Absolute Monarchs Pros And Cons

During the early 1600s, a series of crop failures termed the "little ice age" wrecked havoc in Europe. This period was quickly followed by the Price Revolution, a massive inflation due to a currency surplus, which destroyed the European economy. Both of these events greatly weakened the current feudal government, allowing absolute monarchs to establish power over their countries. Many of these monarchs took similar paths when gaining power, mimicking each other in their ideas and actions. In the 1600s and 1700s, absolute monarchs similarly grew and consolidated their power by supporting the image of divine right, asserting control over the nobility, and growing their militaries.

Many absolute monarchs consolidated their power by establishing

and maintaining the idea of Divine Right. Divine right is the idea that a king or queen has been chosen by God to rule over their given land. Louis XIV placed this image upon himself by giving himself the nickname "The Sun King". This nickname created the idea that everything revolves around him and that he answers to no one except God. This strategy was particularly powerful because religion was everything in the 16 and 17 hundreds. By associating himself with religion, Louis XIV made himself a part of everyday life, reinforcing the idea of him as an absolute ruler. The idea of divine right was also used by the English monarchs Louis I and Charles I. Both of these monarchs believed that any restraints on their power were challenges to their authority as a ruler. They believed that they had been chosen by God to rule England and that they only answered to him. Both Louis and Charles impressed this idea upon their people while gaining control as absolute monarchs. Many absolute monarchs, including Louis XIV, Louis I, and Charles I, used the idea of divine right to strengthen and maintain their power.
All absolute monarchs grew their power by establishing greater control over the nobility. In France, Louis XIV built the palace of Versailles and required nobles to live there at least 6 months out of the year. Louis XIV, by keeping the nobles in a centralized location, was able to keep a closer eye on them, ensuring that they did not plot any kind of rebellion or harvest disloyalty. Peter the Great of Russia used St. Petersburg in a similar way, having the nobles build grand stone castles and palaces and forcing them to reside there a vast majority of the year. Frederick William, termed "The Great Elector", also asserted noble control but in a varying way. Frederick William reduced the Junker's power by imposing high taxes that drained their funds, using war and defense as a reason why. Before these taxes, the Prussian king was completely depended on the Junker class when it came to economics. By taking away this power, Frederick William took away one of the few things that restricted royal power in regards to the noble class. Regardless of who they were or where they were from, all absolute monarchs increased their power by placing greater restrictions on the nobility.
Finally, absolute monarchs in the 1600s and 1700s increased their power by growing and improving their military.

Frederick William I, the "Soldier King", consolidated his power by forcing all men to receive military training so that they could be kept in reserve. The only way for a king to raise an army previously was to ask the nobility if they could borrow their guards. Frederick William I, by creating his own military, became a completely independent absolute monarch. Louis XIV created a French army in this image, going as far as to standardize uniforms, weapons, and training regiments. Despite all of these military improvements, the most significant change was in Russia. Peter the Great, after returning from a tour of Western Europe, realizes that a great country is determined by its strong military and is determined to create one of his own. Peter the Great not only required all nobles to serve in the military but he forced every man, peasant or noble, to start at the same rank. This simple move not only increased military power but decreased the power of the nobility as well, creating an ideal situation for absolute power. Every great nation needs a military and all great absolute rulers established a firm military presence on their quest for

power.
In the 1600s and 1700s, nearly all successful absolute monarchs advanced and maintained their power through the use of Divine Right, noble control, and military advancement. Though previous events greatly weakened Europe, the acts of absolute monarchs united their countries, allowing the majority of them to persevere and continue to this very day.