Absolutism in the 17th century Essay

It is said that Louis XIV proclaimed I am the sound out Whether or not he re in ally said it is debatable, but the kernel of such a relegatement is clear. Through the course of the seventeenth deoxycytidine monophosphate various regimes across Europe began to model their states of off the very piece of I am the state, that is, the monarch personified and had absolute control everywhere his nation. prior to the 17th Century such absolute control precluded this dictatorship. By the duration of the 17th Century, however, the conditions were in place for monarchs to bribe absolute control to manufacture their nations. The conditions and forces that made absolutism a desired form of g everywherenment were the want of centralise control, the political instability of the time, and the rise of private sovereignty over a country.Before virtuoso goes into what causes states to adopt absolutism, one must commiserate it. Absolutism is defined as a form of government where sovere ignty is embodied in the person of the overtopr. The Monarch felt that he had a Divine Right, that is he was responsible to only God, and though he whitethorn respect the natural law of where he governed, generally the Monarch attempt to place his realm under absolute control. Measures included elimination of plastered freedoms, centralization of power, and the creation of a bureaucracy loyal to the Monarch to servicing oversee the country. Through these measures, the Monarch was able to control the nobility that invariably threatened. The Monarch became more and more effectual as he or she began to assert power and institute absolutism.The first reason why absolutism seemed to be a loveable government form was the necessity of centralized power. War was a constant threat to a nation and its people. In a country divided into kingdoms and realms govern by individualistic nobles and dukes, ingroupilization for war was a difficult and lengthy task. To better limit a state fo r war a country needed a single ruler with the absolute power. An other(a) cause was the need for efficiently raising revenue. A monarch needed absolute control to efficaciously raise revenue for the cost of maintaining the state. The nation-state became more and more expensive to post during this time due to the increasing frequency of wars, the costs of trade and exploration, and to sustainment the burgeoning bureaucracy.A country divided and ruled by many opposite people would beunable to raise sufficient revenue. On the other hand, a country ruled a by a single strong ruler could more easily control and manage finances. In addition, because of the nature of the time, warfare and politics became very personal. Monarchs considered countries an extension of themselves, as exemplified by Louis XIVs supposed remark I am the state To achieve this, Monarchs eventively eliminated all competition to their power, that is the nobles and the church. In the era of the Post-Reformation, it was all too easy for Monarchs to seize power from church and nobility, and this further contributed to their power. some other force at play that made absolutism seem desirable was the political instability of the time, both internal and external. France is a paragon example for this. There were many idyl revolts between 1624 and 1648, and Nobles and Parlements took advantage of peasant revolts and the Regency to complain their loss of ancient privileges and levels of taxation. Barricades set up in Paris and the mob burst into the Kings bedroom. King Louis XIII was powerless to delay these insurrections against his rule. Louis XIV soon came to power, and began to assert his royal authority. He put mint these peasant revolts, reorganized government, and placed himself at its head. Loyal advisors were installed, and a deport with nobility which surrendered their authority in relation to the Crown in founder for authority over their lands.In addition, the size of the militar y increased, and France began to engage in wars to help solve domestic problems. These wars were generally successful and contributed to an even higher(prenominal) growth in Royal authority. The successes of Louis XIV encouraged other European Monarchs to follow his example. The problems of instability seemed to be only able to fixed with a steady, but iron fist. Absolutism seemed to offer this, as the king would submit authority to maintain control without interference from a constitution or a law making body. Finally, the political instability forced Monarchs to take measures that otherwise they would not wanted to take, i.e. levying heavy taxes. When the benefits of these measures came in, Monarchs often looked beyond their ideals to permanently install absolutism. To sum up, the basic political instability of the 17th Century, i.e. wars, peasant revolts, etc. paved the way for Monarchs seizing absolute control to arouse their nations.The final cause for absolutism was the rise of single sovereignty over a country. In the times of feudalism, more than one person could feel sovereignty over an area of a country. Dukes, Counts, and others may claim deed to a land in addition to the Monarchs. However the lower of feudalism brought an end to this. Kings began to assert that there could be only one sovereign to a land, and that was the King. Many new political and legal theories back up the Monarchs absolute control over land. Jacques-Benigne Bossuet (1627-1704) adapted the mediaeval concept of kingship in his theory of the Divine Right of Kings, which argued that the king ruled absolutely by will of God, and that to oppose the king in effect constituted rebellion against God.Although people should be excluded from power, Gods propose in instituting absolute monarchy was to cling to and guide society. Coming from a moralistic approach, Thomas Hobbes argued that a strong ruler could best control and protect a society. Further justifying absolutism, Mona rchs pointed out that it seemed to end Europes spectral wars and had brought social and political peace. King Louis XIV believed that such absolute rule over a people was the duty of a Monarch, and anything else was failing the people. Essentially, Monarchs base their absolute sovereignty on moral and political justifications.In conclusion, the conditions of the 17th Century made Absolutism seem to be a desirable choice for government, and rightly so. Following the example of France, many countries tried to centralize power. Yet, not all were to be as successful as France. For example, Oliver Cromwell instituted a dictatorship with many absolutist qualities, but this failed as soon as he died. But it is difficult to deny that absolutism was a powerful force in the 17th Century. Absolutism may seem rocky to people of the 21st Century, but for the many of those who experienced it, it was at least(prenominal) beneficial. The political instability of the time, the need to centralize , and the increasing sovereignty of Monarchs all were cause forces in making Absolutism popular and helpful. Despite its problems, absolutism last led Europe down the right path.