Age of Absolutism

Around the 17th century, the rise of new states and empires brought a shift in the structure and practices of what had been traditional European monarchies to that time. First, what had monarchies been like before this change, during the High Middle Ages? In Europe, the medieval king was merely first among equals, holding formal feudal authority over his elite nobles, but often being merely their equal, or even inferior, in terms of real authority and power. As demonstrated in the case of the French Wars of Religion, there were often numerous small states and territories that sometimes rivaled larger ones in power, and even nobles who were part of a given kingdom had the right to raise and maintain their own armies outside of the direct control of the monarch.

But by the early modern period, monarchs began to centralize their control around more robust bureaucracies, often at the expense of the nobility. Non-noble officials increasingly held positions of power in government, and monarchs commanded not only larger bureaucracies, but also larger armies and tax revenues. The term absolutism typically refers to certain European monarchies during the 17th and 18th centuries, but absolutism in fact took many different forms within and outside Europe during this period, as a more interconnected world of powerful empires altered systems of interaction and facilitated the more or less unrestrained power of monarchs as they sought to secure their power by commanding their nation's resources and taking charge in decision making.

But defining absolutism can also be tricky: what made a ruler an absolute ruler? Historians often debate the term, with some historians arguing that absolutism was more about rhetoric and mindsets than it was about actual power and authority.To get a better idea of some of this rhetoric surrounding absolutism and form a working definition of absolutism, use the quotes below to get an idea of how contemporaries defined absolutism, at least in theory. Then, use the tabs to explore specific examples of how absolute rulers attempted to centralize, legitimize, and assert their authority.

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, court preacher & bishop to Louis XIV, 1681-1704

God establishes kings as his ministers, and reigns through them over the peoples. We have already seen that all power comes from God...It is through them that He rules His empire. This is why we have seen that the royal throne is not the throne of a man, but the throne of God Himself.

Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

A prince must be careful that he does not show compassion unwisely. If a ruler is too compassionate, and does not adequately punish disloyal subjects, he creates an atmosphere of disorder...some measure of cruelty is necessary to maintain order...With one’s army, however...Keeping an army disciplined and united requires cruelty, even inhuman cruelty…

Above all, it is much safer to be feared than loved, if one cannot be both, because...fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.

Akbar the Great, Shah of the Mughal Empire (India), 1556-1605

The Lord to me the Kingdom gave, He made me wise, strong and brave, He guides me through right and truth, Filling my mind with the love of truth, No praise of man could sum his state, Allah Hu Akbar, God is Great.

Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, 1651

Once a commonwealth is established, the people cannot lawfully make a new agreement to obey another leader without the permission of the existing sovereign. Thus, subjects cannot without leave from their monarch, overthrow the monarchy and revert to a state of disunity or transfer their allegiance to another person or assembly. This would be breaking their original covenant, which is considered unjust.

Because the sovereign's power comes from the agreement among the people and not from the sovereign to the people, there can be no breach of covenant by the sovereign. Therefore, no subject can claim forfeiture and be freed from their obligation to obey.

...The sovereign has the authority to prescribe rules that clarify what goods individuals may enjoy and what actions they may take without interference from others...The sovereign also has the right to adjudicate disputes concerning law and fact...The sovereign has the authority to declare war and peace with other nations and commonwealths, determining when such actions serve the public good and organizing the necessary resources.

The sovereign is also responsible for appointing all counselors, ministers, magistrates, and officers, in both peace and war, to ensure the common peace and defense.

King James VI of Scotland and James I of England

“The state of monarchy is the supremest thing upon earth. For kings are not only God's lieutenants upon earth, and sit upon God's throne, but even by God himself they are called gods...The king is from God, and law is from the king”

Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia

“I shall be an autocrat [a ruler with total power]: that's my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me: that's his...I may be kindly, I am ordinarily gentle, but in my line of business I am obliged to will terribly what I will at all.”

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