Effects of the Rise of the State on the Power of the Monarch - Essay Example

? Topic: Lecturer: Presentation: Introduction Stefoff (2008 p. 96) indicates that by 1900, 90% of the people in the world were ruled by monarch but by 1983, only less than 1% was under monarch rule. This shows how the power of the monarch has declined over the years especially in European countries and replaced by other forms of government such as republican. Monarchy is the most ancient form of government and is derived from two Greek words ‘mono’ meaning ‘alone’ and ‘archein’ meaning ‘to rule’ and it can be absolute, limited or constitutional (Schiel, 2005). Most of the old regimes had an absolute monarch before the spread of enlightenment, reformation, nationalism, and liberalism ideas. A great link existed between religion and the monarch; as messengers of God, monarchs had the divine right to rule hence everything they said was the law. The monarchy was held until death or abdication and was hereditary in nature in that it was passed on to the eldest child of the monarch. Later elective monarchs emerged as well as those who usurped power and declared themselves monarchs like the Napoleon of France (Parker, 1999). Absolute monarchy is whereby the monarch wields all the power; he is head of government as well as the state and he is the rule. Moreover, his decisions are viewed as being from God hence should not be contravened. An elective monarch is elected by an elective body for a period of time or for life such as the pope of Vatican City is elected by a college of cardinals. A constitutional monarch on the other hand is bound by the constitution hence he /she is just ceremonial. For example, Queen Elizabeth of England is a constitutional monarch and a head of state of several commonwealth monarchy states (Fandel, 2008). The two European countries that contributed much to the rise of the state are England and France. The revolutions in the two countries saw the decline in the power of the monarch and in some states its natural death. The paper will discuss how the ‘rise of the state’ affected the power of the monarch. European Absolute Monarchy Most of European countries such as France, Belgium, United Kingdom, Spain and others were ruled by an absolute monarch. According to Fandel (2008); Schiel (2005), the early monarchs arose as a result of wealth and power gained through hunting and later from agricultural activities. The wealthy people were respected and seen as closer to God than other members as they well endowed with resources. The monarchy was inherited through primogeniture whereby the eldest son ascended the throne after the monarch’s demise. However, Primogeniture was criticized by some nobles’ more so as it discriminated against women. As a result, some states started exercising equality by allowing females to inherit the throne. The monarchs had immense power which they derived from religion. Most of Europe was under Roman Catholic Church hence kings and queens were coronated by the church. Stefoff (2008) argues that the divine right was used to justify the unlimited power of the monarch. For example in France, king Louis XIV had absolute power which he shared with trusted ministers and lived in a palace in Versailles which symbolised wealth and power (Mason, 2011). However, Beik (2005) argues that there was no absolutism due to the fact that the king collaborated with powerful elites so as to gain their support. To assert his power king Louis XV made a proclamation in 1766: “sovereign power resides in my person alone…its to me alone that legislative power belongs without dependence or division, all public order emanates from me. “ Louis XIV had also made a proclamation during his rule: ‘’I am the state.” (Mason 2011 p. 15). This indicates the immense power the monarchs had; they were above the state. The monarch performed various roles such as making, enforcing, and interpreting laws. There was no separation of power between state organs such as the legislature, executive and judiciary. The monarch was not answerable to anybody except God since his power was divine. He could punish offenders or those who threatened the monarch by executing them or any other measures he deemed fit (Fandel, 2008). The monarch also protected the monarchy and sometimes chose the heir to the throne before death or abdication. The monarch also collected revenue for the government. For example, in France Louis XIV gave tax waivers to nobles and churches so as to ensure their continued support while financing the government through over taxation of the commoners and peasants. Mason (2011) argues that the monarch government was hierarchical in nature. The first in rank was the king followed by the clergy then the nobles who provided military to the monarch. Next in rank were wealthy nobles who were the counsellors and judges followed by provincial nobles who owned estates and had a lot of peasants under their care. The last in the hierarchy who are the majority are the peasants who produced goods and services. However many events that took place in Europe such as the reformation revolts, glorious revolution in England, and the French revolution led to change in the powers of the monarchy as liberalist, communist, nationalist, and socialist ideas spread all over Europe and the rest of the world thus the rise of the state. Declining Power of Monarch The 16th century onwards saw the reformation of the monarch rule. Some nations overthrew their monarchs, others saw the emergence of constitutional monarchs, and some became republics while others maintained absolute monarchy. England experienced a civil war in the period 1642 -1646 and as a result the monarch was overthrown by parliamentarians. However, the monarchy was restored in 1661 and King Charles II ascended the throne (Rao, 2007). The monarch had much authority as he determined the parliamentary sessions, and had veto power over parliamentary legislations. In 1688, there was a glorious revolution in England which led to the decline of monarch’s power. King Henry VIII withdrew England from Roman Catholic domination to the protestant church of England with him as its leader. This led to conflicts with other nations such as France which were under Roman Catholic leading to religious persecutions. According to Clark (1995), an Act of Settlement of 1701 saw the limitation of the powers of the monarch. Sovereignty was given to parliament and the prime minister installed as head of government hence England became a nation-state with a constitutional monarch. His powers included; granting pardons, dissolving parliament, and could also dismiss the prime minister. The Bill of Rights passed 1689 enabled the people to gain control of the government through their representatives in parliament. The French revolution of 1789 played a crucial role in establishing the modern Europe. The enlightenment movement was at the forefront in pushing for a representative government. People like Hobbes and Locke had great ideas of natural law where all people are entitled to life, freedom and property ownership and the role of government being to protect those rights (Shakoor, 2004). If the government failed to protect those rights, individuals could overthrow the government. Adam Smith through his book “The wealth of nations” advocated for non intervention by government hence economic liberalism. The enlightenment advocated for human rights, popular sovereignty and respect for law which according to Mason (2011) are the core of modern Europe. Philosophers used these ideas to push for separation of powers leading to a revolution where King Louis xvi was overthrown. However, a military commander Napoleon became the first consul and later he declared himself emperor in 1804. He spread ideas of democracy and representative government but was later dethroned and a new monarch Louis XVIII ascended the throne backed by Britain and other powers. However, he became a constitutional monarch with limited powers. Parliament was to oversee the monarch’s behaviour and assume other roles. He was later overthrown and a presidential system formed. The industrial revolution which began in England combined with liberalism ideas from France led to rise of nationalism. People began to push for unified nation-state where they all belong. People were considered as the source of power hence to be involved in running of the government rather than family dynasties (Monod, 2001). Most monarchs were overthrown and democratic governments formed or their powers were limited by constitution. Most European nations today have constitutional monarchs and some pay their allegiance to the Queen of England as their head of state and are under the Church of England and Church of Scotland. However, each state has a ceremonial monarch. Conclusion Europe in the 1600 had absolute monarchs. However, the glorious revolution in England, the French revolution, and industrial revolution signified the beginning of a new Europe with constitutional monarchs or republican governments and rise of nation-states. The enlightenment movement by philosophers mostly from France who used the ideas of Hobbes and Locke led to the agitation for separation of powers and representative governments. Some monarchs were overthrown while others remained in power but with limited powers. The ideas of nationalism, liberalism, socialism spread across Europe and people did not have to follow the monarchs blindly anymore. They fought for their rights especially representation in government thus forming a new Europe with ceremonial monarchs and powerful parliament. WORDS 1536 References Beik, W. 2005. The Absolutism of Louis xiv as Social Collaboration. Past and Present, 188: 195-224. Clark, S. 1995. State and Status: The Rise of the State and Aristocratic Power in Western Europe. Canada: McGill-Queen’s University Press. Fandel, J. 2008. Monarchy. Minnesota: Creative Education. Mason, D. 2011. A Concise History of Modern Europe: Liberty, Equality, Solidarity. 2 edn. UK: Rowman & Littlefield. Monod, P. 2001. The Power of Kings: Monarchy and Religion in Europe 1589-1715. Yale University Press. Parker, N. 1999. Revolutions and History: An Essay in Interpretation. UK: Polity Press. Rao, B. 2007.History of Modern Europe (1789-2002). New Delhi: Sterling. Schiel, K. 2005. Monarchy: A Primary Source Analysis. New York, NY: Rosen. Shakoor, A. 2004. Origins of Modern Europe: Medieval National Consciousness. Delhi: AAKAR. Stefoff, R. 2008. Monarchy. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish. Read More