Institutional Evolution of the Renaissance Modern State

Institutional Features of the Modern State

Renaissance Kingdoms, specifically France, Spain, and England (the strongest), created a new institutional structure in the service of war. The king stood at its head with a patrimonial nature, leading a structure composed of the monarch's servers. This character eventually diluted its equity, taking on a more national and public character.

The Military Revolution and Fiscal Pressure

The army became the primary necessity for European monarchs during this period, growing increasingly permanent. While the nobles remained in charge, they no longer constituted the bulk of the forces. Private warriors were replaced by soldiers of the king in a royal army financed by the monarch himself, following a unified command for military purposes related to dynastic politics.

The emergence of firearms and new ships, along with the mercenary character of new armies, turned military adventure into a business with unprecedented costs. War consumed almost all the king's revenue, causing tax pressure to increase or decrease depending on the campaigns.

The Birth of Modern Bureaucracy and the Court

The complexity of issues addressed by the king led to the creation of advisory and executive bodies that were increasingly specialized. Thus, the modern bureaucracy was born. Philip II embodied this new style of governing more than any other monarch. The nobility became courtesan, trained for the palace without ceasing to be military.

The Court emerged as the habitual residence of the king and the precursor to modern state capitals. Bourgeois university graduates took positions of great importance in the king's administration. The domain of law and accounting became fundamental skills to break into that world. Through this trade route, the nobility, the king, and the kingdom were bound together, often integrating into a single class through marriage.

The Rise of Absolute Monarchy and Sovereignty

The state's thirst for money often accelerated this process through administrative positions and titles. This represents a state portrait of the sixteenth-century Renaissance. The monarch gained power and competence in extensive areas, and the links between subjects and the king became more direct through taxation, justice, and bureaucracy.

The king justified his government by appealing to the will of God, no longer acting merely as the head of the nobility or a powerful lord. There is no longer any trace of justifying feudal authority. The absolute monarchy accentuated this trend: he is the supreme temporal power within his kingdom, the only source of law and justice. He decides on war and peace, leads the army, and manages the administration. Sovereignty resides in him.