The Power of Kings – Monarchy & Religion in Europe 1589–1715: Monarchy and Religion in Europe 1589-1715 - Softcover

Monod, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0300090668 ISBN 13: 9780300090666

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2001

Synopsis

In the sixteenth century, the kings of Europe were like gods to their subjects. Within 150 years, however, this view of monarchs had altered dramatically: a king was the human, visible sign of the rational state. How did such a momentous shift in political understanding come about? This sweeping book explores the changing cultural significance of the power of European kings from the assassination of France's Henry III to the death of Louis XIV. Paul Kléber Monod draws on political history, political philosophy, anthropology, sociology, and literature to understand the relationship between kings and their political subjects and the interplay between monarchy and religion. He also makes use of 35 paintings and statues to illuminate the changing public images of kings. Discussing monarchies throughout Europe, from Britain to Russia, Monod tells how sixteenth-century kings and queens were thought to heal the sick with a touch, were mediators between divine authority and the Christian self in quasi-religious ceremonies, and were seen as ideal mirrors of human identity. By 1715, the sacred authority of the monarchy had been supplanted by an ideology fusing internal moral responsibility with external obedience to an abstract political authority. Subjects were expected to identify not with a sacred king but with the natural person of the ruler. No longer divine, the kings and queens of the Enlightenment took up a new, more human place in the hearts and minds of their subjects.

About this title

Review:

"A learned, lucid book. All treatments of Monod's subject will in the future have to begin with the progressions of ideas and policies that he has so carefully laid out." -- Theodore K. Rabb, Sixteenth Century Journal

"An unusually broad canvas. Besides the emperors and monarchs of England, France and Spain, he examines the Scandinavian sovereigns and the rulers of Russia and Poland, demonstrating the manner in which they did or did not conform to the contemporary trends ... Highly informative." -- Alastair Hamilton, Times Literary Supplement

"Insightful, far-ranging, and ... lyrical. An exceedingly wise book." -- Teofilo F. Ruiz, American Historical Review

"Much fascinating detail about religion and politics in early modern times." -- Johann P. Sommerville, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

Synopsis:

This sweeping book explores the profound shift in the way European kings and queens were regarded by their subjects between the Reformation and the Enlightenment. Once viewed as godlike beings, by 1715 monarchs had come to represent the human, visible side of the rational state. The author offers new insights into the relations between kings and their subjects and the interplay between monarchy and religion.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0300090668
• ISBN 13: 9780300090666
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 422