Monarchy Flashcards
What event depicts the sacrality of the monarchy?
September 1528- Henri II in Notre Dame ‘the king touches thee and God heals thee’
Since when have monarchs claimed to hold healing properties, and which dynasty specifically?
Since the 10th Century, specifically the Capet dynasty.
When does the French anointing oil date from?
498.
When did the theory of Divine Right become especially prominent in Europe?
In 16th Century political thought, e.g. the Valois dynasty.
How can we characterise the position of the crown in regards to the monarch?
In the beginning of the early modern era the monarch could do what they pleased. However practical possession was often viewed in theoretical terms.
What was the position of formal institutions of state?
They were still very much subordinate to the monarch. In France there were 13 parlements, the Paris one controlling 1/4 of all of France, yet still highly subordinate to the monarch up until the Revolution.
When was the Paris parlement dismissed?
In 1788 for refusing to sign a taxation reform bill of Louis XVI’s.
What were the 6 fundamental aspects of being a French monarch?
- Cannot alienate royal authority.
- Cannot be Protestant.
- Must preserve church liberties.
- Must preserve the Estates hierarchy.
- Privilege and property must be protected.
- Preservation of primogeniture in the male line.
What were the three functions of the early modern state?
- To make and execute laws.
- To wage war.
- To raise money (largely to fund wars).
What do the three functions of the early modern state reflect?
Often reflected dynastic concerns e.g. the rough wooing of Henry VIII, factional and national rivalry.
How did monarchs view their subjects?
As largely a war resource, economically and in troops. They should be grateful for ‘trickle down glory’.
What characterised early modern justice?
Perceived as the main task of the crown, monarch embodied God’s judgement. Monarch’s main responsibility was to keep tradition, there were other institutions that dispensed justice to ensure this fulfilled.
What three aspects of early modern society balanced out monarchical ideology?
- Particularism.
- Corporatism.
- Privilege.
How was monarchical ideology balanced out?
By regional and communal disparity questioning the perceived conservatism of the monarchy.
How can it be said that there was institutional plurality in early modern France?
There were 394 courts, 24 large ones and one parlement in Paris alone.
Why was the institutional plurality in France such an issue to monarchical authority?
Challenges the crown’s legitimacy as a dispenser of justice etc due to regional allegiances. Estates-Generals undermine absolutist powers.
Why was the institutional plurality in France such an issue to local communities?
Local institutions were used for practical matters, yet often dominated by richest households and thus not representative of peoples wishes but oligarchical.
What was the level of interaction between the monarchy and its localities?
Large monarchies did not have accompanying large bureaucracies, central government did not have a level of distribution of power and thus little interaction.
How was the monarchy portrayed in the early modern era?
Pomp and circumstance, through the monarch’s aspect being printed onto coinage to circulate knowledge.
How did the type of monarchy vary across Europe?
Not everywhere was an ‘absolute’ monarchy. e.g. HRE was based on non-cohesive localities electing an emperor.
What characterised the Holy Roman Empire?
Not a cohesive state, varying ecclesiastical states, free cities and small kingdoms. No clear boundaries.
How did monarchs embody national identities in the early modern era?
the Netherlands, who had fought for independence from HRE/Spain, wanted to protect their particularist society yet had a prince (stakeholder) who was a military man acting as a spokesperson but not a monarch.
Name three monarchs whose actions stress the establishing and maintaining role of the monarchy:
Henry VIII- king by birth, sought after a son and heir.
Marriage- geographical alliance of Ferdinand and Isabelle.
Henry VII- battles and treaties.
What is a source for the questioning of sacred nature of monarchy?
Henry VIII to parliament (1543)
What did Henry VIII say to parliament in 1543?
‘we at no time stand so highly in our estate royal as in the time of parliament…’
What was the stability of composite monarchies based upon?
The mutual acceptance between the two sub-‘states’
How was the stability of composite monarchies threatened, give an example.
Through the jeopardising via religious divisions e.g. Spain and the Netherlands.
What was special about the French Monarchy?
All French people accepted that only the monarchy could stand for the realm as a whole
What is significant about where power resided in early modern countries?
Power rested upon consent, but representative institutions/monarchs never consented to a shift in power.
Why was achieving dynastic goals for monarchs sometimes so difficult?
Monarchs of composite states encountered more than one representative institution.
How can we depict the importance and power of particularist institutions such as parliament?
Through Charles I’s and Oliver Cromwell’s attempts at ruling without one.
