Bossuet And Thomas Hobbes

An absolute monarchy is when a single ruler has complete authority. There may still be a system of government in place but the absolute monarch would have complete dominance over the whole of it. To gain complete control monarchs had to reduce the power of all other institutions, especially the nobility. Absolutism is not virtuous but suited the needs of the people and territories at the time.
Thomas Hobbes, author of Leviathan, believes that men naturally want war with everyone who is not themselves. He believes that the only way to have peace in a world with such men is to have a single ruling entity. Hobbes’ states that men need to, “confer all their strength and power upon one man, or upon one Assembly of men, that may reduce all their
It is in an extract of this that Bossuet expresses that, like Thomas Hobbes, he believes that an absolute ruler is a necessity in governing. Unlike Hobbes, Bossuet believes that the need for the absolute monarch is because the throne is established from God therefore the one who sits the throne, or the Prince, should be complete in their rule in a way similar to God’s rule over man. Bossuet justifies absolute rule by reminding the reader that, “ governs all peoples and gives them their kings” (Bossuet). To take power from the prince would be to take power from God. Bossuet claims that the Prince should have so much power that the only thing that would protect a person from his reach would be their innocence. The ruler does need to have control to make people fear the consequences of their actions. Since most people at the time believed that the absolute monarch was given the power through divine right, meaning that to go against the Prince was to go against God, allowed the ruler this type of
Like most absolute monarchs Louis claimed that his power was given to him by God and that he was to be representative of God here on Earth. He made himself head of the French church and revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had previously allowed tolerance towards French Protestants. He also worked, “to centralize and tighten control of France and its overseas colonies” (History.com staff). Louis gained control of France’s economic system and implemented mercantilism. He gained control over the powerful nobles through invitations to his court at his lavish palace, Versailles. His strong hold over the rebellious nobles allowed him to maintain his position as absolute monarch. Although King Louis XIV’s reign was full of successes he also had failures. Louis reached too far into foreign affairs and fought many expensive wars, leading to impoverished