From the sociopolitical and religious ferment of the sixteenth century in Europe arose Absolutism: a political theory advocating the vesting of unlimited power to autocrats. In pursuing endeavors to consolidate their authority, absolute rulers sought to maintain societal stability as a means to promote peace and economic growth within their nation-states. Moreover, many attempted to maintain their "divine" right to rule by glorifying their reigns through majestic works of art that greatly augmented the prestige of their authoritarian roles. As absolute rule was a norm during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries throughout the world, noticeably present in the Ottoman Empire, Persia, Mogul India, and Ming and Qing China, many historians have scrutinized the origins of the Age of Absolutism so as to reasonably conclude how absolutism emerged as a viable form of government.
Prior to the Age of Absolutism, much of Europe experienced incessant warfare as religious and politcal factions vied for power within newly forming nation-states. The continuous conflicts that entrenched Europe in sociopolitcal decay came to a head during the devastating Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), during which multiple nations, German principalities, and religious factions fought one another over politcal and religious differences. The war concluded with the Peace of Westphalia, which resulted in the rise of France as a regional power, the deterioration of the Holy Roman Empire's hegemony, and the assertion of the principle of national sovereignty.
In response to the widespread chaos that erupted during the Thirty Years' War, European rulers sought effective measures with which to consolidate power and to prevent the occurrence of internal upheaval. King Louis XIV of France, the epitome of absolute power in Europe at the time, created a highly centralized bureacracy, formed a standing military, subjugated the Church and nobles, and commissioned masters to commemorate his reign through audacious architectural and artisic feats. As cultural diffusion ensued, moreover, foreign entities, including the Ottoman Empire and Persia, absorbed many of the characteristics of absolute rule in Europe into their cultures that greatly strengthened the authenticity of their imperial traditions. Ideas pertaining to absolutism spread throughout the world and effected substantial change throughout Asia, whether through the support or opposition to the growing cultural influence of European nations.
Because the study of the origins of the Age of Absolutism is multifaceted and complex, many conjectures may be developed that describe the rise of absolute rulers. As such, many feasible explanations may be formed regarding this unique era in world history.
Prior to the Age of Absolutism, much of Europe experienced incessant warfare as religious and politcal factions vied for power within newly forming nation-states. The continuous conflicts that entrenched Europe in sociopolitcal decay came to a head during the devastating Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), during which multiple nations, German principalities, and religious factions fought one another over politcal and religious differences. The war concluded with the Peace of Westphalia, which resulted in the rise of France as a regional power, the deterioration of the Holy Roman Empire's hegemony, and the assertion of the principle of national sovereignty.
In response to the widespread chaos that erupted during the Thirty Years' War, European rulers sought effective measures with which to consolidate power and to prevent the occurrence of internal upheaval. King Louis XIV of France, the epitome of absolute power in Europe at the time, created a highly centralized bureacracy, formed a standing military, subjugated the Church and nobles, and commissioned masters to commemorate his reign through audacious architectural and artisic feats. As cultural diffusion ensued, moreover, foreign entities, including the Ottoman Empire and Persia, absorbed many of the characteristics of absolute rule in Europe into their cultures that greatly strengthened the authenticity of their imperial traditions. Ideas pertaining to absolutism spread throughout the world and effected substantial change throughout Asia, whether through the support or opposition to the growing cultural influence of European nations.
Because the study of the origins of the Age of Absolutism is multifaceted and complex, many conjectures may be developed that describe the rise of absolute rulers. As such, many feasible explanations may be formed regarding this unique era in world history.
"Ideas pertaining to absolutism spread throughout the world and effected substantial change throughout Asia"
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly sure that centralized absolute governments had been the norm in most of Asia for at least a thousand years prior to Louis IX.
It's a bit Eurocentric to think that France was having a very large political effect on the fairly isolationist East at this point.
Perhaps I should have reworded my post at that point. I meant to say that the reactions to the European concept of absolute rule and the growing influence of European powers in the Middle East and Asia effected great change outside the Western world. You are right in saying that Eastern civilizations, such as China and India, had been ruled by absolute regimes for centuries, but their encounters with Western powers would ultimately imperil their deeply entrenched ideologies of absolute rule, as would be the case in Qing China during the nineteenth century.
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