is 1572 A.D. (7000 dead) to the Thirty Years War. With the Church in disarray, freedom was given to the "state" to begin to develop. During this period of Renaissance the political identity was going through a tremendous transformation. This transformation took form in what is called Absolutism. "Princes" began to tolerate less and less manipulation from the church. The political entity in the form of monarchy began to wean itself from the Church for its legitimacy and looked toward its own power. Other writers began to rise and discuss issues of sovereignty and the state. Thomas Hobbes discusses the state and refers to it as "Leviathan" which is the concurring title of his work. Believing man to be evil, Hobbes fashions his description of the state as the mechanism to control and harness the capabilities of man. There can be no peace as long as there is not absolute surrender to reason. The state's interest is supreme, as well as, its authority. These ideas were written in direct opposition to the church and its history. Hobbes desired a complete refutation of the Church's influence in government. Hobbes portrays a state as sovereign. The sovereignty of the state is in direct relation to its longevity and basic existence. State sovereignty must be perpetual and supreme. The authority of this described state would over-shadow the authority of the church. Continuing historically, the development of the thirty years war was significant in its unique result. The treaty of Westphelia was the agreement which not only settled the war, but gave absolute authority to the sovereign of each individual state. This was accomplished by granting the sovereign the right to choose which religion he/she desired and that in turn transferred down to the people. Thus, once again the authority of the church was restricted, however this time by the emergence of an institution called the state. During this period states begin to develop colonies and explorati...
