European Monarchies In The Middle Ages

Anya Kothari
Dr. Calabro
AP European History
12 September 2014 In the mid-15th to mid-16th centuries, the European governments underwent major changes. The mid-15th century saw a decrease in the power and popularity of the feudal system of governing, and an increase in the authority of centralized monarchies. General chaos descended upon much of Europe and so the New Monarchs - as the sovereigns of these monarchies are referred to - advertised their idea of a central monarchy as the best way to restore order. As the feudal lords that mostly governed Europe during the Late Middle Ages weakened due to civil war, rebellion, and banditry, the New Monarchs seized the opportunity to solidify their power using such tactics as decreasing the power
of feudal aristocrats by building armies loyal to the crown and increasing and stabilizing internal revenue, and creating religious unity within a given country. Before the time of the New Monarchs, hundreds of feudal lords governed over small areas of the fragmented Europe; in order to affirm their power, the New Monarchs had to transfer the power from these lords to themselves. Henry VII of England came into power by force during the War of the Roses, in which the powerful York and Lancaster families warred against each other. As the War of the Roses had already weakened many powerful English families, Henry VII had an easier time making himself sovereign - that is, a supreme ruler. He passed laws against lords having their own armies, as most feudal lords maintained their own armies while the monarch generally did not, and when a country went to war, portions of these armies were 'donated' to the king in a show of support. The lack of an army loyal to the crown was a glaring weakness of the monarchies of the Late Middle Ages, as their power was checked by having to rely on other lords for protection. Henry VII made it so that no lord could easily raise an army in opposition of him, not without giving away their disloyalty to the crown before a sufficient army could be raised. Unlike Henry VII, Louis XI of France did not come into power during a civil war, thus he had a more difficult time weakening the lords in his domain. Many of France's most influential lords opposed Louis XI's reign, and so he first began by picking off lesser lords, and acquiring their wealth in order to build up his own army. Most of his money, however, came from his reformation of the tax system. Louis XI also acquired the power to raise taxes almost arbitrarily. With the money he gained, in addition to continuing to expand his army, he was able to buy off many of his opponents as well as buy some powerful allies. All of these factors contributed to Louis XI's ability to secure his place as sovereign. By weakening opposing lords within their domain, both Henry VII and Louis XI were able to solidify their places as monarchs. During the Late Middle Ages, the papacy was divided, corrupt, and much too involved with secular problems, and so, along with public trust, its authority deteriorated - because of this, the New Monarchs did not need to compete with the Catholic Church for power; instead, they only needed to unify their respective countries under a single religion in order to secure the place of the New Monarchies.
A country is always stronger when its citizens love their government. However, in the Middle Ages, for most Europeans, God was the most important aspect of one's life. New Monarchs began creating national institutions of Christianity, therefore one's God and one's nation became almost synonymous. Henry VIII, for example, created the Church of England, which he was supreme head of. While he met with resistance at first, most of his subjects accepted this and, as such, the office of the monarch of England became synonymous with England's religion. Since many people's lives revolved around their religious duties, the ascension of the king or queen of England to head of the Church of England marked a strengthening in citizen's love for their sovereign and, consequently, their nation. The transfer of the power of governing religion from the papacy in Rome to certain New Monarchs strengthened a monarch's claim on his or her
throne. The New Monarchs of the mid-15th century managed to unite the fragmented Europe into larger and more stable countries. This was accomplished by the widespread practice of feudalist lords being replaced by central monarchies, and people's love of religion becoming synonymous with love of their nation. The New Monarchies were the basis on which more modern governments were built, and they prepared Europe for more prosperous and stable periods.