3.7 Absolutist Approaches to Power

Absolutism and the Divine Right of Kings

Absolutism was a system of government in which all sovereign power resided in a monarch who ruled by divine right. This political theory asserted that kings derived their authority directly from God, not from any earthly authority, and were accountable only to Him. As a result, absolutist monarchs claimed total control over lawmaking, taxation, and military power, often limiting the role of traditional institutions like parliaments and representative assemblies.

Foundations of Absolutism in France

Before Louis XIV, earlier Bourbon monarchs strengthened the monarchy’s authority and prepared the ground for absolutist rule.

• Henry IV (r. 1589–1610) restored order following the French Wars of Religion. His Edict of Nantes (1598) established religious tolerance for Huguenots while maintaining Catholicism as the state religion.
• He and his finance minister, Duke of Sully, revived France’s economy by encouraging agriculture, reducing the national debt, and building roads and canals.
• To raise funds and reward loyalty, Henry sold noble titles—creating a new elite, the Nobles of the Robe, who supported the crown.

After Henry's assassination, his son Louis XIII (r. 1610–1643) came to power, though real control rested with Cardinal Richelieu, his chief minister.

• Richelieu centralized royal authority by reducing noble power and weakening the Habsburgs during the Thirty Years’ War, despite France being Catholic.
• He created the intendant system, in which royal agents (intendants) administered provinces, collected taxes, and enforced the king’s policies—answering only to the monarchy.

These policies eroded the traditional independence of local nobles and paved the way for full absolutism under Louis XIV.

Louis XIV: The Sun King

The reign of Louis XIV (1643–1715) marked the peak of French absolutism. He famously declared:

• Louis moved the court to the lavish Palace of Versailles, where nobles were required to live under his supervision. By surrounding them with rituals and etiquette, he distracted them from political power while enhancing royal prestige.
• To unify religion, he revoked the Edict of Nantes with the Edict of Fontainebleau (1685), suppressing Protestantism. This policy expelled thousands of skilled Huguenots, weakening France’s economy in the long run, but consolidated his power over the nobility.

Economically, Louis relied on Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who implemented mercantilist policies to increase France’s wealth and reduce its dependence on imports.

• Colbert encouraged domestic manufacturing, built roads and canals, imposed tariffs on foreign goods, and expanded the French navy.
• His goal was to maintain a favorable balance of trade to increase France’s supply of gold and silver—key principles of mercantilism.

Militarily, Louis expanded France’s standing army and fought several wars to increase its borders, particularly in the Spanish Netherlands. However, these wars drained the treasury and helped turn European powers against France.

Peter the Great and Russian Absolutism

In contrast to Western Europe, Russia was relatively isolated and underdeveloped by the late 17th century. Peter the Great (1682–1725), part of the Romanov Dynasty, sought to modernize and Westernize Russia by embracing absolutist methods.

• After traveling to Western Europe during the Great Embassy, Peter returned determined to modernize Russia’s military, economy, and society.
• He built a strong central bureaucracy and reformed the army with Western training, conscription, and new weapons. He also constructed a navy to expand Russia’s access to European trade routes.

To symbolize Russia’s transformation, Peter founded St. Petersburg in 1703 on newly acquired Baltic territory. Designed like a Western city, it became Russia’s new capital and his “window to the West.”

Social reforms also reflected his absolutism:

• Peter forced the boyars (Russian Nobles) to serve in the military or state administration, cutting their independent power.
• He introduced Western Dress, shaved noblemen’s beards, and granted women more social freedom, moves that alienated traditionalists but aligned Russia with European customs.

Economically, Peter expanded iron and shipbuilding industries and established state-run factories, bringing Russia into the commercial world. He also introduced a poll tax and reorganized the Russian Orthodox Church under state control.

Through a series of wars such as the Great Northern War against Sweden, Peter expanded Russian territory and firmly placed Russia among the great powers of Europe.

Legacy of Absolutism

Absolutism marked a dramatic shift from the more limited monarchies of the Renaissance. While New Monarchs had worked to centralize authority, they often negotiated with the nobility and the church. In contrast, absolutists like Louis XIV and Peter the Great claimed total power and used it to transform society, economy, and religion according to their will.

Key Vocabulary

🎥 Watch: AP European History - Age of Absolutism

🎥 Watch: AP European History - Absolutist France

🎥 Watch: AP European History - Absolutist Russia