During the late 17th and early 18th century, many European nations such as France and Russia were absolute monarchies. Even countries such as England had kings who at least attempted to implement absolutism. Indeed the concept of absolutism, where the monarch is the unquestionably highest authority and absolute ruler of every element in the realm, is certainly appealing to any sovereign. However, this unrestricted power was abused, and by the end of the 18th century, absolutism was gone. Absolutism failed because the monarchs' mistreatment of the population caused the people to revolt against their rule and policies. There are many factors which caused this discontent. For one, there was a great loss of human lives. Louis XIV of France …show more content…
Meanwhile, Louis XIV of France would engage in four wars at the end of his reign from 1667 to 1713. None of these wars provided any gains for France, however they were extremely costly. These wars also effectively shattered the power and splendor of the state, and caused the disillusioned people of France to threaten revolt. In addition, Peter the Great of Russia was infamous for ruthlessly slaying any opposition to his rule. An example of this is when a conspiracy by the musketeer regiment to overthrow him was uncovered, and Peter retaliated by torturing, killing, and publically displaying over 1000 musketeer bodies. Clearly the amount of people who died due to absolute monarchs did not bode well with the general populace, hence causing much unrest. In addition, absolute monarchs attempted to interfere with the religion of the people. The most notable case is in England where monarchs constantly attempted to either keep the Protestant beliefs or convert back to Catholicism. Even before the age of absolutism, this was a cause for much unrest. In fact, when James II came to the throne and made it clear he wished to restore the Catholic faith, England was almost thrown into another civil war. Over in Russia, Peter’s adoption of the Julian calendar did not cause so much civil unrest as it did instability due to the resulting confusion. Louis XIV also allowed mistreatment of French Protestants, also known as Huguenots, by revoking the Edict of Nantes. The Edict granted
Towards the end of his reign, Louis began to lose much of the mystique and influence he had previously held, as his lack of financial resources and inability to adequately tax the nobility began to catch up to him. Document 6, a letter from French nobleman Francois Fenelon, criticizes Louis for his reckless warfare, warning, “God will one day lift the veil that covers your eyes… you will become a Christian only through humiliation.” As an educated nobleman, Fenelon likely held resentment towards the crown for its subjugation of his class. Additionally, Louis’ frequent, frivolous war campaigns caused great struggle in France as the nation struggled to supply the efforts; even Louis, by the end of his life, stated that “I have gone to war too lightly and pursued it for vanity’s sake.” However, regardless of the fact that sustained warfare drove France into debt and ruin, Louis’ ability to go to war based off of nothing more than his own will is even more evidence that supports his power as an absolute ruler, whether or not Fenelon agrees with his policy.
A Comparison of the Characteristics of the Absolutist Rule of Charles I of England and Louis XIV of France
A European monarch that heavily enforced absolutism throughout his reign is Louis XIV. He is known as the Sun King and for his statement “I am the State.” Louis had no tolerance toward Protestants, and believed in the motto "one king, one law, one faith." Due to this, he revoked the Edict of Nantes. Following with the Edict of Fontainebleau, Louis ordered the destruction of Protestant churches, closure of Protestant schools, and expulsion of Protestant clergy. After this, a great number of Protestants fled, resulting in France’s loss of much of its labor force. It led to the decline of his reign and the country itself. Throughout his reign, Louis was able to enrich the French
In 1685, Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes and put the Edict of Fontainebleau in its place. Because of this document, all religious toleration for Huguenots (previously allowed by the Edict of Nantes) was no longer allowed, leaving them with two options: convert to Catholicism or leave France. Through this law, Louis achieved national religious unity.
Many rulers used absolutism in their countries. They believed rulers should have complete control over the country. Prince Machiavelli believed the best way to rule was to be feared and thought that the only way people would listen to him was if he was mean and scary. He thought if he was nice and loved then they would not fear him and end up taking advantage of him. (doc1) King James also believed absolutism was the way to go. He believed in divine right and that it was the only way to keep the country
During the 16th century to the 18th century, Monarchs in Europe used absolutism. Monarchs such as King Louis and Peter The Great used absolute tactics because they wanted to consolidate power from the nobility. They wanted to consolidate power from the nobility because they wanted to take the power they lost during the middle ages. King Louis and Peter the Great used all multiple means to reclaim power. They used their power to glorify themselves and their country. The practice of absolutism can be argued to have both positive and negative effects.
Absolutism affected the power + status of the European nobility depending on the country in which they lived. In England the power of the nobility increases due to a victory in the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution of 1658. However, in France, Louis XIV¡¯s absolutist regime decreased the powers of the noble but heightened their material status. In Russia and in Prussia, the absolutist leaders of those countries modernized their nations + the nobility underwent a change, but it retained prestige + power.
The 16th and 17th centuries were a powerful time for European monarchies. Absolutism had taken hold, allowing Kings to have powerful rules over their states. This was due to the absolute monarchies that had taken hold and the belief in a divine right that kept them there. This allowed the countries under the rule of powerful monarchs to thrive and prosper. Absolute monarchies and the belief in a divine right to rule made absolutism a period of prosperity in 16th and 17th century Europe.
Absolutism became the primary form of government for many Europeans in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It appealed to so many for reasons the same as other governments. “Absolutists contended that social and political harmony would result when subjects obeyed their divinely sanctioned rulers in all aspects“ (Text 594). Absolutists rulers felt God gave them their ability to teach the masses the proper ways to live.
In the latter half of the 1600 's, monarchial systems of both England and France were changing. Three royal figure throughout history who all tried to establish a role of absolutism in their societies all of them had varying factors with the greatest success from least to greatest being Charles I, Louis XIV, and Peter the Great. Absolutism is a form of government where a king or queen rules with unrestricted powers. They are often followed in heredity by passing on the leadership through bloodlines. All over the world these bloodlines still exist except, that most of them only remain as a symbolic figure or a person of fame. A couple of monarchs that still rule are Brunei, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Swaziland, the emirates comprising the UAE, and Vatican City.
Two of the world’s most famous absolute monarchs were Russian Tsar, Peter the Great, and King Louis XIV of France. Both were seen equally as some of the toughest and brutal leaders of each country. This time period that the two ruled was called the Age of Absolutism, which was when kings dominated their country’s wealth, military, and people with extreme power (Class Notes, The Age of Absolutism). Louis XIV and Peter the Great have some similarities and differences between how they controlled their people and army.
Louis retained the right to make foreign policy, declare war, oversee religious affairs, and levy taxes. By the time the seventeenth century came around, kings continued to believe in Divine Right and absolute power which continued to create many tyrannical kings and caused many of the people to begin to fight the king’s power by granting some rights to the people. These uprisings led to more people believing that they have certain
From the mid-1600s to the end of the eighteenth century, absolutism had grown strong in several European states, and as the cognizance of people threaten to weaken the system, influential
Louis XIV, France’s Sun King, had the longest reign in European history (1643-1715). During this time he brought absolute monarchy to its height, established a glittering court at Versailles, and fought most of the other European countries in four wars. Although his reign had some negative aspects; on balance, Louis’ reign was primarily a benefit to France.
Western Civilization from 1589 to 1914 had many specific changes that contributed to the structure of the western world before World War I. In the absolutism state sovereignty is embodied in the person of the ruler. Kings were absolute kings and were resposible to no none except god. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries absolute rulers had to respect the fundamental laws of their land. They had to control competing jurisdictions, institutions or groups that were interested in their territory. They regulated religious sects. France of Louis was the classic model of absolutism. Louis XIV, " the sun king," was a devoted Catholic who believed that god had estalblished kings as rulers on the earth. The French language and culture became