Power has become the wrecking ball

                     


               

                         Sovereignty = POWER!










































































































.....but there's more! Sovereignty is formally defined as when the state has monopoly over the instruments of justice (judicial courts, armies, etc. ).

 France possessed a sovereign monarchy which was seen as a step forward (by the aristocrats). This wasn't meant to say that the monarchy had all the power, for that would be totalitarianism (a very different concept!). For example, the aristocrats could create an army, but the king's army would be more powerful and stronger so there would be no point (bye bye aristocrat army!).
Although not as pretty as Katie's, here is a chart that shows the powers of France.

  MOST POWERFUL                                                                                           LEAST  POWERFUL 
King => Royal Army => Aristocrats +legislative  => Aristocratic army  => Working class=> Witches
                                                                                                                                                                      

****** NOTE FOR THE MATHMATICIANS: the arrows in this do not actually mean =>   I just couldn't figure out how to make a normal arrow....


How did the monarchy (king) get all this power you ask? Well, it all started with God. The kings claimed to come into rule through divine right. (Can't forget Kiersten's diagram!)
                                                         Ma                                Now
                                                         God=>law                King <=God
                                                           King          People
                                                           People       King
                                                                 

 

 In other words, God chose the king, but the king could create his own laws that would hold the people's best interest in sight. Society was put on the back burner though because the kings cared mostly for their personal gains. However, monarchs claimed, despite the truth, that "The sovereign is representative of his state. He and his people form a single body. Ruler and ruled can be happy only if they are firmly united" (Frederick II of Prussia). Even without the "head" (due to selfish acts, taxation, etc.) his rule was still affective because of how much power the monarch had. Take the headless horseman as an analogy:
     (Just in time for Halloween!)
http://otherworldmystery.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/the-headless-horseman-pic.gif

The headless horseman isn't a complete person without his head, but he is still a very terrifyingly powerful character that children run screaming from every Halloween. Although the people he had killed may not like him anymore(just maybe), it doesn't diminish the amount of power he has. The horseman's ruthless control over the opposition of society to the horseman/monarch just shows that it the power has gone to his head...literally!

The other reason for the sovereignty of the monarchy was that aristocrats were exempt from taxes. The aristocrats made, if you will, a collaboration. The peasants now had to pay for everything therefore becoming an pillar to the throne. The peasants however were not too thrilled about this....

http://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/KING%20PEASANTS%20USING_23233

Eventually, though, the peasants no longer had any money to give. This started the downfall of the powerful, sovereign, selfish monarchy of France.