The Role Of Absolute Monarchy In France

A Comparison of the Characteristics of the Absolutist Rule of Charles I of England and Louis XIV of France

France developed constitutional monarchy and then went into democratic despotism and after that into the Napoleonic empire. It all started when the people at first fought against the unfair taxes. A constitutional monarchy was established the king was not feeling the constitutional monarchy so he plotted to restore his former power. While trying to get his power back the king was caught lying and the lie cost him his head. Then they started a republic. The idea of killing enemies of the Republic seemed like a good idea at first but took a turn for the worst.

     One of the most important factors to consider during this time period is the reign of Louis XIV. His idea of the monarchy was one of the reasons why the French government had failed and created turmoil for the citizens of France. Louis XIV enjoyed the royal life very much and very fervently. He spent more of his reign enjoying himself and his life rather than ruling the country.

Would you have wanted to be told what to do by a king or queen, or never be able to have have a say in anything? Well I believe a country should have freedom and the power should be in the people's hands not the government. The leader of the French monarchy was Louis XVI. The french revolution began in 1789 shortly after the american revolution. The three words that became the french battle cry was Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.

The church and the state had to contend with the growing influence of the Enlightenment and the need to strike a new balance with religion, a more utilitarian balance determined in large part by its own political rationalism. Power was held within the monarchy and the church. The monarchy of France and the Catholic Church were allies that were unbreakable. The King was the master of the temporal realm, while the Church under his protection ruled the spiritual realm. Kings derived their authority from God and stood immediately below him in rank. The monarchy had the support of the church and the church had the support of the monarchy. Power was based on morality and the church thrived on positive morality and the monarchy was proof of this morality. The balance between these two powers in France was equivalent to one another. The whole system

A constitutional monarchy was created in France because it was the decision of the National Assembly to make the king be in charge France. Even though it was a ratified constitution for the French, they decided to keep it as a king in charge instead having a president. The king however was kept as executive power of France. For the French, the king was able to resist any democratic change which made the National Assembly reconstruct the French society. The French people didn’t feel pleased of this decision because the third estate wasn’t well represented in the government which is similar to how the American colonists felt when the British passed the Tea Act, Stamp Act, and Revenue Act. The French felt cheated because they were promised a somewhat similar democracy like the American colonists gained, but they ended up with a constitutional monarchy.

During the era of the late 16th and 17th centuries, a new idea of political thought was sweeping France: the idea of centralization of power and Absolutism. These ideas gave the vast majority of, if not all, of the political power and authority of government to the reigning monarch of France. Absolutism was brought to fruition by the likes of monarchs and noblemen such as Louis XIV and was backed by the idea of the right to rule by divine intervention. The theoretical basis for the idea of absolute royal authority in France was the idea of the right to rule by divine intervention.

In “Social Order and Absolute Monarchy, written by Jean Domat, Domat argues that the absolute monarchy portrayed by King Louis XIV of France was created in the best interest of France. Domat’s audience in this document seems to be the middle class as well as the lower classes of France since Domat’s main goal of this paper is to justify the actions and amount of power held by the upper class and the king in an absolute monarchy.

Once the seventeenth century began, western civilization became based upon bounds. In a structured and shared-power system known as limited monarchy, rulers either became hastened within their bounds or exploded from them. As the British Isles were frustrated in the religious, political, and national voices going unheard, England developed a Protestant-run nation in conjunction with Scotland as a bounded country in 1707. Their Parliament would make their decisions, distribute the country’s wealth, and stand for the rights of individuals. The model of one man who could not be chained to a Parliamentary system was France’s King Louis XIV. His reign begins in 1643 which brings about the genuine definition of an absolute monarchy and it’s faults. Absolutism was a practice built heavily within the Middle Ages, it would include Kings as the primary shareholders of their land, partnerships with nobles and their Churches. It would prove unsatisfactory for most kingdoms as they failed under civil war and invasion until the seventeenth century shines a new importance on superior command. Through the strife of religious reformations and international conflicts, absolutism grants those in kingship unlimited power. King Henry IV had brought France from fifteenth century centralization and the Reformation’s civil war to cleanse the people’s doubt in their King. The Bourbons built a monarchy for the ages with their grandson Louis XIV, and Boy-King in 1643. Utilizing absolutism to accept

The Third Estate, treated unfairly in society, became angered and wanted simple equalities that the other Estates had. In

After being ruled by a prime minister for so long, France needed some changes. That is exactly what Louis the XIV would bring to France. In an age of separation, Louis wanted to start a unification process. He started this by giving himself sole power and also only having one religion for the country. The king is always the center of attention good or bad. Louis was prepared to take the good with the bad, and handled it well. He emphasized the king as the center of attention. While some see him as egotistical and greedy, Louis was one king who knew how to make improvements.

something that would help his country. All of Louis actions were attempts to achieve one

During the eighteenth century there was one central political cause for the French Revolution. King Louis XVI was a weak ruler who endured a lavish lifestyle. He disregarded the people’s needs, leaving much of the French population in discontent. Prior to the revolution the form of government was Absolute monarchy led by Louis XVI. The problem with absolute monarchy was that people were denied basic rights, and a say in government because the divine right theory was abused. The King ruled by the divine right of theory which

After the Revolution in France, the old absolutist monarchy was replaced by the Constitution of 1791, and King Louis XVI was forced to share power with an elected legislative body in the new constitutional monarchy. In a rather

The monarchy tried to make an attempt to give the third estate power. The monarchy established the Estate's General. This too, was corrupted. Unlike most legislative bodies, the Estate's General did not vote by each person having a single vote. Rather, they let each estate have one vote each. Since the first two estates were always in agreement, the third estate was always out voted.