Absolutism In the seventeenth century, absolute monarchs believed they ruled by the divine right of God. Absolutism shaped the future of two major powers in Europe, France and England. Between 1638 - 1715, Louis XIV ruled France with majesty and wit, making his reign a prime example of absolutism. In England, civil war and feudal brawls forced the monarchy to establish absolutism as a way to restore order. Eventually absolutism failed, but its aftereffect changed England forever. To be an absolute ruler, politically, the monarch had to be supreme. In France, Lois XIV was opposed to any outside conventions that would be a threat to his power. He establish