Die europäische Wahrnehmung des Königreichs Dänemark nach der Einführung der Lex Regia

With the danske Enevælde, the introduction of the Lex Regia in 1660/1665 created a political phenomenon in Denmark that was unique for the early modern period. The establishment of a hereditary monarchy and the constitutional codification of the monarch’s potestas absoluta represented a radical change and challenged interpretation. The Account of Denmark by the English envoy Robert Molesworth initiated a debate on the interpretation of the danske Enevælde in a European public sphere that concerned the very essence of the European monarchy. This debate was conducted by authors from Western, Central and Northern Europe from the end of the 17th century until the second half of the 18th century.
The present study takes an argumentative-historical approach to the interpretations of the danske Enevælde in the light of the different political norms and ideas of rule. The systematic analysis of the discussion and reception of the interpretation of the danske Enevælde in the Account of Denmark opens up access to political communication and culture of the early modern period in a European framework. The extreme example of the danske Enevælde reveals certain basic constants of a European monarchy discourse.