Absolutism

- In Kings is where sovereignty is resided (not the nobility or the parliamentary) who considered
themselves responsible to God alone.
- New state Bureaucracies and standings armies that are regulated all the institutions of
government and secured the cooperation of the nobility are what the absolute kings created.
- The modern totalitarian state was foreshadowed by the absolutist state unfortunately they
lacked its total control over all aspects of its citizens’ lives.

French Absolutism: Henry IV, Sully, and Richelieu

- Henry IV achieved peace by caring for his people through lowering taxes and he got to curtail
the power of nobility.
- Sully, Henry’s minister, brought about economic growth and financial stability.
- The ruler of France under King Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu, broke the power of the French
nobility.
- Henry IV had given religious freedom to Protestants (Huguenots) in 150 towns through the Edict
of Nantes but Louis XIII decided otherwise.
- France sought to break Habsburg power when they were under Richelieu
- Richelieu supported the new French Academy, which created a dictionary to standardize the
French language.
- The ability of the French government to tax was severely limited by local rights and the nobility
and middle class tax exemption status.
- The centralizing policies of Richelieu were continued by Mazarin but these gave rise to a period
of civil wars known as the Fronde.

Absolute Monarchy of Louis XIV

- The known ‘Sun King’, Louis XIV, was a devout Catholic who believed that the one who
established kings as rulers on earth was God.
- Because of fear to the nobility, he gains a success in collaboration with them to enhance both
royal and aristocratic prestige.
- Louise XIV kept France at war for 33 of the 54 years of his personal rule; the one who created a
professional army for Louis was Marquis de Louvois.
- He continued Richelieu’s policies.

Seventeenth century

- By 1590’s the developed absolute monarchy of Spain was declined

- Olivares, Philip IV’s minister, mistakenly thought that to solve Spain’s problem the revival of war
with the Dutch was needed; war with France followed-all bringing disasters for Spain
- The Treaty of Pyrenees ended the French-Spain wars and marked the end of Spain as great
power