Overview

The period from 1648 to 1715 saw the rise of absolutist monarchies and constitutional states across Europe. These competing models of governance reshaped political power, influenced state-building, and laid the foundation for modern nation-states. The balance between royal authority and legal limits was central to European political development in this era.

Key Themes and Developments

• The Dutch Republic:
  • A unique case of republican government in a monarchical age.
  • Economic prosperity through trade, finance, and naval power.
  • Religious toleration and flourishing of Dutch Golden Age culture.
• The English Revolution:
  • English Civil War (1642–1651): Conflict between monarchy and Parliament.
  • Oliver Cromwell: Military dictatorship under the Commonwealth.
  • Restoration (1660): Return of monarchy under Charles II.
  • Glorious Revolution (1688): William and Mary invited to rule under constitutional limits — resulted in the English Bill of Rights (1689).
• France under Louis XIV:
  • Absolutism personified: Centralized power, Versailles as symbol of royal control.
  • Mercantilism: Colbert's economic policies strengthened royal revenue.
  • Religious uniformity: Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) suppressed Protestantism.
• Austrian and Prussian State Formation:
  • Austria: Multiethnic Habsburg empire consolidated control through dynastic marriages and wars.
  • Prussia: Militarized bureaucracy and centralized monarchy under Frederick William (“the Great Elector”).
• Russia’s Westernization:
  • Peter the Great: Modernized military, reformed government, built St. Petersburg as new capital.
  • Reduced power of nobility, established control over the Orthodox Church.

Quick Tip

Absolutism and constitutionalism represent two paths toward centralized authority. Focus on how monarchs consolidated power — or how legal structures checked it — and how these models shaped modern statecraft and revolution.