An Absolute Monarchy is a form of government that was popular during medieval Europe and up until the end of the 18th century. It involved society being ruled over by an all-powerful king or queen. The monarch had complete control over all aspects of the society, including: political power, economics, and all forms of authority. The monarch was able to maintain absolute control over the society with the addition of feudalism, which involved people being placed into different estates of power, such as: clergy, nobility and peasants. An absolute monarchy can best be seen in the words of Louis XIV in France when he proclaimed “I am the state”. Louis XIV, who ruled France as a monarch from 1661 until 1715, was expressing his absolute control over the society at the time by stating that he ruled over all aspects of the country and therefore was the highest and most powerful authority of the state.
