Enlightened absolutism
E2314
Enlightened absolutism was a form of monarchy in 18th-century Europe in which rulers embraced certain Enlightenment ideas—such as legal reform, religious tolerance, and rational administration—while retaining absolute political power.
Aliases (2)
- Age of Absolutism ×2
- Josephinism ×2
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
form of government
→
monarchy → political doctrine → |
| aimedAt |
economic development
→
modernization of the state → strengthening central power → |
| appliesToPeriod |
18th century
→
|
| appliesToRegion |
Europe
→
|
| associatedWithPolicy |
abolition or limitation of torture
→
administrative centralization → economic liberalization measures → reform of serfdom → religious reforms reducing church privileges → religious toleration edicts → state-sponsored education reforms → |
| basedOn |
Enlightenment
→
|
| characterizedBy |
absolute monarchy
→
bureaucratic reform → centralized authority → codification of laws → legal reform → promotion of education → rational administration → religious tolerance → state control over church → |
| contrastsWith |
constitutional monarchy
→
traditional absolutism → |
| critiquedBy |
liberal constitutionalists
→
republican thinkers → |
| declinedIn |
early 19th century
→
|
| developedInContextOf |
Age of Enlightenment
→
|
| emergedFrom |
crisis of traditional absolutism
→
|
| hasAlternativeName |
benevolent despotism
→
enlightened absolutist monarchy → enlightened despotism → |
| hasExample |
reign of Catherine II of Russia
→
reign of Charles III of Spain → reign of Frederick II of Prussia → reign of Gustav III of Sweden → reign of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor → reign of Maria Theresa of Austria → |
| hasGoal |
enhance welfare of subjects
→
increase state efficiency → |
| hasKeyConcept |
“ruler as first servant of the state”
→
|
| influencedBy |
natural law theory
→
physiocracy → rationalism → social contract theory → |
| maintains |
absolute political power of the monarch
→
|
Referenced by (8)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Bernhard von Galen
("Age of Absolutism")
→
Great Northern War ("Age of Absolutism") → |
historicalPeriod |
|
Austrian Habsburg Monarchy
("Josephinism")
→
Austrian Habsburg Monarchy → |
reformPeriod |
|
Age of Enlightenment
→
|
hasPart |
|
Charles III of Spain
→
|
movement |
|
Gallicanism
("Josephinism")
→
|
relatedConcept |
|
Enlightenment philosophy
→
|
relatedTo |