Summary of Bossuet's On Divine Right and Hobbes's Leviathan

French Absolutism and Divine Right

French absolutism emerged in the 17th century as a response to crises like the French Wars of Religion and the Fronde. Jacques-Benigne Bossuet, a prominent theologian, articulated the concept of the divine right of kings, asserting that monarchs' authority comes directly from God. This implies that challenging royal authority is equivalent to sacrilege, as rulers act as God's ministers on Earth.

Authority and Sacrality of Kings

According to Bossuet, the king is a sacred figure whose power must be respected. Kings should govern with fear of God, acknowledging that their authority is ultimately divine and must be used for the good of the people. Failure to rule justly incurs divine punishment, emphasizing their accountability to God.

The Nature of Royal Power

Bossuet claims that royal power is absolute and necessary for maintaining order within the state. The king embodies the will of the people, and his authority ensures that the realm functions harmoniously. He must exercise this power wisely, as he stands accountable before God, who expects just and righteous governance.

The Rise of French Absolutism

French absolutism emerged as a dominant political system in the $17^{th}$ century, primarily as a response to the chaos of the French Wars of Religion and the civil unrest known as the Fronde ( $1648$ - $1653$ ). Prior to this era, the Edict of Nantes ( $1598$ ) had provided a fragile religious peace. However, it was Cardinal Richelieu, serving as Chief Minister to Louis XIII, who laid the groundwork for absolute rule by curbing the power of the nobility and the Huguenots (French Protestants). He established the system of intendants, royal officials sent to the provinces to ensure the king's will was carried out, bypassing local aristocratic influence.

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet and Divine Right

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet ( $1627$ - $1704$ ), a prominent theologian and court preacher to Louis XIV, provided the theoretical justification for this centralization of power in his work Politique tirée des propres paroles de l'Écriture sainte (Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture). He articulated the concept of the Divine Right of Kings, asserting that:

Royal Authority is Sacred: Monarchs are divinely appointed; their persons are sacred, and an attack on them is a sacrilege.
Royal Authority is Absolute: The king is not accountable to any human institution, parliament, or people, but to God alone.
Royal Authority is Paternal: The king acts as a father to his subjects, providing protection and order.
Royal Authority is Subject to Reason: While the king's power is absolute, it must not be arbitrary; he must follow the laws of God and the fundamental laws of the kingdom.

Louis XIV: The Sun King

Louis XIV ( $r. 1643$ - $1715$ ) embodied the principles of French absolutism, famously encapsulated in the phrase "L'état, c'est moi" (I am the state). His reign focused on total centralization:

The Palace of Versailles: Louis moved the royal court to Versailles in $1682$ , using its grandeur to domesticate the nobility. By requiring high-ranking nobles to live at court, he turned potential rivals into courtiers dependent on royal favor.
Religious Uniformity: To achieve "Un Roi, une loi, une foi" (One King, one law, one faith), Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes in $1685$ via the Edict of Fontainebleau, forcing Huguenots to convert or flee the country.
Economic Centralization: Under Controller-General Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the state adopted mercantilist policies to increase national wealth and fund the king's standing army and architectural projects.

Accountability and Order

According to the logic of absolutism, the king embodies the will of the state. Because his power comes from God, he is the only figure capable of maintaining order among the competing interests of the nobility, the clergy, and the commoners. However, Bossuet emphasized that this absolute power came with the heaviest responsibility: standing before God on Judgment Day. A king who ruled as a tyrant without fear of God was seen as violating the very divine order that granted him his throne.