Absolute Rulers: What Made a Monarch Absolute, and the Famous Examples
Absolute rulers explained: the theory behind absolute power, from divine right to Hobbes, the tools rulers used, the real limits they faced, and profiles of famous absolute monarchs from Louis XIV to Peter the Great.
Last updated September 2026
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Absolute rulers held a kind of power that modern monarchs do not. No parliament or court could overrule them. They made law, led the army, raised taxes and chose ministers.
This page explains the ideas used to justify absolute rule. It shows the tools rulers used to hold it and the limits they met in practice. It also names the best-known absolute rulers in history.
TL;DR: Absolute rulers claimed unlimited power, usually on the basis of the divine right of kings. Thinkers such as Jean Bodin and Thomas Hobbes argued that power should not be divided. Louis XIV of France is the classic example. Peter the Great of Russia and Frederick II of Prussia stand beside him. In practice they relied on nobles and officials, so their power was never total.
What made absolute rulers "absolute"
Britannica describes absolutism as the idea and practice of unlimited, central power, held above all by a monarch. The key word is "unlimited". An absolute ruler did not share power with a parliament or answer to courts.
Four powers usually came together in one person.
- Making law, often by decree.
- Running the government, with ministers who served at the ruler's pleasure.
- Commanding the army, usually a standing army paid by the crown.
- Raising money, through taxes that no assembly had to approve.
For the states where this system held in the past, and holds today, see absolute monarchy examples.
The ideas behind absolute rule
| Thinker or idea | When | Argument |
|---|---|---|
| Divine right of kings | 16th-17th centuries | Kings receive authority from God and answer only to God |
| Jean Bodin, Six Books of the Commonwealth | 1576 | Sovereignty is absolute and perpetual, and it cannot be divided |
| James VI and I, The True Law of Free Monarchies | 1598 | A king is above the law, though a good king keeps it |
| Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan | 1651 | People give up rights to an all-powerful sovereign to escape chaos |
| Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet | Late 17th century | Royal power is sacred and paternal as well as absolute, on biblical grounds |
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Hobbes is the odd one out. He argued from reason and self-interest, not from God. His case could support any strong ruler, royal or not. Britannica's article on the divine right of kings traces how the religious argument lost ground. It faded after the English revolutions of the 1600s.
How absolute rulers held power
Absolute rulers built new tools of state. They kept standing armies loyal to the crown, not to great lords. They built up paid officials, such as the intendants who ran French provinces for Louis XIV. They controlled the church, or worked closely with it. And they brought the nobles to court, where rank and reward came from the ruler.
Versailles is the famous case. Louis XIV moved his court there in 1682. Great nobles lived at the palace and competed for the king's favour. They no longer built power bases in the provinces.
The limits of absolute power
Absolute power was never as complete as the theory claimed. Rulers needed nobles to lead armies and run regions. They needed bankers and tax farmers to raise money.
Local laws and customs often survived, and so did old privileges. And kings who pushed too far could face revolt. Charles I of England did in the 1640s.
That is why many historians now describe absolutism as an aim, not a finished system.
"L'État, c'est moi"
The phrase "I am the state", attributed to Louis XIV.
Status: Disputed. No reliable record from the time.
Note: The phrase is widely linked to Louis XIV. He is said to have spoken it to the Parlement of Paris in 1655. But no reliable record from the time contains it. Historians treat it as added later. It is shown here because it is famous, not because it is proven.
Sources: Britannica, "Louis XIV"; Château de Versailles, "Louis XIV".
Famous absolute rulers
| Ruler | State | Reign | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louis XIV | France | 1643-1715 | Personal rule, Versailles, wars of expansion |
| Peter I ("the Great") | Russia | 1682-1725 | Westernising reforms; founded St Petersburg; first Russian emperor |
| Frederick II ("the Great") | Prussia | 1740-1786 | Enlightened absolutism; military expansion |
| Catherine II ("the Great") | Russia | 1762-1796 | Enlightened reforms in theory; expansion of the empire |
| Joseph II | Habsburg lands | 1780-1790 (sole rule) | Radical reforms from above, many later reversed |
| Philip II | Spain | 1556-1598 | Governed an empire through councils and paperwork |
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For Peter the Great's reforms, see the Peter the Great page.
Absolute rulers outside Europe
Absolute rule was not only a European idea. Several of the largest states of the early modern world had monarchs with few formal limits.
- Ottoman sultans, such as Suleiman I (reigned 1520-1566), ruled a vast empire through a household of appointed officials and soldiers.
- Mughal emperors, such as Akbar (reigned 1556-1605), held supreme authority over much of South Asia.
- Qing emperors, such as Kangxi (1661-1722) and Qianlong (1735-1796), ruled China as the "Son of Heaven", with a large civil service answerable to the throne.
As in Europe, these rulers relied on officials and soldiers, and on steady income. So their real power rose and fell with that support.
Enlightened absolutism
In the 1700s some absolute rulers took up the ideas of the Enlightenment. Frederick II called himself the "first servant of the state". He reformed the law, allowed freedom of religion and backed education.
Catherine II wrote her Instruction (Nakaz) of 1767 for a new legal code. She drew on Montesquieu. Joseph II ended serfdom in parts of his lands. He issued a Patent of Toleration in 1781.
Britannica calls this "enlightened despotism". The rulers stayed absolute. They used unchecked power to force reform from above, not to share it.
Why absolute rule declined
Absolute rule grew harder to defend from the late 1600s. John Locke argued that government rests on the consent of the governed. The American and French revolutions put that idea into practice. Growing trade and industry created rich groups that wanted a say in taxes and law. By 1900 most European monarchs had accepted constitutions and parliaments.
Absolute rulers today
A few monarchs still rule with few formal limits. They are generally described as absolute. They include the kings of Saudi Arabia and Eswatini and the sultans of Oman and Brunei.
The Pope, as ruler of Vatican City, is another. For how their systems compare, see absolute monarchy examples. For the opposite model, where law binds the monarch, see limited monarchy.
For two absolute rulers in full, see our guide to the best books about the Romanovs. It includes Massie's lives of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.
Verdict: what absolute rulers really had
Absolute rulers claimed power that no law or parliament could check. Thinkers from Bodin to Hobbes built the case for it. Louis XIV, Peter the Great and Frederick II came closest to the ideal.
Yet every absolute ruler depended on nobles, officials and money. So the power was great, but never total. For how monarchy has changed since, see the monarchy hub.
Sources checked for this page
- Britannica, "Absolutism"
- Britannica, "Divine right of kings"
- Britannica, "Enlightened despotism"
- Britannica, "Louis XIV"
- Château de Versailles, "Louis XIV"
- Britannica, "Instruction of Catherine the Great"
- Britannica, "Frederick II, king of Prussia"
Questions people also ask
What is an absolute ruler?
A monarch whose power is not limited by a constitution, parliament or courts. The ruler makes laws, controls the government and answers, in theory, only to God.
Did Louis XIV say 'L'État, c'est moi'?
There is no reliable record that he did. Historians treat the phrase, 'I am the state', as a later attribution, although it sums up how his rule is remembered.
What is enlightened absolutism?
A form of absolute rule in the 18th century in which monarchs such as Frederick II of Prussia and Catherine II of Russia used their unchecked power to push reforms inspired by Enlightenment ideas.
Are there absolute rulers today?
Yes. The monarchs of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Brunei and Eswatini, and the Pope as sovereign of Vatican City, are generally described as absolute rulers.