Absolute Monarchy
Objective: Identify what factors
allowed absolute monarchs to gain
power in Europe.
Factors leading to Absolute Monarchs
 Crusades killed many feudal lords
 Rising middle class supported monarch to protect
property and trade
 Reformation gave powers formerly held by
Catholic Church
 Spirit of nationalism made monarch a symbol of
unity
Divine Right
 King ruled by God’s
authority
 Obedience to king was
obedience to God
 King could do no wrong
Rise of the Nation-State
 Began when a strong ruler expanded control
to a larger area
 Eventually, monarch rule free from external
political or religious control
 In England and France the monarch united
people of a common nationality (similar
language, customs, history)
 People transferred loyalty from local lord to
monarch & nation
Case Study: Absolute Monarchy
France
 Louis XIV (Bourbon Dynasty) 1638-1715
 Most powerful monarch in French history
 Dissenters and critics were punished
 Interfered in economic and religious lives of
his subjects
 Demanded the Huguenots (French
Protestants) convert to Catholicism or leave
 Built magnificent Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
 Cost of palace weakened French finances
 Became ideal of European royalty
 French became language of diplomacy throughout
Europe
Jean Colbert
 Louis XIV’s most outstanding financial
advisor
 Promoted Mercantilism: economic
system based on idea that a country’s
wealth is measured by amt. of gold &
silver it has
 Caused gov’t interference in nation’s
industry & trade
Conclusion
 Louis XIV involved France in series of wars to
expand French Frontier
 In the end, his aggressive actions served to
unite rest of Europe against France
 France was left bankrupt & exhausted
England:
A Case Study in Limited Monarchy
 Monarchs not able to establish absolute rule
 Middle Ages: strong checks placed on king’s
authority
 King John (1167-1216) – heavy taxes & abuses
of power
 Nobles and church threatened civil war and
forced him to sign the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
“Great Charter” (Latin)
 Trial by jury for all freemen




(small number in 1215)
Right to a trial
King can not levy taxes
without agreement of people
Power of the law is greater
than the power of the king
Considered the cornerstone of
English democracy and later
became basis for English
political liberties
The Tudor Dynasty:
‘Almost’ Absolute Monarchy
 Henry VIII (1491-1547)- broke with church
because Pope refused to grant him a divorce
to Spanish wife: Catherine of Aragon
 Induced parliament to pass “Act of
Supremacy” which instituted independent
Anglican Church of England with king as
religious leader
 Married Anne Boleyn, their daughter later
became Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I
 Queen of England (15581603)
 Encouraged trade, art, &
literature
 Transformed England
into leading world power
 Preserved Protestantism
in England
Key Difference in England
 Legislative Assembly : Parliament made up of
House of Lords and House of Commons
 Tudors in England allowed the English
parliament to retain its powers to make laws
and levy taxes
 Henry VIII & daughter Elizabeth I were
almost absolute rulers because they
controlled parliament with persuasion,
flattery, bribery, or bullying
Absolute Monarchy: A Summary
Strengths
Weaknesses
 Weakened forces that
 One nation’s welfare
tended to disunite a
country
 Provided strong central
government
 Furthered the growth
of national states
was dependent on one
person
 Often sacrificed
national interest for
king’s personal interest
 Countless wars
 Disregarded needs of
common people