Dr. Jakub Basista
Modern European State Formation
Meeting 9: The good Father-Monarch? Enlightened Absolutism in Europe.
Reference: Fragments of Jeremy Black, Eighteenth Century Europe, chapters enlightened despotism
and political thought.
Synopsis
Enlightened Absolutism/Despotism – what was it? Did it exist? Many historians
rightly argue that such a system never really existed.
By definition:
“The enlightened ruler governed his subjects as the ‘1st servant of the state’ in
accordance with the principles of the reason (nothing by the people, everything for the
people). Revolution from above created the absolute and sovereign welfare state with
a modern bureaucracy and an ordered system of law” The Penguin Atlas of World
History, vol. I, 1974, p. 187.
In reality it is very hard to point to a state, which would fulfil the “ideal” model.
The discussed EA sometimes is also referred to as benevolent a. Monarchs embraced the
principles of E., in particular rationality and applied them to their home countries. Thus they
would consider religious toleration, freedom of speech and the press, and the right to hold
private property, as long as it did not threaten seriously their rule. Most fostered the arts,
sciences, and education.
Most monarchs tended to follow absolute rulers, refusing to grant any constitution. All of
them ‘applied’ the understanding of Enlightenment in differing ways. Joseph II is said to
have taken social contract literally, Catherine took up many ideas, but rejected social contract
In effect, the monarchs ruled with the intent of improving the lives of their subjects in order to
strengthen or reinforce their authority. For example, the abolition of serfdom in some regions
of Europe was achieved by enlightened rulers. In the spirit of enlightened absolutism,
Emperor Joseph II said, "Everything for the people, nothing by the people."
Elements of enlightened absolutism:
 Social contract (people as the source of power)
 Individual or civil freedom of subjects
 Law of nature
Reality:
 Stronger centralized power
 Attempt to control the church; attack on orders and monasteries
 Religious toleration
 Humanitarian regulations in courts
 Development of schools and institutions of higher education
Prussia under Frederick II the Great (1740-86) – KING PHILOSOPHER
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Advance and promotion of agriculture: drainage of the marshes of the Oder, Warta and
Nysa valleys; road and canal construction; 900 new settlements with over 300,000 settlers
est. Rotation of crops; potato cultivation; improvement of husbandry.
Freedom of thought and religion for all subjects.
Torture, interference in legal proceedings and purchase of offices eliminated.
Equality before the law.
Russia under Catherine II the Great (1762-96) – SEMIRAMIS OF THE NORTH
Tsarina of German house of Anhaldt-Zerbst propagated the ideas of Enlightenment in Russia.
In fact all her reform attempts fail. Very good propaganda and excellent relations with
philosophers (Voltaire).
Austria under Maria Theresa ((1740-80) and Joseph (1765-1790)
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Attempts to reform and centralize the state: chancellery of the state; Merged Court
Chancellery; reform of Supreme Court.
6000 royal decrees directed at interference into religion; Germanisation; country reforms.
Codification of civil law.
Creation of royal administration.
Mercantilism.
Poland-Lithuania under Stanisław August Poniatowski
KEN – Komisja Edukacji Narodowej – first Polish ministry of education
1788-92 – Four Years’ Parliament and its constitution:
Polish Constitution – on 3rd May 1791, the Polish-Lithuanian parliament accepted a
document entitled Ustawa Rządowa (The Governmental Act), which became the first Polish
constitution. The parliament, which passed the constitution, was already in session since 1788
and is known in history as the Four Years’ Parliament or the Great Parliament.
The 3rd May Constitution consists of an introduction and 11 articles. Together with several
acts passed by the parliament earlier it introduced a new, modernized political system void of
the negative phenomena of the existing political system.
The text of the constitution is clear and systematic, reflecting the political thought of the age
of reason. Articles I-IV refer to the Catholic Religion and the clergy (I), the nobility (II), cities
and burghers (III) and peasants (IV). The next four articles (V-VIII) are devoted to the
political system of Poland-Lithuania (the government, executive, legislative, and judicial
powers). Finally the last three articles discuss regency, education of royal children and
military force.
The constitution, although based on the ideas of enlightenment, is not as democratic and
radical as the earlier American and later French constitutions. Although a significant change
in granting equality of rights to all citizens took place, the new constitution retained certain
privileges and class divisions in the Polish-Lithuanian society.
The new political system was based on Montesquieu’s division of power, separating the
executive power of the monarch, from the legislative prerogatives of the parliament and
independent courts. The legislative power of the monarch was weakened, while the executive
one became stronger. The executive was to be controlled and limited by a group of ministers.
The notorious Liberum veto, which allowed a single deputy to break the proceedings of any
parliament, was abolished. General election of the king by the nobles was replaced by
hereditary monarchy, with the crown offered to the Saxonian Vettin dynasty.
Parliamentary rights were limited to those nobles, who possessed real property and a limited
number of burghers were to sit in the new parliament.
The new constitution and accompanying laws changed local administration, the tax system
and introduced a standing army.
The 3rd May constitution limited the omnipotent power of the Polish-Lithuanian nobility in
favor of central offices and the monarch. As historians claim, it turned Polish-Lithuanian state
“from anarchy to a well-ordered state”.
The strengthening of political power was hard to accept for some Polish nobles, and Poland’s
neighbors. Catherine II, with a group of Polish nobles organized in a military confederation of
Targowica, initiated a war to stop the constitution from being introduced. In effect of a RussoPolish war the constitution of 3rd May 1791 was abolished. Soon later the Polish-Lithuanian
was partitioned and wiped off the map of Europe.