Absolutism and Enlightenment Glossary

A political system in which a single ruler holds unlimited sovereign power, unchecked by legislative bodies, constitutions, or other institutional constraints.

The doctrine that monarchs derive their authority directly from God and are accountable only to God, providing the ideological justification for absolute rule.

Henry IV's 1598 decree granting French Protestants (Huguenots) religious tolerance and civil protections, revoked by Louis XIV in 1685.

Rule by an absolute monarch who implements Enlightenment-inspired reforms (tolerance, education, legal rationalization) while maintaining complete political control.

An 18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, individual rights, scientific inquiry, and skepticism of traditional authority as the path to human progress.

Rousseau's concept of the collective interest of the citizenry directed toward the common good, which should be the basis of legitimate political authority.

The dominant economic theory of the absolutist era, holding that national wealth is measured by gold and silver reserves and that government should regulate trade to maximize exports and minimize imports.

Rights that all humans inherently possess (life, liberty, property according to Locke), not granted by government but which government is obligated to protect.

French Enlightenment intellectuals (including Voltaire, Diderot, Montesquieu, and Rousseau) who applied reason to social, political, and moral questions and advocated reform.

The 16th-17th century transformation of European understanding of the natural world through observation, experimentation, and mathematical reasoning.

Montesquieu's principle that government should be divided into independent legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent tyranny.

The theory that government is an agreement between rulers and the governed, deriving legitimacy from the consent of the people and obligated to protect their rights.