6.1 The Realignment of the Royal State

Like many such labels Early Modern Europe is a creation of scholars in order to organize events linearly for understanding. The most notable outpouring of this period is a search for order and this search will lead to the realignment of the royal state. This takes different forms as we will see, some successful, some less so. The most notable forms of the royal state to come out of this reorganization will be absolutism and constitutional monarchy. These are not the exclusive forms of organization, but these will be among the most lasting.

Absolutism is defined as a system of government where the monarch holds absolute power over the state and its citizens and where the monarch is above the law. Under this form of government the king or queen makes the laws, but can change them at will and is never bound by their parameters.

Constitutional monarchy is a system of government where the monarch is accountable to law. Usually, this is a government with a governing body such as a parliament that works in conjunction with the monarch.

There are varieties of each of these forms of governments in Europe during the 17th century, but in general absolutism flourished in Prussia, Austria, and Russia, while reaching its zenith in France, and constitutionalism was the law of the land in England and the Dutch Republic.