tyranny

A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power, or this system of government; especially, one that acts cruelly and unjustly.

The office or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.

Absolute power, or its use.

A system of government in which power is exercised on behalf of the ruler or ruling class, without regard to the wishes of the governed.

He that with ſhepheards and a litle ſpoyle, Durſt in diſdaine of wrong and tyrannie, Defend his freedome gainſt a Monarchie: What will he doe ſupported by a king?

Control, dispossession, violence, and tyranny are not “defensive”: they are part of an organized, ongoing aggression.

Extreme severity or rigour.