Constitutional monarchy is a concept of power sharing (Powers, separation of). Across Europe after the French Revolution (1789), it balanced monarchs' claims to authority and the bourgeoisie's demands for participation. The outcome of this struggle for political power was a mixed constitution, a dual system comprising a delicate balance “between monarchic government and popular representation” [3. 192] and ultimately shared sovereignty “between king and people” [1. 172] (Monarchy). Thus, the concept of constitutional monarchy does not consist entirely in t…
Constitutional monarchy(802 words)
Cite this page
Hufeld, Ulrich, “Constitutional monarchy”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_022550>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170206
▲ Back to top ▲