Absolutism
Also called: Royal absolutism · Topic: Medieval Europe: Feudalism and the Three Orders · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 4 "The Three Orders"
Meaning
Absolutism is rule by a king who claims complete power, with no one to share it. In Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, kings built standing armies (permanent armies), a permanent bureaucracy and national taxation. It has been called 'a modified form of feudalism'. This is because the same old lords stayed powerful as courtiers and officials. But the king now sat at the centre of a courtier society and a patron–client network, a system of favours and rewards. Merchants and bankers also gained a place in the state by lending money to pay soldiers.
Example
Louis XI of France (ruled 1461–83) fought a long struggle against powerful dukes and princes to bring the nobles under royal control.
Don't confuse with
- Feudalism: under feudalism, power was split among lords who had their own armies and courts. Under absolutism, the king held the army and the taxes himself.