Rise of the Absolute Monarch

Today we will…

Learn how kings went from being weak in the M.A. to becoming all powerful in the 17th century

Identify the factors that strengthened the power of the king

Discuss and define the Divine Right of Kings

From Weak Medieval King Absolute Monarch

During the M.A., Most rulers were men.

Weak Kings exercising little power over feudal lords

Near the end of the M.A., the king – particularly in England, France, Spain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria – began to extend his rule at the expense of the nobles.

By the 17th century, the King had become an autocrat or absolute monarch.

Factors Strengthening Royal Power

The Crusades and other wars killed many feudal lords

The rising middle class supported the monarch to assure protection for property and trade.

The introduction of gunpowder equipped the monarch with a powerful weapon that could destroy castles of feudal lords.

The Reformation provided the king with some powers formerly held by the Catholic Church.

The awakening spirit of Nationalism made the king the symbol of national unity.

“Divine Right of Kings”

This theory attempted to justify unlimited royal power with these arguments: The king ruled by God’s authority as God’s earthly

representative. Obedience to the king was obedience to God. The king could do no wrong.

The Divine Right concept contrasts with our belief that those who govern derive their power from the authority of the people.