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Absolutism and the Parliamentary system - Coggle Diagram
Absolutism and the Parliamentary system
Absolutism: France under Louis XIV
Absolute monarchies
Characteristics
An ideology defending the king’s supremacy over all others
Growing centralisation of political and administrative decisions in the royal courts and the monarchy’s governmental bodies
A permanent army of professional soldiers, under the orders of the king
A royal treasury able to raise revenue
Marginalisation of the courts and parliaments of the estates of the realm
The courts and parliaments of kingdoms
Were resistant to the absolutist tendencies of the monarchs
This rivalry sometimes resulted in submitting to a pact because of the limitations of the power of each side
Sometimes, it led to confrontations
When a dispute ended favourably for the monarchy, it was considered a victory for absolutism
The most representative example of an absolute monarchy
Louis XIV of France
At the beginning of his reign, the Fronde took place
Series of civil wars, with the nobility, cities and provinces with their parliaments fighting on one side, and the king and his supporters on the other
The king’s side won
Ordered the construction of a great Royal Palace of Versailles, on the outskirts of Paris
Where the royal court would be based
From there, he governed France through a system of councils
Which gradually increased in power
Implemented an aggressive foreign policy to expand his kingdom
Throughout the 17th century
The authoritarian monarchies of some kingdoms
Developed into absolute monarchies
The main proponents of absolutism
Jacques Bossuet
He believed that kings had a divine right to power
Thomas Hobbes
He believed that absolutism was the result of a social pact between subjects and a monarchy
In order to guarantee peace and stability
They belief that the king held absolute power over everybody else
The Parliamentary system in England
After the victory of the Parliamentarian army
Charles I was executed
Led by Oliver Cromwell
When he died, the House of Stuart returned to the throne
James II became king and, tried to impose absolutism
This led to a new confrontation with the Parliament
Resulting in the Glorious Revolution (1688)
A republic was declared under Cromwell’s dictatorial leadership
James II was overthrown
The Parliament chose as new monarchs
Mary II (the overthrown king’s daughter)
They were selected on the condition that they would sign the Bill of Rights (1689)
Which limited the monarch’s power and recognised the rights of the individual
This led to the establishment of a constitutional or parliamentary monarchy
The monarchs had been selected by Parliament and had accepted the Bill of Rights
Mary's husband, William III of Orange (head of the Dutch Republic)
In some territories the monarch’s power was controlled by courts and parliaments
This was the case in Venice and the Dutch Republic
In some cases, such as in England, this control was to protect against the absolutist pretensions of the monarchy
In England, the Stuart dynasty
Tried to disassociate itself from Parliament
Tried to establish an absolute monarchy, causing the English Civil War (1642–1651)
The English Parliament
It consisted of two chambers, called houses
The House of Lords
Consisted of the country’s most important noblemen and the Church of England bishops
The House of Commons
Consisted of representatives of the kingdom’s cities and counties
