future, remembering the anarchy of the past. The power of the monarch was thought to be derived from the people during this time period and so the middle class became important in supporting the monarch. Because of this, nobility, which was a threat to the power of the monarch, was always tried to be kept under control through various reforms such as the "livery and maintenance" laws passed by Henry VII. Armies were also built up by the monarch as a way to increase his own power and centralize the state. Also, during this era, the focus was on religion and dynastic building while in the later monarchies, commerce and state building became the priorities. During the Absolute Monarch era, however, centralizing the state became more secular. After the religious wars, religion was not the focus of governments. Paradoxically, however, the absolute monarchs derived their power from the divine right theory. This theory held that the institution of monarchy had been created by God and that the monarch functioned as Gods representative on earth. This idea of divine right was uncontroversial. Many authors during the time period addressed this theory as indisputably true. Jean Bodin, for example, called the king "Gods image on earth". Louis XIV of France even called himself the "Sun King". Surprisingly, the rule of the monarch was not arbitrary. Kings were bound by a higher law and were judged by God which meant that they could not deprive their subjects of their lives, liberties, or property without due cause established by law. This divine right belief helped centralize the state because the people believed in the monarch and were not tempted to oppose him. In addition, states were further centralized through bureaucracy and the royal court. Whereas, in the era of New Monarchs, parliaments were shunned and monarchs were the sole carriers of power, in the era of Absolute Monarchs, Courtiers and the legal system were critical to the ...
