Absolute Monarchism
Absolute Monarchism (Abmon) or Absolutism is a form of government in which a single monarch has absolute rule over the state and is not bound by any formal rules, often being seen as owning the countries they reside over.
Such rule is often justified through religious means.
History
Antiquity
Absolute Monarchy in Antiquity where monarchs managed to garner extreme amounts of power over their kingdoms. Sometimes even garnering a god-like status, like happened in Ancient Egypt.
Medieval period
While most Monarchies in Europe were limited by the feudal system, some monarchs have managed to garner enough power to rule in an absolute or semi-absolute manner. Some of these examples have often failed due to Certain Republican Revolutions. Although most have managed to end without Revolutions.
China also experienced periods of Absolute Monarchies, which usually decayed into more Bureaucratic forms of government, which caused them to lose the mandate of heaven and be overthrown. Cycle repeats.
Modern day
Currently there is a couple absolute monarchies, those being: Brunei Darussalam, Kingdom of Eswatini, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, Vatican City and the State of Qatar.
Some monarchies lost the title of "absolute" relatively recently, those being: The Kingdom of Bhutan, The Kingdom of Nepal (now a republic) and The Kingdom of Tonga.
There are also some Non-Ceremonial Constitutional Monarchies that get lumped in to the category of "absolute monarchies" by left-wing journalists, example being the Principality of Liechtenstein.
Some powerful dictatorships are put into the category of "Absolute Monarchies", notably the People's Republic of North Korea, although both followers of such dictatorships' ideologies and followers of absolute monarchism disagree with this assessment.
Beliefs
God-Given Right to Rule
Some absolute Monarchies are lay their claim to power on Religion, making some absolute monarchies theocratic or establishmentarian in nature. This concept is called "The Divine Right of Kings" in Europe and "The Mandate of Heaven" in China, although there are some differences in Theology and in practice.
This does not have to be the case and there can be a secular absolute monarchy.
How to Draw
- Draw a ball with eyes
- Draw a "V" shape in black
- Fill the inside part of the ball purple, and the outside black.
- Add a crown.
And you're done!
Relationships
TBA
Further Information
Texts
- The Age Of Absolutism 1660-1815 by Max Beloff
- Absolutism and its discontents : state and society in seventeenth century France and England by Micheal S. Kimmel
Wikipedia
- Absolute Monarchy
- Divine Right of Kings
- Mandate of Heaven
- Tsarist Autocracy
- Absolute Monarchy in France
- Politics of Saudi Arabia
