“Royal Authority is Paternal.” Bossuet and other philosophes viewed that the absolute monarch is a father figure to his subjects, and his subjects were expected to act as children towards the monarch. During the time of the Bourbons, children were expected to be obedient towards the king. This idea of subordination allowed Louis XIV to continue to tax the peasantry to support his wars and allowed for both Louis and Henry IV to maintain overall stability within France. As Sir Robert Filmer wrote, “As the father over one family, so the king over many families…” In other words, it was thought that the king knew, like a father with his children, what was best for his subjects. By using the idea of paternalism, the absolute monarchs of the Bourbon dynasty were able to help keep a hold their people until the French Revolution.
“Royal Authority is absolute.” Absolutism for the Bourbon Kings was to have everything concerning France either dictated or approved by them. Henry IV and his adviser, the duke of Sully, helped create French absolutism. He denied the nobility to have much say in how the government was run. Unlike monarchs in the middle Ages or in the Renaissance, the nobility did not pressure him into relinquishing power. Henry and Sully also created economic stability in France by cutting taxes for the peasantry and using a mercantilist policy. Because Henry was able to directly control the French government and create prosperity in France, the stage was set for future absolute monarchs.
Louis XIV is also considered a great absolute monarch. Famous for saying “L’estat c’est moi,” or “I am the state,” Louis was determined to control all aspects of French government and influence French culture. Like his grandfather Henry IV, he continued to weaken the influence and strength of the nobility. He never summoned the Estates General for advice and used the palace at Versailles to “Tie the nobles with golden chains,” or influence them in his favor. Louis also controlled the middle class and the peasantry with secret police and by creating a standing army and appointing commanding officers himself. Louis XIV is considered the epitome of French absolutism because of his ability to control French policies and French government almost uncontested.
“Absolute Monarchy is subject to reason.” Although Bossuet said earlier that absolute monarchs have Divine Right, he says here that they are still bound by the laws of religion and the laws of the land. However, Bossuet also adds, “Kings therefore are subject like any others to the equity of the laws…but they are not subject to the penalties of the laws.” The Bourbon kings followed that idea. They generally tried to follow the laws of France, however if the laws did not suit them, they would ignore the consequences of not following them. This is the idea of absolute monarchy: That nothing holds a king back and that actions taken by the king can be excused for raison d’etat, or “Reason of state.”
The Bourbon Dynasty was the last set of absolute rulers in France. They fit the four characteristics that Bossuet described; they acknowledged their Divine Right, they made themselves appear to be a patriarch to their society, their rule was absolute, and they followed the laws of the land when it suited them. The French monarchy was the ideal monarchy, and defined what an absolute monarchy is.