Absolutist state: definition and examples

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absolutist state it is a political regime that emerged at the end of the Middle Ages.

Also called Absolutism it is characterized by concentrating power and authority on the king and on few collaborators.

In this type of government, the king is totally identified with the State, that is, there is no difference between the real person and the State that governs.

There is no constitution or written law that limits royal power, nor is there a regular parliament that counteracts the power of the monarch.

Origin of the Absolute State

absolute monarchy
King Louis XIV is considered the model of the absolutist monarch

The Absolutist State emerged in the process of formation of the Modern State at the same time that the bourgeoisie was getting stronger.

During the Middle Ages, the nobles held more power than the king. The sovereign was just one more among the nobles and should seek a balance between the nobility and his own space.

During the transition from feudalism to capitalism there was the economic rise of the bourgeoisie

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It's from Mercantilism. Another political regime in West-Central Europe was needed to ensure peace and law enforcement.

Therefore, there is a need for a government that centralizes state administration.

In this way, the king was the ideal figure to concentrate political power and arms, and ensure the functioning of businesses.

At this time, large national armies and the prohibition of private armed forces began to emerge.

Examples of Absolute States

Throughout history, with the centralization of modern state, several nations started to form absolutist states. Here are some examples:

France

It is considered the formation of the French State under the reign of Kings Louis XIII (1610-1643) and King Louis XIV (1643-1715) lasting until the French Revolution, in 1789.

Louis XIV limited the power of the nobility, concentrated economic and war decisions on himself and his closest collaborators.

It carried out a policy of alliances through marriages that ensured its influence in much of Europe, making France the most relevant kingdom on the European continent.

This king believed that only "one king, one law and one religion" would make the nation prosper. In this way, a persecution of Protestants begins.

England

England went through a long period of internal disputes due to religious wars, first between Catholics and Protestants and, later, between the various Protestant currents.

This fact was decisive for the monarch to concentrate more power, to the detriment of the nobility.

The great example of an English absolutist monarchy is the reign of Henry VIII (1509-1547) and his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) when a new religion was established and Parliament was weakened.

In order to limit the sovereign's power, the country goes to war and only with the glorious revolution lays the foundations of the constitutional monarchy.

Spain

Spain is considered to have had two periods of absolute monarchy.

First, during the reign of the Catholic kings, Elizabeth and Ferdinand, at the end of the 14th century, until the reign of Charles IV, which lasted from 1788 to 1808. Isabel of Castile and Fernando de Aragon ruled without any constitution.

In any case, Isabel and Fernando must always be attentive to the requests of the nobility of both Castile and Aragon, from where they came respectively.

The second period is the reign of Fernando VII, from 1815-1833, who abolished the Constitution of 1812, re-established the Inquisition and removed some rights from the nobility.

Portugal

Absolutism in Portugal began at the same time that the Great Navigations. The prosperity brought with Brazil's new products and precious metals were essential to enrich the king.

The reign of Dom João V (1706-1750) is considered the height of the Portuguese absolutist state, as this monarch centralized in the crown all important decisions such as justice, the army and the economy.

Absolutism in Portugal would last until the Porto Liberal Revolution, in 1820, when King Dom João VI (1816-1826) was forced to accept a Constitution.

Divine Law and the Absolutist State

absolutist state
Absolutism provided for a sovereign, ruling for subjects of the same religion, as did Henry VIII in England

The theory behind absolutism was "Divine Right". Conceived by the French Jacques Bossuet (1627-1704), its origin was in the Bible.

Bossuet considers that the sovereign is God's own representative on Earth and that is why he must be obeyed. Subjects must obey their orders and not question them.

In turn, the monarch should be the best of men, cultivate justice and good government. Bossuet argued that if the king were created according to religious principles, he would necessarily be a good ruler, because his actions would always benefit his subjects.

Absolutist State Theorists

Besides Bossuet, other thinkers developed their thesis about absolutism. We highlight Jean Boudin, Thomas Hobbes and Nicolas Machiavelli.

Jean Boudin

The doctrine of state sovereignty was described by the French Jean Bodin (1530 - 1596). This theory holds that the ultimate power was given by God to the sovereign and subjects should only obey him.

By this thought, the king is considered the representative of God and owes obedience only to Him. The only restriction on the king's power would be his own conscience and the religion that should guide his actions.

In this model of an absolutist state, according to Bodin, there was nothing more sacred than the king.

Thomas Hobbes

One of the main advocates of absolutism was English Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679). Hobbes defended, in his work "Leviathan"Initially, human beings lived in the state of nature, where there was the "war of all against all".

In order to live in peace, men signed a kind of social contract, would renounce their freedom and submit to authority.

In return, they would receive the security offered by the state and the guarantee that private property would be respected.

Nicholas Machiavelli

the florentine Nicholas Machiavelli (1469-1527) summarized in his work "The prince" the separation of morals and politics.

According to Machiavelli, the leader of a nation should use all means to remain in power and govern. Therefore, he describes that a monarch can launch means such as violence in order to ensure his permanence on the throne.

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