Early Modern Governance System

The concept ‘Early Modern’ has emerged in the 1960s and 70s, as an alternative view towards traditional periodization. However, to date, there has been little agreement on what precisely the term means and implies. The purpose of this paper is to examine the features of early modern Europe, specifically in terms of the governance system, which in other words, the distribution of political power. Yet, first of all, it is indispensable to define the quite vague concepts, in order to avoid misunderstandings. In this paper, the concept ‘Early Modern’ will refer to the period approximately from 16th century to 18th century, which is one of the most commonly accepted periodization among western scholars in general. As noted by Hailwood (2016),

First, general background of the time-frame will be provided to investigate what was the main factor that shaped the early-modern governance system. In the meanwhile, we will divide Europe into three parts and examine political features in each area and attempt to reveal the political system was actually not homogeneous. Secondly, the case study of French absolutism will be investigated as an example of a seemingly centralized regime. The aim of this chapter is to clarify that even in such an extreme governance system the role of royal supporters was significant. Finally, in conclusion, a brief summary of the findings will be provided and we will refer back to the essay theme. Due to practical constraints, this paper cannot provide a fully comprehensive examination; however, the findings should make an important contribution for the better understanding of the political system in the early modern period (especially absolutism), which is the considerably important concept as a transitional period from the feudal system to the sovereign state

In the first area, which is West and South Europe, the shift towards royal absolutism from feudalism was significant. According to Wiesner-Hanks (2006, p287), ‘scholars have noted that, into the sixteenth century, various levels of government shared the power to make laws, impose taxation, and handle crisis’. However, the evolution of the absolute monarchy system has completely overturned the situation. The authority of the monarch was warranted by the doctrine of the ‘divine right’ of kings, which justified the exclusive royal possession of the power. Apparently, this shift had stemmed from the collapse of the medieval feudalism which was dependent on the master-servant relationship between various social standings. Particularly, the existence of the serfs, who were tied to the land, helped to shape the social order to a considerable extent (Jupp, 2000). However, the gradual introduction and implementation of the monetary economy has enabled a significant amount of serfs to gain their freedom. Furthermore, the role of path-breaking philosophical theories, proposing revolutionary political regimes, was crucial as well. Hobbes (2010) was one of the most outstanding political thinkers of the era. He was one of the first to attempt to discover an effective way of maintaining social order based on rationality, by