Absolutism And Societal Development In Seventeenth Century Europe

Throughout European history, from the Renaissance to the present, many contributions have been made to societal development which changed European lifestyle drastically. Life leading up to Renaissance was mainly focused on God, however, as time past European’s lifestyle’s began to transform. This transformation from a God centered world into a more humanistic approach to life was and is still presently changing. Events in European history, from the Renaissance to the present, have created major impacts on societal development in terms of politics, economics, and thinking. The Renaissance was a time period, from the fourteenth century through the seventeenth century, that began to take an individual look at the growth of the arts, individualism,

Absolutism is the acceptance or belief in a sole power for political matters. Therefore, an absolute monarch governs alone and is not controlled by laws or a constitution. Absolutism had a major impact on Europe’s development through political transformations. The political disorder in Europe created confusion for all of its citizens. People became sick of the lack of structure and called for more organized governments. The decline of the Catholic Church and the Pope’s power allowed powerful rulers to step up and assert their dominance. Taking a look at Europe’s economic standings, not a lot was looking too positive. Europe had experienced a drastic change in the frequencies of trade. Merchants wanted to be able to work in a protected environment so they could earn as much money as possible. Renaissance and Enlightenment ideas on making society the best it could be made people more willing to comply with the absolute rulers who promised improvements in society. Louis XIV, also known as the “Sun King”, was an absolute monarch in Europe during the seventeenth century. Louis XIV was able to weaken the nobility of his people by getting rid of the high and wealthy nobles and replacing them with nobles that came from new aristocratic families. This ensured Louis XIV that he would not have been overpowered. Louis XIV was only one of the many absolute monarchs to have control during the seventeenth century. During Absolutists reign, most rulers created and held a standing army, charged national taxes which tended to fall heavily on the poor, and also encouraged cooperation of the nobility. The rule of an absolute monarch allowed for quick decisions in necessary times, but also created a loss of perspective in the hierarchy of the governments in Europe. Absolutism helped unify European countries and helped pave the way for more organized structures, such as Republics or Democracies, of