and political rights. The citizen, on the other hand, maintains a different bond with the State, since he enjoys various rights.
That is why the term subject was more common in ancient times, when there was a different conception of the State. The sovereign was the absolute monarch and holder of all rights over his territory, while the subjects were "objects" (and not "subjects" ) of the monarch 's rights.
He who swears allegiance to the British Crown becomes a subject.
The term in absolute monarchies
In this sense, we could determine, for example, who is the subject in an absolute monarchy :
• He is the one who obeys the orders established by the king, who is the only one qualified to govern and to establish all the laws he considers appropriate. Therefore, taking into account that absolutist monarchs stand as the figure that God has established on earth to govern, the subject is totally subject to what would be divine law.
• Does not participate in politics or any other issue that is important to the city or country in question.
• He owes absolute obedience to the king.
• He is, in other words, a vassal since he not only must follow the monarch's orders to the letter but also has no right to express himself.
• He must assume the consequences of his ruler's actions without raising his voice and without demanding anything.
• It is also important to establish that centuries ago the subjects of any king were also obliged to pay him a significant amount of taxes. In this way, it was how the court and all the expenses that it entailed could be maintained without forgetting the military campaigns that were carried out. It is important to know that the condition of subject at that time was inherited, passed from parents to children.
Subject in Britain and in literature
The notion of a British subject , on the other hand, changed over the years. Historically, a subject was considered anyone who, having been born in any territory belonging to the British Empire , had sworn loyalty to the Crown .
"The Subject" , finally, is a novel written by the German Heinrich Mann that had its film adaptation by his compatriot Wolfgang Staudte .