Preview

Compare and Contrast- Absolute and Parliamentary Monarchy.

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
457 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Compare and Contrast- Absolute and Parliamentary Monarchy.
Since the postclassical period, feudal monarchy had defined Western politics.This finally came to an end when the power balance kept between king and nobles was undone in the 17th century.

In many countries, after religious wars, monarchs had gained new powers; reducing the pressure from nobles and chances of revolt. France was the model for this new pattern, now the most important nation in the West. French kings steadily built up their power in the 17th century; they stopped c onvening medieval parliament and passed laws as they saw fit, though some provincial councils remained strong.

Kings would blow up the castles of nobles who disagreed with him, a sign that gunpowder was undermining the military basis by which feudalism was supported. A growing bureaucracy was being appointed, the mainstay drawn from merchants and lawyers. They sent direct representatives to outlying provinces and professionazlied their army; giving more formal training to officers, providing uniforms and support, and creating military hospitals as well as pensions.

The French system way of government was known as an absolute monarchy, due to the tremendous power of the king. King Louis XIV summed up the principles of absolute monarchy ably with a simple statement,"I am the state." King Louis became the major patron of the arts, giving his government a cultural role not found anywhere else in the West. His academies encouraged science and worked to standardize the French language. In order to keep the nobles busy from interfering with government functions, a lavish palace was built in Versailles.

While many countries in the West took steps to emulate France, Britain and the Netherlands stood out; both of these growing commercial and colonial powers emphasized the role of the central state but also built parliamentary regimes in which the king shared power with representatives. These representatives were selected by the nobility and upper urban classes.

The English civil wars established

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    European monarchy was in full force between 1400 and 1800, in a variety of nations and ways. Phillip II of Spain and Fredrick William the 1st of Prussia were monarchs with similar approaches in terms of absolutist reign accompanied by a strong military, yet they differed on foreign policy, economics, and religion.…

    • 648 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ap Euro Dbq Essay

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages

    o France shifts from a monarchy to a revolutionary republic to a authoritarian empire (which in turn only lasts until 1870)…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The 17th and 18th centuries were a period filled with nation building and expansion across the globe as extensive, and often overseas, holdings became an indicator of a strong and wealthy country in this politically competitive era. However, the extent of a ruler's control was not their only concern. Many monarchs throughout Europe took great initiative to consolidate and increase their power, building absolute monarchies in which they held absolute power. The pursuit of political absolutism frequently stemmed from past conflict involving the various monarchs and included practices such as increasing the authority and control over the nobility, building standing armies, and independently collecting funds, the manner of which were similar between many rulers. An increase in the subjugation and control of nobles is most evident in the reigns of Louis XIV of France as well as…

    • 2606 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Louis XIV believed that one king should have power and control over the country of France. To do this he reorganized the army and was exceptionally…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Western Europe and specifically France had continuities and changes that occurred in the political and social structures over the time period of 1600 to 1850.…

    • 780 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    An Absolute Monarchy was a new concept to the people of France during the 1600’s. Other forms of government were failing from lack of control, so the people of France turned to an Absolute Monarch, named Louis XIV. The only problem with Louis was that he was self-centered, and did not care a whole lot about governing his kingdom. He was more concerned with making himself looking good, and even went as far to call himself the “Sun God.” As a result, the French common people lived very rough lives, due to the neglect of their king. It was not an easy life for the French people under King Louis XIV’s rule, and it was not made better by his view on governing. This is shown through his lack of genuine care for his people, over taxation, and wars of the time.…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Louis XIV was the epitome of an absolute monarch. Through his endless wars, extreme extravagance, and absolute control over taxes and the economy, he set the example for other European powers. His absolute rule brought about both positives and negatives. By building a large army to defend and expand his borders, he alienated other empires and created enemies. Placing political power and faith in the nobility helped him rule a vast kingdom but displaced him from the common man. His obsession with being a great conqueror expanded France to its largest in history, but nearly bankrupted the country and resulted in losing more territory than he gained. Although Louis XIV brought many improvements to France, as well as western society, his insatiable lust for war and extravagance caused more harm than good to the French Empire.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the later portion of the 1600’s, the monarchial systems of both England and France were changing. England strayed away from an absolute monarch and ran toward a mightier parliament instead. The opposite was occurring in France as Louis XIV strengthened his own office while weakening the general assembly of France, the Estates General. Absolutism, the political situation in which a monarch controls makes all political, social, economic, and cultural decisions in a government without checks or balances, had been introduced by Charles I and James I. However, it never took hold. In France, Louis XIV took absolutism to extremes, claiming to be a servant of God. A limited monarch, England’s monarchial system, is a government in which a monarch…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    France from 1643 ­ 1715 C.E were both considered as very strong rulers who would do what it…

    • 823 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A World Lit Only by Fire

    • 1085 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As Europe left the Medieval Era and entered the Renaissance, its political system was undergoing a huge overhaul. All political power was practically destroyed by the Huns and the beginnings of Western Countries being divided into countries began. “Europe was ruled by a new aristocracy: the noble” (41). Men would gain a following and then make a claim to land, the bigger the following the more land was received. These land claims were bound together to create the Modern countries of Western Countries, which many hold the same boundaries today, such as England, France, and Spain. Most of these men thanked the divine power and would do whatever the church would tell them to. “By A.D. 1500 most of these sovereign dynasties were in place” (55). These countries were all united under a single man with absolute power in government known as a Monarchy (124). Most Monarchs would have total control over people's lives and in turn their people would serve them first and their religious leaders second. Hence more power was transferred to these rulers as the church was lost power. When new religions started up in Germany (Lutheranism), England (Anglican), and…

    • 1085 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rise Of New Monarchs

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages

    After the Crusades, monarchs realized that the key to maintaining power was to gain the support of the nobility and become independent of the nobles. Leaders of New Monarchs changes how they ruled and how they saw themselves as rulers. They cared for the aspirations of the people and represented their country. Louis XI of France and Henry VII of England were two examples of New Monarchs who centralized government and contributed to the rise of their countries from the period of 1450-1550.…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Barbarian Empire Dbq

    • 2362 Words
    • 10 Pages

    A clear consequence of the birth of these nation states was the beginning of modern monarchies. Late Roman leadership had fluctuated between elected, appointed and hereditary emperors; in the new Barbarian kingdoms, the hereditary principle became the standard. Educated statesmen were replaced by hardened warriors who earned their positions of power by warfare.…

    • 2362 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Kings of England and of France constantly attempted to obtain more power for themselves in order to become richer, more influential, and stronger. These kings used many similar and different methods in an attempt to gain more power. However, some factors led to the decline of power in England as opposed to rise of power in France.…

    • 1417 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In England, the move was away from an absolute monarch, and toward a more powerful Parliament. In France, the opposite was happening as Louis XIV strengthened his own office while weakening the general assembly of France, the Estates General. Absolutism, the political situation in which a monarch controls all aspects of government with no checks or balances, had been introduced in England by James I and Charles I, but never quite took hold. In France, on the other hand, Louis XIV took absolutism to extremes, claiming to be a servant of God (the "divine right of Kings") and dissolving France's only general assembly. Absolutism failed in England but flourished in France is due mainly to the political situation in each country when the idea was first introduced.…

    • 751 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The idea of a single person holding dominion over all others to form an independent state is the driving force in state consolidation in 17th century Europe. Political development in this concept led to different methods of operating a government two prominent models being absolutism and constitutionalism. The first one centers on a strong centralized monarchy and the dominating royal power and the latter is based on a limited monarchy where the ruler is confined to the law and parliament. Theoretically, England planned to follow the constitutional model but the Stuart monarchs thought otherwise of this and conflicted with the Parliament throughout the century. This conflict centers on the evolution of England to becoming a world power.…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays