The View of Absolute Monarchies
The extent to which rulers and their subjects viewed the role of an absolute monarch was
different. The time of this political issue on absolute monarchies was around the 1600s. There
were people for the absolute monarchies, people with their own monarchies and people
against monarchies. Each one had there own idea for what the role of the monarchy was the
people against it thought it was oppressive the people for it thought it was because people
couldn’t rule on their own and the rulers viewed it as a chance to gain more power.
There were people in this time that did not like the idea of an absolute monarchy because they
were being oppressed. An example of this would be The Twelve Articles a declaration of
German peasants in 1524 (Doc 3). The article said that the peasants were enslaved basically and
that it was wrong. There is no direct tie to an absolute monarchy anywhere in the article given
but one may infer that the slavery of peasants in Germany can be tied to an absolute monarchy.
Another person against the idea of absolute monarchy is Arthur Young an English agricultural
scientist (Doc 5). While traveling France for three years he saw their monarchy was oppressive
because of the heavy taxes. The poor must pay while a lot while the rich pay no taxes what so
ever. This mans bias will obviously be against because he is from England where they have a
constitutional monarchy and this person is significant because he sees the difference between
constitutional and absolute monarchy first hand. Adam Olearius a German diplomat traveling to
Moscow (Doc 6) says that their absolute monarchy is oppressive and that the common person
lives as a slave under a “harsh yolk”. He also goes onto say “…the people have been much
oppressed by them… and have not been protected by the higher authorities.” This source is
pretty reliable because the man was a diplomat from Germany and even though his POV should
have been for this monarchy he is surprisingly against it. These are the reasons they did not like
the
monarchy,
thought
it
was
oppressive
and
wanted
it
gone.
Then there was another group of people who were for the absolute monarchy. These people
were for the absolute monarchy because they thought people could not rule on their own
therefore they need an absolute monarchy and ruler. The book Leviathan written by Thomas
Hobbes (Doc 2) was a book mainly known for how a big philosopher back in the 1600s talked
about the idea of an absolute monarchy and how great it was. He wrote that the reason it was
a good idea was because people were greedy, always fought over power and were violent so
therefore they could not rule and were not fit to therefore he says they need an absolute
monarch to control them. This is a very reliable source because of its popularity and it being a
published book and not just some account. A French bishop Jacques Bossuet (Doc 7) believed
that the royal authority was sacred absolute and paternal and is submitted to reason. He also
went on to write about how rulers also had Divine Right from god. He does say that people
need to listen to the ruler so that is why he is in this category. All in all though this document
isn’t that important and doesn’t give that good of an example because it only gives one
indication about him being for an absolute monarchy but here instead of him wanting an
absolute monarchy because humans cant rule on their own he wants it because he a bishop
believes in divine right and therefore there should be an absolute monarchy.
The last group of people who had ideas were the rulers of these monarchies, which will
obviously have a bias obviously towards a pro absolute monarchy type of government. They like
the idea because they get more power than if they had a constitutional monarchy. King James
the 6th of Scotland (Doc 4) says that the parliament is ruled by the king and doesn’t do anything
at all and shouldn’t. This is an argument showing that he doesn’t want parliament to have
power therefore giving him more power under the monarchy. He also talks a little bit about
how people need him to make laws, which is also an argument for this type of monarchy. This
document is reliable because the information comes from a book written by James himself. His
POV is of a king and he just wants more power. Catherine the Great empress of Russia (Doc 8)
wrote an instruction to the Legislative Commission of 1767. The legislative commission is a
group of representatives who made new laws. The laws that Catherine wanted passed were
rule that the sovereign was absolute and the Extent of Dominion requires an absolute power to
be vested in that person who rules it. This shows that she wanted an absolute monarchy in
Russia and that she also talks about how the absolute monarchy is not to take away peoples
natural liberties but to correct their actions to obtain the supreme good. She says a man may
do whatever he wants but she is still in favor of an absolute monarchy very much so but instead
for power she wants it because humans cannot rule themselves and because she wants power.
The last example of this would be Louis 14th king of France (Doc 9) writing a letter to his heir.
He wrote in the letter that kings are absolute rulers and should therefore have an absolute
monarchy as well. He also wrote that the King has full disposal or use over both things secular
and ecclesiastical or religious. Louis also is in favor of this monarchy because of the power that
comes with it. This is written to his heir so he is trying to keep the absolute monarchy alive. It is
a reliable source and it is shown through the POV of an absolute monarch who will obviously
like
the
idea
of
an
absolute
monarchy.
The extent of to which rulers and their subjects viewed the role of an absolute monarchy was
different and ranged from the people against it thinking it was oppressive to people think it was
for a greater good to the rulers thinking the monarchy gave them more power. There were also
other views like Divine Right but they aren’t big compared to the others. This view ended the
trend of an absolute monarchy and started the trend of a constitutional monarchy because of
uprisings and revolts this really. This trend revolutionizes governments and set the basis for our
governments today.