Absolutism is a political theory which argues that one person, who is often generally a monarch, should hold all power. This is often referred to as the "Divine Right of Kings", implying that a ruler's authority stems directly from God. Prominent theorists associated with absolutism include Augustine of Hippo, Paul of Tarsus, Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, Robert Filmer and Thomas Hobbes. Politics, sometimes defined as the art and science of government[1], is a process by which collective decisions are made within groups. ... Theory has a number of distinct meanings in different fields of knowledge, depending on the context and their methodologies. ... In logic, an argument is an attempt to demonstrate the truth of an assertion called a conclusion, based on the truth of a set of assertions called premises. ... Look up monarch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Sociologists usually define power as the ability to impose ones will on others, even if those others resist in some way. ... The Divine Right of Kings is a European political and religious doctrine of political absolutism. ... Image:Http://www. ... Aurelius Augustinus, Augustine of Hippo, or Saint Augustine (November 13, 354–August 28, 430) was one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. ... Saul, also known as Paul, Paulus, and Saint Paul the Apostle, (AD 3 – 67) is widely considered to be central to the early development and spread of Christianity, particularly westward from Judea. ... Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet Jacques-Benigne Bossuet (September 27, 1627 - April 12, 1704) was a French bishop, theologian, and renowned pulpit orator and court preacher. ... Sir Robert Filmer (1588 - May 26, 1653), English political writer, was the son of Sir Edward Filmer of East Sutton in Kent. ... Hobbes redirects here. ...

Hobbes, in his philosophy of natural law, believed that absolutist rulers emerged according to the baser instincts of humans, specifically their fear of death and their need for power. In his philosophy, there could be no social order without the ceding of power to a single individual who would use power to restrain the violent and anti-social tendencies of the people. Philosopher in Meditation (detail), by Rembrandt Philosophy is a field of study that includes diverse subfields such as aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphysics, in which people ask questions such as whether God exists, whether knowledge is possible, and what makes actions right or wrong. ... It has been suggested that Anarchist law be merged into this article or section. ...

To those who believed the absolute ruler was chosen by God, rebellion against the monarch was tantamount to rebellion against God. Hence, rule was considered "absolute," in that the ruler could not be challenged.

Later absolutist rulers sometimes tried to rule according to Enlightenment principles, and so are called enlightened absolutists. They attempted to allow their subjects to live more freely in their day-to-day lives, while still maintaining the autocratic monarchy. ... Enlightened absolutism (also known as benevolent despotism or enlightened despotism) is a term used to describe the actions of absolute rulers who were influenced by the Enlightenment, a historical period of the 18th and early 19th centuries. ...

Absolutism, as a term, did not appear until the 19th century, when the traditional "age of absolutism" had passed. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Some historians see the Absolutist Monarchs as a direct consequence of the centralization of the state under the New Monarchs. New Monarchs were the rulers of European nations during the 15th century who unified their nations, creating a stable and centralized government. ...

The seventeenth century Kings of England, James I and Charles I of England are often cited as Absolutist monarchs. This is a popular misconception; in actuality both operated in the context of regular parliaments. Were it not for their empowered subjects, however, both were said to have had designs on establishing an absolute monarchy. Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked... James VI of Scotland/James I of England and Ireland (Charles James) (June 19, 1566 – March 27, 1625) was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland and was the first to style himself King of Great Britain. ... Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ... Absolute monarchy is a monarchial form of government where the ruler has the power to rule his or her land or country and its citizens freely, with no laws or legally-organized direct opposition in force. ...

Absolutist Monarchs

• Louis XIV of France
• Charles II of Spain
• Catherine I and Peter I of Russia
• Frederick Wilhelm I of Prussia
• Charles XI and Charles XII of Sweden
• Kings of Denmark 1665-1848, also absolutist rulers of Norway 1660-1814.

Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 16, 1638–September 1, 1715), reigned as King of France and of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death at the age of 77. ... Charles II of Spain. ... H.I.M. Ekaterina I, Empress and Autocrat of all the Russias Catherine I (In Russian: Екатерина I Алексеевна) (April 15, 1683/1684 – May 17, 1727), the second wife of Peter the Great, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1725 until her death. ... Portrait of Peter by Paul Delaroche Peter I (Russian: Пётр I Алексеевич or Pyotr I Alexeyevich) (Peter Alexeyevich Romanov) (9 June 1672–8 February 1725 [30 May 1672– 28 January 1725 O.S.] [1]) ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death. ... Frederick William I of Prussia (in German: Friedrich Wilhelm I), of the House of Hohenzollern, (August 14, 1688 - May 31, 1740), often known as the Soldier-King and considered an Enlightened Despot, reigned as King of Prussia (1713 - 1740). ... Charles XI (Karl XI) (November 24, 1655 – April 5, 1697) was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death. ... Carl XII, Karl XII or Carolus Rex, (June 17, 1682 – November 30, 1718), the Alexander of the North, nicknamed in Turkish as Demirbaş Şarl (Charles the Habitué), was a King of Sweden from 1697 until his death in 1718. ... This is a list of Danish monarchs, that is, the Kings and ruling Queen of Denmark, including Regents of the Kalmar Union. ... Events March 4 - Start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

20th Century Absolute Rulers

• Kim Il Sung
• Kim Jong-il
• Adolf Hitler
• Josef Stalin
• Nicolae Ceauşescu
• Francisco Franco
• Benito Mussolini
• Mswati III of Swaziland

Kim Il-sung (April 15, 1912–July 8, 1994) was a Korean Communist politician and the ruler of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea) from 1948 until his death. ... Kim Jong-il (born February 16, 1941) is the leader of North Korea. ... (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer (Leader) of Germany from 1934 until his death. ... (Russian, in full: Ио́сиф Виссарио́нович Ста́лин [Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin]; December 18 [O.S. December 6] 1878[1] – March 5, 1953) was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s to his death in 1953 and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922-1953... Nicolae CeauÅŸescu (IPA ) (January 26, 1918 - December 25, 1989) was the leader of Communist Romania from 1965 until shortly before his execution. ... Francisco Franco Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (pron. ... Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945) led Italy from 1922 to 1943. ... Mswati III (born Makhosetive on April 19, 1968) is the king of Swaziland. ...

See also

• Popular sovereignty, government created by and subject to the will of the people, who are the source of all political power