Absolute Monarchy Flashcards
The Foundations of Absolutism in France
Key Point: Absolutism in France developed under the idea of the king’s divine right to rule (droit divin), meaning the monarch’s authority was sanctioned by God.
Example: This principle was articulated by theorists like Bishop Bossuet, who argued that rebellion against the king was rebellion against God.
Relevance: Discuss in essays on governance, religious justification for power, or shifts from participatory politics to centralization.
Louis XIV and Centralisation of Power
Key Point: Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715) is the quintessential example of French absolutism. Known as the “Sun King,” he centralized power in the monarchy, reducing the influence of the nobility and provincial parlements.
Example: The Palace of Versailles became both a symbol of royal authority and a tool for controlling the nobility by keeping them physically close to the king.
Relevance: Governance questions about power centralization, the role of monarchs, or comparisons to other systems like the Dutch Republic.
Control of the Nobility
Key Point: Louis XIV curbed the power of the nobility by integrating them into court life at Versailles, limiting their ability to act independently in their own provinces.
Example: The intendant system replaced noble governors in the provinces, ensuring that royal agents carried out the king’s orders on taxation and administration.
Relevance: Use in discussions of participatory politics (decline of local governance) or state-building strategies.
Financial Foundations of Absolutism
Key Point: Financial centralization was key to maintaining absolutism, with ministers like Jean-Baptiste Colbert strengthening royal finances through mercantilist policies.
Example: Colbert expanded state control over the economy by regulating industries, establishing monopolies, and promoting colonial ventures (e.g., French colonies in the Caribbean and Canada).
Relevance: Fits into economic development, governance, or imperialism questions.
Military Power and Absolutism
Key Point: Louis XIV created a standing army, breaking from the medieval model of noble-led forces. This centralized military power directly under royal control.
Example: The War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) showcased the vast resources Louis XIV could mobilize, though the war’s financial strain exposed limits to absolutist rule.
Relevance: Perfect for questions on governance, military revolutions, or the role of war in state-building.
Religious Uniformity
Key Point: Absolutism required religious conformity, and Louis XIV pursued this through policies like the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685).
Example: The Edict of Fontainebleau outlawed Protestantism, leading to the persecution of Huguenots and their mass emigration, which had economic and cultural consequences.
Relevance: Discuss in religion or governance essays, particularly the interplay between faith and power.
Propaganda and the Image of the King
Key Point: Absolutist rule was reinforced by propaganda that portrayed the king as a paternal, almost divine figure who embodied the state (L’état, c’est moi).
Example: Louis XIV commissioned artwork, architecture, and performances (e.g., ballet) to glorify his reign and emphasize the king’s role as the center of the French state.
Relevance: Use for questions on identity, culture, or governance through symbolic power.
Resistance to Absolutism
Key Point: Absolutism was not without resistance, particularly from local parlements, the nobility, and oppressed groups like the peasantry.
Example: The Fronde (1648-1653), a series of uprisings against the crown during Louis XIV’s minority, demonstrated the limits of royal power and shaped his later centralizing policies.
Relevance: Discuss challenges to absolutism or compare resistance in other states (e.g., Dutch or English resistance to centralized rule).
Absolutism and Cultural Identity
Key Point: French absolutism shaped national identity, with the monarchy seen as the unifying force of the state. Cultural achievements under Louis XIV reinforced France’s role as a European leader.
Example: The development of Académie Française and patronage of the arts (e.g., Molière, Racine) fostered a sense of cultural pride and intellectual centralization.
Relevance: Useful for essays on identity, culture, or intellectual change
Absolutism and Cultural Identity
Key Point: French absolutism shaped national identity, with the monarchy seen as the unifying force of the state. Cultural achievements under Louis XIV reinforced France’s role as a European leader.
Example: The development of Académie Française and patronage of the arts (e.g., Molière, Racine) fostered a sense of cultural pride and intellectual centralization.
Relevance: Useful for essays on identity, culture, or intellectual change.
What does David Parker argue?
- Centralisation was to appease the elites
What does Andrew Lossky argue?
- Concept of ‘limited absolutism’ to describe Louis XIV’s rule.
What does Guy Rowlands argue?
- Louis XIV was a great political leader but he was very fortunate that people wanted order in society.
