An Absolute Monarchy is a form of government that was popular during medieval Europe and up until the end of the 18th century. It involved society being ruled over by an all-powerful king or queen. The monarch had complete control over all aspects of the society, including: political power, economics, and all forms of authority.
ABSOLUTE MONARCHY – MAIN PRINCIPLES
The main principles of absolute monarchy center on complete authority by a king or queen. For instance, absolute monarchies often contained two key features: ‘hereditary rule’ and ‘divine right of kings’. Hereditary rule meant that the monarch received their position due to their birth and as one in a long family line of monarchs. As well, medieval European absolute monarchs included the practise of divine right of kings, meaning that the monarch derived his or her power from god. This furthered the power of a monarch because it ensured that the king or queen did not get their power from the people, and therefore the people had not control or say over the monarchs rule.
The monarch was able to maintain absolute control over the society with the addition of feudalism, which involved people being placed into different estates of power, such as: clergy, nobility and peasants. In fact, the absolute monarch maintained control over society by using feudalism and the class structures of the time to control the social, political and economic lives of the different classes of people.
ABSOLUTE MONARCHY – HISTORY AND EXAMPLES
As stated above, absolute monarchy was a common form of government in Medieval Europe and lasted well into the 18th century. In fact, as feudalism declined and centralized states emerged, monarchs began to take more power for themselves. During the Age of Absolutism, which was approximately from the 1500s to the 1700s, kings and queens across Europe sought to control every aspect of political, social, and economic life. In fact, they often weakened the power of nobles and other important societal institutions to strengthen their rule. This period followed years of religious conflict, such as the Protestant Reformation, which divided many European countries. Rulers claimed that strong, centralized authority was necessary to maintain order and unity. Even prominent thinkers of the time, such as Thomas Hobbes, argued in favor of a strong absolute monarch, as necessary to maintain security of society.
There were several famous examples of absolute monarchs in history. In fact, an absolute monarchy can best be seen in the words of Louis XIV in France when he proclaimed “I am the state”. Louis XIV, who ruled France as a monarch from 1661 until 1715, was expressing his absolute control over the society at the time by stating that he ruled over all aspects of the country and therefore was the highest and most powerful authority of the state. Under his rule, France became one of the most powerful nations in Europe, though his extravagant spending and wars also left the country in debt.
Another example is Peter the Great of Russia, who ruled from 1682 to 1725. He modernized Russia’s government, military, and society, expanding its territory and transforming it into a major European power.
The Enlightenment and its ideals of liberty greatly impacted the ability of absolute monarchs to continue to rule as they had. Influential Enlightenment thinkers questioned the traditional authority and right to rule of monarchs and began a wave of change across much of the Western world, including: the birth of capitalism and democracy. The American Revolution and the French Revolution are often cited as significant examples of when absolute monarchies were overthrown. Today, very few nations continue to exist with an absolute monarch, but a few examples remain, such as: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Brunei.
ABSOLUTE MONARCHY – AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT
As mentioned previously, the Age of Enlightenment had a profound impact on the history of absolute monarchies in Europe. The Age of Enlightenment, which took place during the 17th and 18th centuries, was a period when thinkers in Europe began to emphasize reason, science, and individual rights over tradition and absolute authority. Philosophers such as John Locke, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Baron de Montesquieu challenged the idea that kings ruled by divine right and argued instead that governments should exist to serve the interests of the people. Their ideas promoted equality, freedom of speech, and separation of powers, which directly threatened the foundations of absolute monarchy, where rulers held unchecked power.
As Enlightenment ideas spread, many people began to question the authority of their monarchs and demand reforms. Some rulers, like Frederick the Great of Prussia and Catherine the Great of Russia, adopted certain Enlightenment principles, earning the title of “enlightened despots” because they tried to modernize their countries while maintaining strong control. However, for many absolute monarchs, Enlightenment thinking weakened their power and inspired movements for democracy and revolution. This was most notable in the American and French Revolutions. In this way, the Enlightenment marked a turning point that helped shift Europe from monarchy to more democratic forms of government.
