This dissertation explores the role of Absolutist states in the transition from feudalism to capitalism in Western Europe. Three general questions are addressed: (1) what are the determinants of variations in the autonomy of rulers? (2) what are the consequences of variations in autonomy for states policies? and (3) what are the effects of various state policies on economic development? A new theoretical framework, based on a synthesis of the neoclassical economic literature on principal-agent relations and current organizational theory in sociology, is developed to answer these three questions. Case studies of Absolutism in England, France, Sweden, and Spain are used to illustrate the explanatory power of the theory.

"27 October 1998" / Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, School of Law, 1999. / Bibliography: p. 509-550. / Thesis -- Appendices. / 'The Crown' has been described as a 'term of art' in constitutional law. This is more than misleading, obscuring the pivotal legal position of the king, which in modern times has been conveniently ignored by lawyers and politicians alike. -- This work examines the legal processes by which a king is made, tracing those processes from the earliest times to the present day. It concludes that the king is made by the selection and recognition by the people, his taking of the Oath of Governance, and his subsequent anointing. (The religious aspects of the making of the king, though of considerable legal significance, are not examined herein, because of space constraints.) -- The Oath of Governance is conventionally called the 'Coronation Oath'-which terminology, while correctly categorising the Oath by reference to the occasion on which it is usually taken, has led by subliminal implication to an erroneous conclusion by many modern commentators that the Oath is merely ceremonial. -- This work highlights the legal implications of the king's Oath of Governance throughout history, particularly in times of political unrest, and concludes that the Oath legally :- conveys power from the people to the person about to become king (the willingness of the people so to confer the power having been evidenced in their collective recognition of that person); - bestows all the prerogatives of the office of king upon that person; - enshrines the manner in which those prerogatives are to be exercised by the king in his people(s)' governance; and that therefore the Oath of Governance is the foundation of the British Constitution. -- All power and prerogative lie with the king, who as a result of his Oath of Governance is sworn to maintain the peace and protection of his people(s), and the king can not, in conscience or law, either do, or allow, anything that is in opposition to the terms of that Oath. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / xxvii, 818 p

Whatever may be the policy of a (declaratory) power in the Crown conclusively to certify the limits of its territorial sovereignty, and whatever be the ultimate fate of such a power [linked, as it is in part, to the policy of. and indeed the existence of, a (constitutive) prerogative of cession] still at all events the constituent function of the Crown is founded upon the (constitutive) prerogative of annexation, as distinct from any declaratory power. To annexation the will and pleasure of the Crown is, as a matter of constitutional law, both sufficient and necessary, without regard to any consideration of international law. The necessity of Her Majesty's pleasure is supported inter alia by the case of Staples v. The Queen (1899) (unreported), heard on application to the Privy Council for leave to appeal from the High Court of Matabeleland. A full report of the proceedings in both courts, including argument and reasons, being appended; the Privy Council deciding that territory remained foreign notwithstanding destruction by armed force of the previous native sovereignty and ensuing complete control by the Crown ... The prerogative of legislation is considered; semble a grant of representative institutions may be held subject to a reservation of the prerogative of legislation contained in an earlier but governing instrument. A prerogative of the Crown to legislate for the subject even in foreign territory, wherever the Crown has assumed a jurisdiction, is supported by limited judicial authority whose correctness is doubted. The true extent is considered of the continuance of existing laws in conquered and ceded territories. The establishment of legislative institutions is considered. The incidents of these institutions are elaborated upon, and particularly the privileges of legislative bodies erected by the Crown. An account is given of the events in Newfoundland in August, 1838, giving rise to the leading case of Dr. Kielley in the Courts of Newfoundland, and, on appeal, in the Privy Council, laying down the rule that only necessary incidents are enjoyed at common law and not the lex et consuetude parliament! as known at Westminster: the rule herein laid down being applied more particularly against a power of committal for contempt. Earlier colonial and Privy Council precedents in the opposite sense are discussed. The rule is suggested to be one dictated by considerations of policy simply, and not determined by any particular view of the true basis of privilege in England. If anything, assimilation of the lex et consuetudo parliamenti to the common law serves as an argument for its passage to the colony, while attribution to lost statute might tend to establish peculiarity to England and colonial inapplicability; but the rule of inapplicability may be applied in any event.

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the principal challenges to royal authority and the means by which royal authority was maintained in France during the first War of Religion (1561-1563). The latter half of the sixteenth century was a critical period for the French monarchy. Great noble families attempted to re-establish their feudal power at the expense of the crown. Francis II and Charles IX, kings who were merely boys, succeeded strong monarchs on the throne. The kingdom was impoverished by foreign wars and overrun by veteran soldiers, ill-absorbed into civil life. Calvinism spread rapidly and became not only a religious but a political movement drawing ideological and organizational support from Geneva. The powerful Hapsburg monarch, Philip II, watched affairs in France with a suspicious eye and frequently manipulated matters affecting the French court. Not only were his border territories in the Pyrenees threatened but the Spanish king rightly feared that religious division in France would have repercussions in his rich low country territories. The province of Guyenne was chosen as a setting for this study because it was the province of the first prince of the blood, it was close to the Spanish kingdom, it had a history of concern for local prerogatives, and it had a large number of Huguenot believers and congregations. Not least among the reasons for choosing Guyenne in which to study royal government was the availability of abundant documentary sources. This thesis is based primarily upon the examination of memoirs and correspondence. Most important of the memoirs are those of Blaise de Monluc, lieutenant-general of Guyenne. The critical edition of these together with a biography and a study of the historical accuracy and significance of Monluc Commentaires have been prepared by Professor Paul Courteault. Among the documents available is the extensive correspondence of Catherine de Medicis, the letters of Antoine de Bourbon, those of Monluc, and many letters of Charles IX and of provincial officers. Royal government in France was not based on a financial, administrative or military foundation adequate for the king to force his will upon his subjects. Interest groups allied to the king had popularized an ideology of royal authority which served royal interests. Personal contact with his subjects, especially with the nobility enhanced royal authority. The basis of royal government, however, was the goodwill and co-operation of individuals in positions of influence. King Charles IX and Catherine de Medicis, the queen mother, constantly sought to gain and maintain such goodwill and support. They granted offices and honours which carried with them the opportunity of professional advancement and personal enrichment. An extensive correspondence tended to maintain their knowledge of affairs throughout the kingdom and their influence over their subjects. Nevertheless they had to balance individual noble against noble, faction against faction, Parlement against governor in constant negotiation to maintain royal authority. The identification of the personnel who represented the king in Guyenne reveals ways in which provincial resources could be mobilized for the crown and against the crown. In a period of civil war the military organization of the royal army within the province was of critical importance particularly when the army was largely local. Local notables appointed officers, recruited soldiers and commanded the forces. Just as important to the crown were the financial institutions of the province. As with the military institutions, it is essential to determine the ways in which those institutions facilitated royal government and the ways in which they could be made to serve the particular interests of individuals and groups other than the crown. The designation "absolute" as applied to the sixteenth-century French monarchy must be somewhat qualified as a result of an examination of the functioning of local and provincial institutions: voluntary (leagues), representative (Estates) and appointed (Parlement). It is to the nature of that monarchy that the present study is addressed. The province of Guyenne and the first years of civil war provide the historical setting. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

L’objet de cette thèse est d’étudier les relations entre Louis le Germanique et les aristocrates laïques, aussi bien ceux qui appartenaient à son propre royaume (de Bavière puis de Francie orientale), que ceux qui appartenaient aux autres royaumes issus du traité de Verdun (843). L’intérêt de cette recherche, qui s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un très récent renouveau d’intérêt pour le règne de Louis, est d’apporter un nouvel éclairage sur l’évolution politique de l’Empire carolingien central à tardif, en étudiant sa facette « orientale », souvent négligée par rapport à sa contrepartie « occidentale ».<p>Dans un contexte caractérisé par les rivalités et les conflits, il est évidemment vital pour le roi de s’assurer l’appui des grands et de les intégrer à son entourage. La première partie de ce travail a donc été consacrée à l’entourage du roi et à son évolution. Cet entourage a plus précisément été défini sur base du De Ordine Palatii d’Hincmar de Reims :il inclut d’abord les membres du Palais au sens étroit du terme (famille et détenteurs d’offices palatins – laïques en l’occurence -) ;ensuite l’ensemble des « grands » laïques du royaume, qui, sans détenir d’office au Palais, entretiennent une relation privilégiée avec le roi, soit qu’ils détiennent de lui un honor (les comtes), soit qu’ils appartiennent à ses vassaux ou à ses fideles. Au sein de cet ensemble de personnes, tous ne bénéficient cependant pas de la même « Königsnähe » ;par conséquent, en tenant compte de la nature des sources issues de Francie orientale (essentiellement les actes privés des abbayes et évêchés du royaume), il s’est avéré nécessaire de nuancer ce tableau en recherchant les personnalités qui font réellement preuve de la plus grande proximité avec le roi, sans être nécessairement pour autant les mieux documentés au niveau des sources.<p>De tous les membres (laïques) de cet entourage, les comtes sont apparus comme les plus importants, en raison de leur fonction même ;pour cette raison (et afin de rendre la consultation plus aisée et plus pratique pour qui s’intéresse aux comtes), une prosopographie a été constituée, incluant les comtes actifs en Bavière (826-887), Alémannie, Francie, Saxe, Thuringe (833-887) et Lotharingie orientale (870-887). <p>Si cette approche, essentiellement prosopographique, est intéressante en soi, elle ne permet néanmoins pas, en tant que telle, d’apprécier la teneur des relations entre roi et grands, ni de replacer celle-ci dans le cadre plus global de l’Empire carolingien. Pour ce faire, il est nécessaire d’y ajouter l’étude de certains éléments significatifs, qui permettent de dégager plus aisément continuités, ruptures et spécificités. A l’étude de l’évolution du fisc (et des spécificités des donations royales), s’est jointe celle des éléments représentatifs du pouvoir des aristocrates :possession de monastères privés, disposition de fortifications, transmission des offices comtaux. L’articulation de ces éléments avec le pouvoir royal révèle des spécificités très intéressantes, notamment au niveau du contrôle du roi sur les donations et honores accordés aux grands, le maintien de la révocabilité de ceux-ci étant visiblement souhaité ;s’il n’est pas toujours possible d’évaluer le rôle de la volonté royale dans cette évolution, il n’en va pas de même quand on étudie les divers actes d’infidélité, réels ou supposés, portés contre le roi. Les réactions royales, en la matière, semblent bien le signe d’une politique distincte et cohérente.<p>En conclusion, cette analyse se joint à l’approche prosopographique pour présenter une manière spécifique de concevoir, et d’aborder sur le plan pratique, les relations entre roi et grands. Sous certains aspects, ce règne se distingue nettement de celui de ses contemporains, et éclaire donc une autre facette de l’évolution de l’Empire carolingien postérieure au traité de Verdun, globalement (et provisoirement) plus maîtrisée qu’ailleurs ;celle-ci ne peut être ignorée et doit contribuer à nuancer l’image de l’évolution du pouvoir royal au IXème s.<p> / Doctorat en philosophie et lettres, Orientation histoire / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished