Changes

The development of European nation-states continued throughout the Renaissance and Age of Exploration.  In the 1400s and 1500s, the most powerful nation-states were England, France and Spain.  The Holy Roman Empire, which consisted of parts of Italy and Germany, was a powerful but declining force.  Enemies that weakened the Holy Roman Empire included the Ottoman Muslims and the French, who resisted an expansion by the Holy Roman Empire.  The Reformation contributed to the downfall of the Holy Roman Empire, as did the fact that the cultures of Germany and Italy were too different to remain easily within the same empire.

The development of European nation-states continued throughout the Renaissance and Age of Exploration.  In the 1400s and 1500s, the most powerful nation-states were England, France and Spain.  The Holy Roman Empire, which consisted of parts of Italy and Germany, was a powerful but declining force.  Enemies that weakened the Holy Roman Empire included the Ottoman Muslims and the French, who resisted an expansion by the Holy Roman Empire.  The Reformation contributed to the downfall of the Holy Roman Empire, as did the fact that the cultures of Germany and Italy were too different to remain easily within the same empire.

The governments of the European nation-states grew in power by expanding their central authority.  They increased bureaucracy, the size of their armies and the amounts of their taxation.  The rise of absolutist rulers contributed to the centralization of France, Spain, Austria, Russia and Prussia.  The nature of an absolute monarch was expressed well in this famous quote attributed to Louis XIV (1638-1715, King of France since 1643), “L’etat c’est moi!” (“I am the state”).  Absolute monarchs controlled all aspects of government and society including the church, the bureaucracy and the military.  Absolute monarchs claimed “divine right” to rule, stating that they had been appointed by God Himself and were therefore responsible to God alone.  They enjoyed “sovereign immunity” under the view that “the king can do no wrong,” a principle that continues to exist in English and American law today (unless government “waives” its immunity with a law granting limited rights to sue it).

The governments of the European nation-states grew in power by expanding their central authority.  They increased bureaucracy, the size of their armies and the amounts of their taxation.  The rise of absolutist rulers contributed to the centralization of France, Spain, Austria, Russia and Prussia.  The nature of an absolute monarch was expressed well in this famous quote attributed to Louis XIV (1638-1715, King of France since 1643), “L’etat c’est moi!” (“I am the state”).  Absolute monarchs controlled all aspects of government and society including the church, the bureaucracy and the military.  Absolute monarchs claimed “divine right” to rule, stating that they had been appointed by God Himself and were therefore responsible to God alone.  They enjoyed “sovereign immunity” under the view that “the king can do no wrong,” a principle that continues to exist in English and American law today by protecting government against lawsuits for damages (unless government “waives” its immunity with a law).

Religious conflict in England between Catholics and Anglicans caused absolutism to fail there.  The “Glorious Revolution” (so named by supporters of the Church of England) brought down the Catholic King James II and the idea of divine right along with him, placing William and Mary on the throne in 1688.  In France, however, absolutism triumphed until the French Revolution, especially with the reign of Louis XIV, the leading absolute monarch in Europe.  The French court at Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV, who called himself the “Sun King,” was considered rich in culture and an example to other societies.  Truth be told, it was also extravagant and immoral.

Religious conflict in England between Catholics and Anglicans caused absolutism to fail there.  The “Glorious Revolution” (so named by supporters of the Church of England) brought down the Catholic King James II and the idea of divine right along with him, placing William and Mary on the throne in 1688.  In France, however, absolutism triumphed until the French Revolution, especially with the reign of Louis XIV, the leading absolute monarch in Europe.  The French court at Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV, who called himself the “Sun King,” was considered rich in culture and an example to other societies.  Truth be told, it was also extravagant and immoral.