Age Of Absolutism Dbq

Abryl Navarro DBQ Essay During the 1500s and 1600s, Western Europe experienced a period of governments ruled by ab-solute monarchs. Absolute monarchies are forms of government in which the monarch has abso-lute power over the people. The absolutism was caused by religious and territorial conflicts which was crated fear and uncertainty. Rulers/ Kings abused their power of absolutism over their sub-jects.

Compare and contrast the theories and practice of absolutism and constitutional monarchy during the 17th century.

Louis XIV, Peter the Great, and Tokugawa Ieyasu all considered their own power and strengthened their states in many different ways but their actions were all similar. They united their states, introduced reforms and assessed their power and the effect that they could have on others. Although their techniques were different, the ways these monarchs ruled their states show great similarities.

Many rulers used absolutism in their countries. They believed rulers should have complete control over the country. Prince Machiavelli believed the best way to rule was to be feared and thought that the only way people would listen to him was if he was mean and scary. He thought if he was nice and loved then they would not fear him and end up taking advantage of him. (doc1) King James also believed absolutism was the way to go. He believed in divine right and that it was the only way to keep the country

King Louis XIV of France used absolute tactics. He used absolute tactics from the late 17th century to the early 18th century. What does king Louis do to create absolutism? King Louis creates absolutism by building the most brilliant court ever known to Europe, Versailles. He built the court because he wanted the nobility to live there. They didn’t really have a choice because he commanded them to leave their castles in the country. King Louis wanted the nobility to live with him because he wanted to watch over them. He wanted to watch over them because he wanted to take their power. Without knowing it, the nobility challenged each other. They all fell into the habit of trying to please him. It was very unwise to be disobedient or disrespectful to him while living at Versailles (DOC 2). King Louis wanted absolute power because he wanted to be the one and only to make decisions. He did not want to share that power with the

It was widely believed that kings had the power to enforce God's works and messages in the country that he ruled. As expressed by King James the First of England,"...kings are...God's lieutenants on earth..."(Document B). Kings are meant to act as God's second in command on earth and enforce God's mission on the people that he rules. According to Bishop Jaques Bousset's Political Treatise,"... the king is sacred, and that to attack him in any way is sacrilege"(Document F). Kings were believed to be sent by God to rule and, therefore, should not be questioned. This belief allowed absolute monarchies to take hold in countries throughout Europe. The rule of these powerful governments allowed prosperity to take hold in

     Absolutist rulers had several main goals for successive reign over the people. The first being to eliminate or weaken the national representative assemblies. Next rulers looked to gain

The English had been under the combined rule of both the king and the assembly for so long that they were not ready to give all the power of government to a single person. The least influential, Charles I, was born in 1600 and died 1649 when he inherited the throne parliament was very upset with the monarchy and sought to lessen the power of the monarchy. Charles I tried to rule without consenting Parliament, but Parliament had so much control at the time that he failed to decrease its power. However, Charles believed in the divine rights of kings. Charles went on to oppress his people by levying taxes without the consent of the parliament. Many of his subjects saw him as a tyrannically oppressive leader. He created

Absolutism started in the seventeenth century. The absolute monarchs main goal was to control every aspect of society. Usually the absolute monarchs ruled without any limitations to their authority. The most effective form of government in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is absolutism because men are selfish, the kings and princes were chosen by god, and the king has certain rights that no other person has.

Bishop Jacques Bossuet noted in document 5 kings should be trusted and perceived as holy people and not to be hurt. The mentioned documents justify absolute monarchs establish fewer conflicts, had morals, and gave everybody an equal chance at

During the seventeenth century, the monarch was known to have all control and dominance. However, people began to question whether the monarch should have ultimate authority and sovereign power in the palm of their hands. When their concerns began to grow, the disadvantages started to become more obvious. Thus proving there were more negative outcomes, of an absolutist form of government, than positive results.

He openly expressed his distrust of religion, and particularly believed that it had no place in politics, as evidenced by his saying, “It is of no concern in politics whether the ruler has a religion [or not],” (Political Testament, 2). The philosophes of the Enlightenment shared this belief that religion should not be involved in politics; instead, it should be replaced by reason. In contrast, many absolutist rulers believed that their power was God-given: divine-right monarchy. Religion was a major influence on absolutist government. By arguing the importance of applying reason rather than religion to politics, Frederick the Great acted on the enlightened emphasis on reason and rational thinking more than the absolutist focus on religion’s involvement in monarchial

Absolutism, where there is a person who has full political power over a country, rose in the 17th century due to the increase in surplus, mercantilism and the standing armies. Due to the increase in surplus in these countries, the government had more money to spend. Mercantilism also contributed to the economic growth of countries that adopted it. The increased money from these meant increased funding for standing armies. The standing armies gave the king an army without needing to call on the nobles, thereby lessening their importance and power, and heightening the king’s.

Divine right theory, or the divine right of kings, is a religio-political doctrine that validated the sovereign rule of various monarchs, primarily European, from the late sixteenth century up until the late eighteenth century. According to the theory, the monarch derives their legitimacy and right to rule solely from their birth—such authority is transmitted to a ruler from their ancestors, who claimed their power was appointed directly to their lineage by God. This theory asserts that because the right to rule is divinely sanctioned, the monarch is subject to no other authority besides that of God, and therefore not subject to any earthly rule. This also ensured the unquestionable obedience of the monarch’s subjects, because to actively

One way he achieved his absolute power was through the divine right of kings. The Divine right of kings is defined as “the doctrine that the right of rule derives directly from God, not from the consent of the people.” King Louis XIV used the fact that people couldn’t deny any of his privileges because if they did it would be like they were denying God himself to his advantage. Jean Domat, a French jurist, wrote in his publication on “Social Order and Absolute Monarchy”, “Since government is necessary for the public good, and God Himself has established it, it is consequently also necessary for those who are subject to government, to be submissive and obedient. For otherwise they would resist God Himself, and government, which should be the bond of peace and unity that brings about the public good, would become an occasion for divisions and disturbances that would cause its downfall.” Jean Domat wrote mostly of royal absolutism; King Louis XIV regarded his work very highly. This evidence proves that during this time, many believed that if