absolutismo

Absolutismo, or absolutism, is a political doctrine and practice in which a monarch holds centralized and unchecked sovereign authority over the state. In its classic form, the monarch claims prerogatives that transcend customary law, often supported by the notion of the divine right of kings, whereby authority emanates from God and not from subjects or representative bodies.

Core features include the centralization of legislative, executive, and judicial power in the crown; a standing army loyal to the monarch; centralized tax collection and budgeting; a professional civil service; and extensive control over the church, noble privileges, and local jurisdictions. Challenging the ruler or the established order was typically prohibited or harshly punished. The aim was to create a uniform, orderly state capable of conducting war, expanding territory, and pursuing mercantilist economic policy.

Absolutism emerged in early modern Europe as medieval and feudal checks weakened. Notable exemplars are Louis XIV of France, whose centralizing reforms and court at Versailles symbolized the model; Peter the Great in Russia, who modernized administration and military; and the Prussian and Habsburg rulers who consolidated bureaucratic power. In some regions, absolutism coexisted with informal limits or with enlightened absolutism that allowed limited reforms while maintaining royal supremacy.

Critics argued that absolutism suppressed liberty, local representation, and legal accountability. The rise of constitutionalism, parliaments, and codified rights during the 18th century, alongside Enlightenment thought, contributed to its decline in Western Europe. In practice, variants of absolutism persisted in some nascent empires and continued to shape state-building in areas like Russia and parts of Central Europe into the 19th century.