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Power in the prince machiavelli
Power in the prince machiavelli
Machiavelli on political power
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Zack Warner
Mr. Swanson
Modern World History
November 16, 2016 Absolute Monarchy Philip II of Spain was called “the Prudent” because he cared about the future of his kingdom. Philip II held many titles. He was King of Spain, King of Naples and Sicily, King of Portugal, and during his marriage to Queen Mary I, he was also King of England and Ireland. In each of these roles Phillip was a form of absolute monarch. Absolute monarchy is a form of government in which the monarch has complete power among their people which was popular around the 16th and 18th centuries in Europe. An absolute monarch has unrestricted political power over their kingdom and it’s people. There are several traits that absolute monarchs must possess. Possessing what
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Divine right is when a ruler is given the authority to rule by God. In an excerpt from Bishot Jaques Bousset’s Political Treatise he described the god-like powers of the king. He said, “...Kings should tremble then as they use the power God has granted them; and let them think how horrible is the sacrilege if they use for evil a power which comes from God.” (Document 6). Here, Bishot Jaques Bousset is mentioning the importance and power God has granted the ruler, showing the importance of divine right. Divine right separates absolute monarchs from regular Kings and Queens. This is an example of how influential divine right was because it was also a major trait in Spain. “Philip had his advisors but he ruled as an absolute ruler and he was a firm believer in the divine right of kings – that God had appointed him as king and that as God could not make a mistake neither could …show more content…
Nicollo Machiavelli, an Italian philosopher wrote a book about the nature of power during the age. His book served as a guide to princes on how to rule. In an excerpt from The Prince Machiavelli said, “Men have less hesitation in offending a man who is loved than one who is feared, for love is held by a bond of obligation… ,but fear is accompanied by the dread of punishment, which never relaxes” (Document 1). Here, Machiavelli is saying that it is easy for people to not respect or follow someone who is loved, but when the ruler is feared, the man will always respect him for the angst of a punishment. An absolute monarch must be respected by everyone in order to be successful, if they are not respected, they do not have complete control over their people and are not absolute monarchs.
Absolute monarchy, which was popular around the 16th and 18th centuries in Europe, was a form of government in which the monarch has complete power among their people. An absolute monarch has unrestricted political power as well. There are several traits that absolute monarchs must possess. Possessing what absolute monarchs believed was a divine right to rule, absolute monarchs also believed that defense is their most important responsibility, and that they must be respected, even if it means they must be
While the two kings had many differences their militaries were surprisingly similar. They both had military troops that guarded and walked around the palace. The kings’ military was not only used for protection but also for spreading their beliefs and ideals. Their military was alert and ready to protect if there was to be an attack on the palace. King Louis XIV and Philip II both would have enough troops to go to war and express their thoughts but also enough to protect the palace.
Absolute monarchs ruled though the policy of absolutism. Absolutism declared that the king ruled though divine right with a legitimate claim to sole and uncontested authority (French State Building and Louis XIV). On this basis, Louis XIV of France and Suleiman I of the Ottoman Empire were both absolute monarchs. Each ruler believed that his power belonged to him and him alone due to divine right. They showed their absolute power by living lavishly, increased their power by waging wars, and kept their power by ensuring complete loyalty of their subjects.
According to the text book, an absolute monarch is a king or queen who has unlimited power and seeks to control all aspects of society (McDougall little, 1045). In more simple terms, it is a ruler who can do just about anything without having to get permission from anyone, or having to worry about the repercussions. This was a trend that started in the 1600’s by European leaders who were rich, and didn’t like to be told what to do. These conflicts arose with the States-General in France, or Parliament in England who had substantial control. The first countries to have absolute rulers were the traditionally strong countries, such as England, Spain, and of course Louis XIV’s France.
Divine right was a widespread idea under absolutist government: the concept that a king’s power was derived from God, and that kings therefore had the power to act as God on Earth. In 1609, James I of England spoke on this idea, proclaiming that kings were God’s lieutenants on Earth and likewise deserved the unquestioned authority of Gods
During the fifteenth to nineteenth century, there were several leaders from different countries, who abused their powers as absolute monarchs. The misuse of their powers led to downfall of their country. An example of an absolute monarch who abused their powers is Louis XIV. He is a very important figure in history because he would make decisions and everyone would be under his power and control. For example, he controlled all the taxations, military power and justice. Furthermore, he did not set a list of defined rules. What this meant was that whatever he wanted to do at the time became the law and he could change it anytime. Louis built the Palace of Versailles which demonstrated the wealth and power of the monarch. The expenses for building the palace ended up with peasants unable to pay the increased tax. The country was enraged, countless suffered from poverty and famine. The proposition of a revolution was spread and Louis divine rights were being stripped away. The inevitable failure of absolute monarchy led to the uprising of the Reign of Terror and Napoleon Bonaparte. After the beheading of the King and Queen, France ...
believe in divine right, or a god given someone the right to rule them as
Frightfully stimulated as a child from a home intrusion by Parisians during an aristocratic revolt in 1651, Louis XIV realized his rule would be decisive, militant, and absolute (458). His lengthy reign as Frances’ king and how he ruled would be the example that many countries throughout Europe would model their own regimes under. With this great authority also came greater challenges of finance and colonization. In the 17th century, the era of absolute monarchs were the means to restore European life (458).
The European monarchs during that time period lacked any kind of selflessness. They want to keep themselves safe and protected. They will act deceitful and will always be eager to avoid danger (Machiavelli). They will be a person’s best friend when they need to, but when they are put in danger, they forget everything about the friendship. The selfish way of ruling makes it a tyranny. People's opinions about how the government should run are uncared for which gives the monarchs a chance to rule in a cruel way, in a tyranny. The monarchs were doing what they felt was right for their kingdom, but they should not have the right to decide what the members of the government do
The kings of Aragon were given a very small amount of power despite being in the highest position. His job was to be a leader and protector of the people rather than their ruler. He didn’t even have to ability to choose a successor for the throne! Kings were elected by the people, though a current king could give
Niccolo Machiavelli stressed that “one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved…for love is held by a chain of obligation which, men being selfish, is broken whenever it serves their purpose; but fear is maintained by a dread of punishment which never fails.” He felt that a true leader must be cunning and deceptive, winning the hearts of his people through power and influence. If he could not be liked, he could at least get by knowing he has intimidated these below him into submission. However rash or cruel this may seem, Machiavelli’s argument is not one to be countered easily.
Machiavelli in his famous book “The Prince” describes the necessary characteristics for a strong and successful leader. He believes that one of the most important characteristics is to rule in favor of his government and to hold power in his hands. Power is an essential aspect of Machiavelli’s theory, and a leader should do whatever it takes to keep it for the safety of his country because “the ends justifies the means.” To attain and preserve the power, a leader should rather be feared than loved by his people, but it is vital not to be hated. As he states, “anyone compelled to choose will find far greater security in being feared than in being loved.” If a leader is feared, the people are less likely to revolt, and in the end, only a threat of punishment can guarantee obedienc...
...By tying the church to the government, people expect the government to behave ethically, but often times, an entirely moral ruler will be overthrown. People expect rulers to act differently than themselves. A ruler cannot show any weakness, or else he will no longer be feared enough to keep him in power, and he will be overthrown. Everybody sees what a ruler seems to be, but few really know who he is. A ruler must seem determined and moral to the people, and show positive results from his leadership. The most important thing for a ruler to do is to avoid being hated or despised by the people, which could occur if a ruler took people's property. For the people, more than the form of power, their perception of power may be the most important for a ruler to maintain his position. “If a ruler wins wars and holds on to power, the means he has employed will always be judged honorable, and everyone will praise him.”(pg.55) Therefore, a ruler should look mainly to winning and to the successful protection of his country. The ways he utilizes for this will always be considered honorable and will be praised by everybody.
In this context, an absolute monarch would be revolve around a single leader (usually a king) that would make decisions without the assistance of the aristocracy, such as a the nobility, the parliament, or other organizations that include the interest of wealthy families or government officials. In this case, the king would act alone in deciding the political, economic, and military decisions of the people, which would illustrate the absolute power that is wielded by the individual making the decisions. This governmental interpretation of the term “absolute” defines how a king would rule without the interference or inhibitions of an aristocracy or democratic form of government. Of course, the realization of this type o government can be better explained through the context of the absolute monarchy in France, which was founded in the leadership of king Louis
While “every sensible prince wishes to be considered, merciful and not cruel”(pg. 35), one should learn to be merciful in moderation. Not doing so can lead to unintended effects where if you are too “good” it can lead to being taken advantage of, or to “uprisings and civil war” because then you will be looked at as a pushover by your citizens and other neighboring countries. Therefore if you were to be cruel, people will fear you enough to, in theory, not go against you and stay united. But I think this concept seems more like a dictatorship, which thrives on citizens fear, and I don’t think it should be instilled in our government considering that most dictatorships end poorly and lead to more uprisings and civil war than with a merciful leader. And this is why the question in this section on whether it is better to be feared or loved also comes up. Machiavelli believes that a prince should find a balance of being both feared and loved and in general just try to escape hatred. If you are loved by your people, rarely will they betray you, but it is also good to be feared by other nations so that you are not looked upon as a target. So in this section of the prince I think the concept of ruling only on fear should not be used, however I do think that a leader should try balance being loved and
William Blackstone however describes the prerogative more tightly, as those powers that ‘the King enjoys alone, in contradistinction to others, and not to those