Louis XIV was an exponent of absolutism.
Absolutism is a system of absolute government , in which power resides in a single person who rules without accountability to a parliament or society in general. Absolutism was very common from the 16th century until the first half of the 19th century , when various revolutions overthrew it.
Although any government with complete control of power could be considered absolutist, in the clear sense of the concept it refers to the absolute monarchies that governed Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Origins of absolutism
The origins of absolutism take place in France , where the divine right theory of royal power was developed. This position assumes that certain people have been chosen by God to exercise government . Even in the most radicalized versions, the monarch is considered God himself.
Under this form of government, the king is the law , since he is the one who decides what things can be done and how. The laws are dictated according to their interests and those of the nobility, who advise the king although he always makes the last decision.
Characteristics of the absolutist monarch
In general, the absolutist king maintains a paternal relationship with the people, although he shows his despotism whenever necessary.
The absolutist king occupies his throne for life . Power is hereditary : when the king dies, his son takes his place.
The king also manages the church , especially its administrative part and everything related to wealth. Matters related to faith and beliefs are left to the clergy.
Beyond the fact that power is centralized in a single person, the absolutist regime has bureaucrats and public officials who are responsible for the correct functioning of the system , ambassadors and delegates who sign trade and war treaties with other regions and an army that maintains the order.
There is a phrase that has become extremely famous and that clearly defines this concept. It says "The State is me" and it has been attributed to Louis XIV of France who was calm on his throne because he knew that there were no legal or any other limits that stood between his ideas and their practice.
Martin Luther promoted a great religious reform.
Nationalism and institutional reforms
It is therefore important to clarify that in the 16th century there was a strong vindication of the concept of nationality , which was fundamental for the founding of absolute monarchies, where the ruler belonged to that territory and ruled over it all. Furthermore, the king undertook to build a National Church that would bring together all the inhabitants of the territory and ensure their moral interests. In any case, this last point could never be fully put into practice, since many sovereigns remained faithful to the commands of Rome. In any case, there were others who did not do so and in this way certain reforms arose in the church that would lead to the birth of the National Churches.
Those who led this nationalist movement were the sovereigns Luther and Calvin , who in their theory about the divine origin of royal power managed to separate themselves from what was established by the Roman church. With absolute power in their jurisdiction , monarchs could nullify the rights of entire peoples and, in this way, exercised their absolutism. This concept, which had emerged as the denial of feudalism, does not differ greatly from it: with a divine law and a natural law they controlled the actions of the entire people.
Absolutism, revolution and dictatorship
As absolutism did not represent the interests of the people and the ruling class had been deeply divided from those who were governed by it, various revolutions were necessary that would lead to the formation of various States, made up of people emerging from the community, who represented their interests. and that they would not be separated from it.
Unfortunately, the desire for power and the abuse that human beings systematically make of it are always present, which is why even though absolute monarchies have been disintegrated, absolutist governments continue to emerge, dictatorships are an example of this .