What is an absolute monarchy? During the seventeenth century and early eighteenth, absolute monarchies reached a climax with the reign of Louis XIV, otherwise referred to as “the Sun King” of France. An absolute monarchy is governmental branch of a monarchy where one king/leader has complete control and rule over all laws and citizens. The said king ruled by what was known as divine right, or the authority of a higher power such as God. An editor for britannica.com writes, “ This view [the divine right of kings] could justify even tyrannical rule as divinely ordained punishment, administered by rulers, for human sinfulness (2017). Since this system of governance came with severe oppression of the citizens and an extreme superiority complex, …show more content…
The smallest and most superior group was the nobility, consisting of hierarchically powerful men given the right to bear arms and exemption from paying taille, or land tax; there were only about 300,000 men in this category. Following is the three million classified as bourgeoisie, a French term meaning "those who live in the borough.” This class consisted of merchants, judges, legal officials, and small factory workers (“The French Revolution” 2). The most oppressed and large in numbers were the peasants, making up more than twenty-million of the population and owning little more than a farmhouse. “They endured the indirect taxes on items such as salt, but perhaps worst of all, they paid the dreaded manorial dues to the lords of the land” (Lefebvre 133). The social classes in France were distinct and ranked purely by status, leaving those from families of poverty unable to improve their …show more content…
The goal was to base knowledge, politics, schooling, and all else on reason and rationality rather than religion and divine right. While philosophers of the time did not agree on all points or make the same arguments, they all adhered to that same notion. The consistent goal was to challenge France’s fundamental laws of society, particularly the role of the king and authority of the Roman Catholic Church. “The French Revolution” further states, “Enlightenment writers believed that rationality, not merely tradition or religious ideas, should be the driving force behind all decisions” (9). Since reason and intellectual arguments were made by many of the Enlightenment’s writers, the goal and ideals represented spread throughout France and educated the
In his book The French Revolution, William Doyle talks about the king’s power before the The French Revolution. Doyle explains that the king has an absolute monarchy over the citizens in France. An absolute monarchy is when a king or queen has full control over his citizens. The king is the judge, jury, and the executioner for his people. Whatever the king decides goes, no one has a say in what he has decided on. There are several examples that Doyle talks about in his book that shows how King Louis the 16th had an absolute monarchy over his citizens before 1787.
During the reigns of King Louis XIV of France and King Peter I of Russia, also known as Peter the Great, the nobility was under strict control to limit its power and status in society and government. Both autocrats, or absolute rulers, put the nobles in an area separate from the rest of society to keep them under close watch. The kings’ opinion in religion also impacted the status and power of the nobility because most of them were skilled Protestants. This would prove itself as a problem in the long run for Louis XIV. Overall, Peter the Great and Louis XIV despised the nobility and their power in the government and went to many measures to subdue them.
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.
The reading depicted the surprising visit of King Louis XIV, together with six hundred nobles and thousands of court servants at Chantilly in 1671. The host Prince de Condé and his most trusted headwaiter Francois Vatel was given fifteen days to be prepared for the arrival of the gigantic royal party. A spontaneous event of mis-arrangements during the preparation has gradually built up the stresses on Vatel which ultimately broke down his stress threshold and led to his tragic ending. Madame de Sévigné who was a talented letter writer in 17th century decided wrote down the tragic story of a courtier in her letter, even though she was never there to see it in person.
A Comparison of the Characteristics of the Absolutist Rule of Charles I of England and Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV was an absolute monarch in France from 1643 to 1715. His father died when he was just four years old, making Louis XIV the throne’s successor at a very young age. Because of this, he ruled for seventy-two years, which made him “the longest monarch to rule a major country in European history” (Eggert). But it was when he was twenty-three years old when he decided to rule without a prime minister, believing it was his divine right. Translated by Louis de Rouvroy, Duc de Saint-Simon, the author of the book The Memoirs of Louis XIV: His Court and The Regency, King Louis XIV wrote, “The royal power is absolute. The royal throne is not the throne of a man, but the throne of God himself. Kings should be guarded as holy things, and whoever
During the 17th century, the ideals of absolutism is completely condensened in the statement by King Louis XIV “Un roi, un loi, un foi” which translates to “One king, one law, one faith”. As the model for the rest of European powers that wanted to achieve absolutist rule, Louis XIV achieved his goals (of one king, one law, and one faith) very well.
O: Rage and revolt can describe the country of France at the time of the Revolution faced because of turmoil and struggle they faced. Different estates were formed based on what you did and your class in society. The people of society wanted more say in the government and decisions that King Louis XVI made. The public didn't approve with much of what King Louis did. His lack of ability to be a strong king and leader affected his reputation to the public eye. King Louis was tried for committing treason to the country of France. Treason is the attempt to kill a sovereign and overthrow the government. Some of the reasons were his attempt to flee to Varennes, living in Versailles which was not in Paris, and reforms he passed as a ruler. These actions performed by King Louis isn’t what a King does, but that doesn’t prove any
The treatment of the "majority", which was the lower class, had a significant role in each of these revolutions. The French revolution was considered, "the great revolution of the eighteenth century" (McKay, 705) and is a perfect example of how the "majority" was treated. Out of twenty-five million people, 100,000 were the clergy, 400,000 were noblemen (McKay, 705) and the "majority" of the population was known as the third estate. These people were forced to starve while Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived in the lap of luxury. For an example, the price of a loaf of bread was so high, that only the rich could afford it.
In the seventeenth century there were different types of leaders in Europe. The classic monarchial rule was giving way to absolutist rule. Absolute kings claimed to be ruling directly from God, therefore having divine rule that could not be interfered with. In 1643 Louis XIV began his reign over France as an absolute king.
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.
Absolutism describes a form of monarchical power that is unrestrained by all other institutions, such as churches, legislatures, or social elites. To achieve absolutism one must first promote oneself as being powerful and authoritative, then the individual must take control of anyone who might stand in the way of absolute power. The Palace of Versailles helped King Louis XIV fulfill both of those objectives. Versailles used propaganda by promoting Louis with its grandiosity and generous portraits that all exuded a sense of supremacy. Versailles also helped Louis take control of the nobility by providing enough space to keep them under his watchful eye. The Palace of Versailles supported absolutism during King Louis XIV’s reign through propaganda, and control of nobility.
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
It is often debated whether or not the reign of King Louis XIV had a positive or negative effect on France. Although there were improvements during his reign in transportation, culture, and national defense, there were far more negative aspects. He depleted the national treasury with his liberal spending on personal luxuries and massive monuments. His extreme fear of the loss of power led to poor decision making, which caused the court to be of lower quality. King Louis XIV’s disastrous rule brought about a series of effects that influenced the French Revolution in the following century.
Long ago in France, there were three types of people. There lived the poor people whom lived off of their land and the business of other people, which created the bottom of the social classes. There lived the rich people whom lived off of themselves and their businesses that they owned, which granted them noble power. Finally, there lived the royalties: King, Queen, and their people. These people belonged to their explicit social classes in France, which is the basis of the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Dickens uses these classes in his story to express the French Revolution and show how the poor were mistreated by the rich, and how the royalties were the most corrupt of the land. The French Revolution was the turning point of France at the time, which turned the entire basis of France’s monarchy around thanks to the classes of France banding together to stop the King. The social classes of France comprised the Revolution that turned France around and became a more civilized and fair society, and this is quite evident in Charles Dickens’s novel A Tale of Two Cities.