Rise Of Sovereignty In The West

Michelle Betshner

Western Civilization II

05 December, 2015

Rise of Sovereignty in the West

European explorers brought a Coherent National Identity back to Europe that helped build sovereignty. Sovereignty was defined as having a strong central government, an independent economic structure, clear geographic boundaries and police population with protected borders. While England was turning into a Constitutional Monarchy, France took sovereignty and gradually developed into Royal Absolutism.

Growing power in France emerged slowly, starting with the notion of divine right the kings turning into monarch sanctity. These kings used the French theory to control their demands over French lords. Starting in 1337 was the Hundred Years’ War. This war

The Concordat or Bologna was the landscape of the Church in France. By the 1520’s France was threatened by the Protestant Reformation. Protestants then grew stronger and not only was challenging the church but also challenging royal authority. From there on out until the peace found in 1598, the king lost control over areas of the kingdom and France was experiencing moments of war. In 1572, St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, troops killed about 5,000 Protestants. Eventually in 1598, Henry IV issued “Edict of Nantes” which brought some peace to the country. The “Edict of Nantes” allowed some parts of France to build walls and fortifications, and also granted religious tolerance to all French Protestants. Henry IV then uses the king’s money to build economic strength for France. He also ended the birth rights by beginning to allow people to buy into authority. King Louis XIII had a chief minister named Cardinal Richelieu, who will become to be known as the great architect of French absolutism. Richelieu’s political morality had one concept, “reason of state”. He then increased power of the bureaucracy, harassed

Medieval English Parliament had two important characteristics. One being Parliament was national, not provincial and two being that its representatives were elected by property, not by status or birth. Unlike the French, England developed into a constitutional monarchy. In 1215, Magna Carta guaranteed some aristocratic privileges and was read at the beginning of every Parliament meeting that was called by the king. Tudor Henry VII emerged Out of War of the Roses. Henry checked noble ambitions, consolidated authority and remade institutions. He then made himself head of the English church by 1509. Henry’s second daughter Elizabeth, Queen of England, brought England stability and peace. English would look back on her reign as a golden age. She brought new coal-mining industry, Wool trade prospered and more. The forces that began threatening the monarchy were inadequately dealt with by the first two Stuart kings; James I and Charles I. They believed in royal absolutism. Charles tried to evoke the divine right of kings and threatened to disband the parliament then agreed not to. Long Parliament then lasted thirteen years. By 1642, civil war began and continued for forty years. In The English Revolution, British parliament made their own army called the round heads lead by Oliver Crowell. In 1648, Charles I gets beheaded. By 1660, Charles II restores the monarchy. In 1689, Parliament passes a bill of rights