Bishop Jacques Bossuet's Justification For Absolutism In France

Absolutism is when the sovereign power or ultimate authority rests in the hands of a monarch. There were several justifications for absolutism that existed in Europe, and especially in France. The main justification for absolutism was based on religion. In Europe, Louis XIV was the best example of an absolute monarch. In contrast, in England the monarchy was more limited and absolutism was not permitted to continue.

In France, the main justification for absolutism was divine right. Bishop Jacques Bossuet who was a French theologian and court preacher, talked about absolutism in his book Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture. The theory was that God gave kings the right to rule over the people. Under absolutism, it was claimed that kings did not answer to anyone except for God, and since God gave them their power, it was absolute. The monarch did not even have to answer to the parliament. Bossuet also believed that because the king had to answer

to God, that this put a limit on the king's power and that the king had the responsibility to act in a proper manner. The best example of an absolute monarch was Louis XIV.
Prior to Louis XIV, the government struggled with maintaining power and control. The government depended on royal ministers. Louis XIV and his father Louis XIII, were very young when then succeeded to the throne, so neither of them had full power until they were older. They only maintained their authority because of ministers who helped maintain control of the monarchy and even expanded the authority. It was not until he was 23 years old that Louis XIV started to become an absolute monarch.
Although Louis XIV believed in absolutism, he did not have total control. Provinces had their own courts, and other nobles still exercised authority in their own estates. Also towns and provinces had powers that they would not give up. Because of the power of many estates in some provinces, the king was not able to have direct control over the people, but had to bribe people to carry out his policies. Even though did not have total control, he had control over a lot of things.
Louis XIV had power over policy making, and he used other nobles instead of higher nobility, so they were loyal to him.

He was also able to exercise control over the parliaments, where he exercised political and economic controls. He was also able to control religion in France by revoking laws that allowed Protestants to practice their religion. Furthermore, he was able to use his power to build a new palace at Versailles, and used his court there to extend his influence.

In England, the king and parliament struggled for power. James I, claimed that kings received their power from God, and he also claimed absolutism. Parliament did not like this since they were used to “balanced polity.” These struggles led to Civil war in England. At the end of the war, King Charles, who was the son of James I, was executed. The parliament said, “ he, the said Charles Stuart, as a tyrant, traitor, murderer, and public enemy to the good people of this nation shall be put to death by the severing of his head from his

body.”
After the Civil war, the monarchy was eventually restored. Under James II another revolution took place, and a group of noblemen invited William of Orange and his wife Mary to invade England. They were successful in a nearly bloodless war called the “Glorious Revolution.” After the “Glorious Revolution,” William and Mary were confirmed as monarchs. Parliament also enacted a law as a “Bill of Rights.” This Bill of Rights prevented the king from interfering with some of the power parliament. This was the beginning of a constitutional monarchy, where the monarch did not have absolute power.
Louis XIV is probably the best example of an absolute monarch in Europe. The justification for absolutism was that the monarch had the divine right to govern because his power came from God, this was true, especially in France. In England the monarchy was more limited and absolutism was not permitted to continue as a result of civil wars where the English Parliament gained power and establish a bill of rights. This was the beginning of a constitutional monarchy.