| Abstrakt: |
The article focuses on absolutism in Europe. European absolutism grew out of a need for order in the face of political and religious polarization. Absolute kings in Europe identified sectarian dissidents and aristocratic landowners as the primary culprits behind civil wars. They moved to confront these alleged villains by claiming to rule by divine right, insisting upon religious uniformity, constructing large civilian and military bureaucracies accountable only to the Crown, turning the nobility into dependent window dressing with much social but far less political power, and by exacting high excise taxes that failed to cover the escalating costs of bureaucratic spending and the social round at court. By claiming to rule only by the grace of God, rulers gained credibility and confidence. By insisting upon religious uniformity, rulers hoped to pacify through codified intolerance, a strategy used more often in Europe than elsewhere. To ensure religious uniformity and thus national security, monarchs needed professionals whom they could control and trust. By constructing large civilian and military bureaucracies accountable only to the Crown, rulers relied on loyal experts rather than on fickle vassals |
