Absolutism and the “Ancien
Regime”
-Key Concepts-
I. The Emergence of the Modern
State
Old Feudal Notion of
the State
 The Modern
Conception of the
State
-- “governed” and
“those who govern”
 Role of great wars of
the 16th and 17th
centuries

II. A Definition of Absolutism
The exaltation of the
ruler as the embodiment
of the state
-- “L’etat c’est moi” = “I
am the state!”
 The role of divine right
theory
 Absolutism is not
totalitarianism, but there
are some similarities
between the two.
 New scale and feel to
political life—looming
presence of the state

III. The Tasks of the Absolutist State
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To Secure Obedience
To Exert Control over
Economic Life
To Protect its Territory
and the Expansion of its
Claims
--Louis XIV as military
hero
--Peace of Utrecht (1713)
To Create a State
Bureaucracy
III. The Tasks of the Absolutist State
(cont)


To Enlist the Service of
the Church
--Revocation of the Edict
of Nantes (1685)
-- “One King, One Law,
One Faith”
To Employ Culture to
Exalt the State
--French Classicism
--Moliere
III. The Tasks of the Absolutist State
(cont)

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
To Gain the Loyalty of the
Nobility
-- “Nobles of the Sword”:
The Old Aristocracy with
landed wealth
-- “Nobles of the Robe”:
The New Aristocracy with
commercial ties
Size of the nobility in
various European states
Implicit and structured
social inequality
IV. Creating a “Spectacle”

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To be seen was the
supreme social duty of
the nobility
To shine at court was to
keep the rest of the world
at a distance
The monarch created the
spectacle, or theater, for
this social drama
The importance of
Baroque Capital Cities
V. Features of Baroque Planning

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Center of the City was the
Palace
Broad, straight avenues
radiated out from the
Palace
Along these avenues
were built the important
government buildings
Aristocratic passion for
parading along these
avenues
VI. Paris: A Model City of Baroque
Absolutism



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The role of Queen’s
Course (1616)
The symbolic significance
of the straight line
The Queen’s Course as
the “Theater of the
Universe”
Louis’ disdain for Paris
and his removal to
Versailles
--The “Fronde”
VII. Versailles: A Model
Palace of Baroque Absolutism
“You gaze, you stare, you try to
understand that it is real, that it is on
earth, that it is not the Garden of
Eden”
--Mark Twain
Versailles Palace features . . .

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Baroque planning
Law
Order
Uniformity
Conformity to the
King’s will
Geometry reigned
supreme
A. The Grounds and Gardens
The triumph of man
over nature
 Acres and acres of
formal gardens
 The symbolism of
geometrical patterns
 Massive canal and
1400 formal fountains

B. The Palace Square
Symbolism of the
Exterior View
 Stables for the King’s
Horses
 Central point of
Versailles was always
the King

C. The King’s Bedroom
Center of the Palace
 The Significance of
the daily ritual of the
King’s Rising

D. The Hall of Mirrors
The difference between
Baroque interiors and
Baroque urban planning
 The role of movement,
tension and theatricality
 The significance of optical
illusions—the trick of the
ceiling
 The deep emotionalism of
the room
 The Grand Relief of Louis
XIV

E. The Chapel
Mass held at 12:30
p.m. each day
 The people
worshipped the King
while the King
worshipped God

F. Life at Versailles
Tedious and extremely
expensive
 Only those at Court had
any influence with Louis
XIV
 Costume parties, masked
balls, and gossip
 The drama of flirtation
and the public role of the
bedroom
 The bedroom will be
replace by the salon

G. An Imaginary World

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Versailles was the great
theater upon which the
drama of absolute power
was staged.
Ideas were treated as
realities—the “make
believe world” of the
powerful and rich.
Real people, real cities,
and real problems were
treated as if they were
imaginary.
VIII. The Emerging Culture of
Capitalism

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The difference between
mercantilism and
capitalism
France under Colbert—a
case study of
mercantilism
Amsterdam—a case study
of capitalism
--orderliness and
rationalization reflected
the themes of Baroque
urban planning