Absolutism: Bourbon House In France And Spain

Absolutism, “the political practice of unlimited power and absolute sovereignty, especially as held by a monarch,” was a prominent form of government in Europe until the eighteenth century. Monarchs believed that they alone held the “divine right to rule,” and there were no checks and balances on their authority. Leaders felt as though they were justified in ruling in any way that they wanted, even if it caused harm to their people. France and Spain both had absolutist monarchies for significant amounts of time, the Bourbon house in France and the Hapsburg dynasty in Spain. The most strongly absolutist rulers of those families were King Louis XIV in France and King Philip II in Spain. Although King Louis XIV of France and King Philip II of
He built a palace in Versailles, twelve miles south of Paris, to show off his wealth and power. Versailles became a significant part of the culture for nobles, and many of the most important ones lived there throughout the year. Association with the king and residence at Versailles came to represent power for the nobles, therefore giving Louis XIV more power over them. He made it so they had to win his favor to gain resources from him, leading to his being worshiped and obeyed. To emphasize his power, he created a hierarchy and emphasized it through his daily routine of “lever” and “coucher,” where nobles essentially watched his morning and night routines while fighting to get his attention and to help him with various tasks. By using “lever” and “coucher,” the same words used to describe the rising and setting of the sun, to describe himself, Louis XIV put himself on the same level of power as the sun, the star that controls the day of everyone on Earth. Despite his power with the nobles, he imposed high taxes to pay off the debts created by his wars and was not supported by the peasants and workers who made up a large portion of France