During the 16th and 17th century Europe, political views on the government varied in Europe. After the Catholic Church’s downfall, absolute monarchs dominated Europe. An analysis of the documents clearly shows that mostly kings favored absolutism and have superiority over their people. On the other hand, some viewed absolutism as a power that made people inferior to the government. As the church’s power declined, the monarchs began to rise in power. The monarch’s rise in power encouraged and established absolutism, such as in England, Spain, and France. During this period, the Protestant Reformation and the Enlightenment were occurring.
After the Crusades, Italian citystates such as Florence, Milan, Venice and Genoa, became wealthy merchants became patrons of the arts and writing, creating the Renaissance. The movement encouraged secular and humanist ideas, just as people began to question the Church. The Renaissance led to three more great movements, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment and the Protestant Reformation. Furthermore, as people abandoned traditional ideas, they also started to break away from the Church because, it conflicted with secular and humanist ideas, and also, their new way of thinking.
For instance, King Henry VIII left the Catholic Church and formed the Anglican Church of England. Other monarchs also abandoned the Church, and it lost its followers and its power. These movements weakened the Church and allowed the monarchs to gain more power. However, they gained too much power, causing them to rule with absolute power and create a controversy. After monarchs dominated their government during the 16th and 17th century, some argued that the monarchs had too much and the concept of limited monarchy started develop.
As 1 OF 3 result of having consecutive absolute monarchs ruling England prior to the Glorious Revolution, the English Parliament took initiative to stop tyranny in England and created the Bill of Rights. It limited the monarch’s power by preventing he/she from making decisions at their pleasure and refrain from abuse of power. It was written to inform the government that power must be balanced and equal so there is no absolute monarch. Additionally, philosophers such as John Locke and Voltaire, expressed that individual rights are important and should be protected, and also should not be enslaved to ruler’s power.
John Locke stated that all men are created “free, equal, and independent” and should not be “subjected to political power of another. ” His purpose was to stress the importance of human rights to the government and it should not be violated. Also Voltaire emphasizes freedom of speech and advises the government that the best way to rule is to have people be “equally protected by the laws. ” He also stresses the importance of individual freedom. Furthermore, Montesquieu explains the balance of power in a government and states that it’s an effective way to rule because it prevents the concentration of power to one branch of the government.
It would result in “arbitrary despotism”, meaning that there would be a tyrant ruler. He warns the English government that giving all the power to one branch can lead to controversy and a despotic ruler. Some saw absolutism as an effective way to rule however, others viewed absolutism as an open door to tyranny and an abuse of power, in which the common people did not favor. Although autocracy was not a favorable way to rule according to some people, such as commoners and philosophers, some viewed it as an effective way to rule because they had control over the government and people.
For instance, monarchs such as King James I and King Louis XIV believed that they had the right to decide things as their pleasure and that they were superior to others. King James I claimed that kings are god-like and are the “supremest thing upon earth”, and also “exercise a divine power on earth. ” He believes in the Divine Right Principle and claims that kings can do anything they want because they are god-like. His purpose was to show how powerful kings were to the people of England.
Along with King James’ opinion on autocracy, King Louis XIV claims that kings have the right to decide the country’s fate and give orders to members of the government for them to carry out. He indicates that the monarch makes decisions only and he asserts his power to the government. Furthermore, Machiavelli also idealized the concept of absolutism. He wrote The Prince, as a guide for the effective way to rule, for rulers of Italian city-states. He believed that all men were evil and would betray a ruler, therefore he claims that ruling by fear instead of love is a best way to rule and assert you superiority as a ruler.
He created this guide based on his past experience as a government official dealing with the ruler of Florence, and later being kick out of the citystate. Many idealized absolutism because one can assert their power over others and control the country as they wish. Absolutism was a controversial concept because many disagree with it and others favored that type of rule. After the Catholic Church lost power, kings gained power, asserting their superiority all over Europe. During the 16th and 17th century, Europe had changed dramatically, power shifting towards the kings’, creating controversy among Europeans.
