Class Notes on Absolutism in France and England

Absolutism:
autocracy, or rule by a single person. This person was not to be questioned or disobeyed; this became known as "absolutism," since the monarch ruled w/ "absolute" power, that is, unshared power.
Began in England
France and England Absolutism:
The English had been under the combined rule of both the king and the assembly for so long that they weren't ready to give all the power of government to a single person. The merchants and land-owning nobles supported Parliament, where members could be elected and changed in necessary, rather than an absolute monarch with no restraints.
*James I & Charles I tried ruling without consenting Parliament
*Parliament so in control, neither successfully decreased it's role in the government.
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