Evaluate the role of two leaders in the emergence of two absolutist states in Early Modern Europe.

Answer 1

An important way to look at the emergence of the Absolutist Monarch in early modern Europe is to look at the leadership of Louis the 14th of France and Frederick the Great of Prussia. While Louis the 14th's rule can be best understood as a textbook Absolutist Monarch Frederick the Great is more understood in the movement of "Enlightened Absolutism".

Louis the 14th's rule primarily focussed on heightening the power of the King and curtailing the power of the nobility. In medieval Europe the king was often thought of as a heightened noble, with many other minor noble families being necessary in state maintenance. Louis the 14th actively fought agains the influence of noble families, as best scene in the construction of the palace of Versailles. Versailles not only increased the legitimacy and grandeur of Louis as a ruler but also worked to bog down nobles in courtly affairs to an extent that they could not seek out political ambitions. Louis the 14th worked to centralize the French state behind the monarchy as symbolized by the phrase "L'estat, C'est moi" or "I am the state" , which is often attributed to Louis the 14th.

Frederick the Great shared many of the typical goals of an absolutist ruler. Frederick also worked to heighten the legitimacy of the Prussian monarchy through the patronage of arts and sciences. What distinguishes the Enlightened Monarchs however was gain this level of Monarchal power by way of implementing many popular enlightenment ideas. Frederick worked to reform and rationalize the Prussian legal code and bureaucracy. Frederick was most famous for reforming the Prussian army, structuring it more along the lines of what is popularly thought of as a modern army. While many of these changes did "modernize" Prussia they also worked to concentrate political power in the hands of monarchy, which is why he is still referred to as an Absolutist monarchy. One main difference between him and Louis the 14th is that Frederick allowed for Prussia's land owning nobility, The Junkers, to retain their dominance over Prussia's peasantry and retain their large estates. In this way the nobility of Prussia retained greater economic influence than in Louis the 14th's France.