Rise of Authoritarian Monarchies in Early Modern Europe

Authoritarian Monarchies

During the Modern Age, the feudal European monarchies became authoritarian monarchies. The king reinforced his power over the kingdom as a whole by imposing his authority over the nobility and limiting the autonomy of the municipalities. This new way of organizing the state is referred to as the Modern State.

In Europe, authoritarian monarchy took root in France, England and the kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. However, Germany and Italy did not manage to create unified states.

Authoritarian monarchies became especially established in England, where the monarchies of the Tudor dynasty, such as Henry VII, dominated the nobility; in France, where the Valois rulers, such as Louis XI, put an end to the influence of the Dukes of Aquitaine, Brittany and Burgundy; and in Spain, where Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile unified the peninsular territories, except Portugal, and took control over national interests.

Instruments of Royal Power

The monarchs reinforced their power in a number of ways:

• Territorial unification: They unified their territories and extended the size of their state by waging wars and negotiating marriage alliances.
• Control of the state's powers: Monarchs imposed their authority on the high-ranking nobility, restricted the autonomy of the municipalities, exerted influence over the allocation of positions of authority, and summoned Parliament (Las Cortes, in Spain) as little as possible.
• Improved administration: The monarch's courts were established in one city, which became the capital; a bureaucracy of professional civil servants was created to carry out the monarch's orders, and standard taxes were levied, which provided regular income without monarchs having to approach Parliament.
• Creation of a permanent army: Monarchs replaced the feudal troops, who were only called into service at times of war, with a permanent army that was largely made up of paid mercenaries.
• Organization of international relations: Diplomatic relations were established with other countries. This diplomacy was based on permanent ambassadors, who were in charge of defending the monarchy's interests and resolving conflicts in a peaceful manner.