Similarities and Differences of Monarchies in France and England in the Seventeenth Century
... however, he had to turn to parliament. They wanted him to sign the Petition of Right, which forbid the king from raising taxes without Parliament consent or imprisoning anyone without a justifiable cause. Although Charles I signed the petition, he soon began to ignore it. The rise of absolute monarch in France began when Louis XIII came to power in 1610 after his father was assassinated. In 1624, Louis XIII appointed Cardinal Richelieu as his chief minister. They wanted to limit the power of French nobility. Richelieu was determined to demolish the power of the nobles and the Huguenots, two groups that did not bow down to royal authority. He defeated the private armies of the nobles and destroyed their castles. Both countries experienced backlash in attempting to become absolute monarchs, but each had different outcomes. England experienced a civil war between Parliament forces and Charles I. The English Civil war posed as a major challenge to the rise of absolute monarchs. The cavaliers who were supporters of Charles I fought against the roundheads who were supporters of Parliament. Oliver Cromwell, the leader of the roundheads, defeated the Cavaliers in a series of battles. Parliament put Charles I on trial and found him guilty, which led to his execution in January of 1649. France faced a widespread of rebellions known as the Fronde. Louis XIV and his advisor Mazarin fled the country. The nobles who were in charge failed to restore order. The difference of outcome between the English and French was that Louis XIV of France learned his lesson. Although he was still an absolute monarch, he was not tough. The French became more willing to accept a much a stronger, more centralized government under their king in order to prevent future civil wars. The French view on divine right was that the “king are duty bound to honor God’s wills, but as God’s regents on earth, they could not be made accountable to princes or parliaments.” This idea justified Louis XIV’s most famous statement, “I am the state.” Problems with strict Puritan rule in England led people to ask for the return of the monarchy to Charles II, who became king in 1660. The Puritans lost their grip on England because the people were tired of military rule and Puritan’s strict ways. The Parliament invited Charles II to return from England from exile. Charles II was a popular ruler who had a lot of authority, but he avoided angering Parliament. He reopened theaters and taverns and also restored the official Church of England, but tolerated other Protestants such as Presbyterians, Quakers, and Baptists. Even though Charles II accepted the Petition of Right, he was still an absolute monarch like his father, but avoided making the same mistakes as his father. This is similar to Louis XIV because he took total control of the country but made sure that nobles to other privileged groups benefited from the growth of his ...