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Absolutismus ist doch ein Quellenbegriff! Zum Auftauchen des Wortes im 18. Jahrhundert in Polen und zu den Konsequenzen für die Absolutismus-Debatte
Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung, Vol. 44 (2017), Iss. 4 : pp. 635–659
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PD Dr. Martin Faber, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Historisches Seminar, Rempartstraße 15, 79085 Freiburg i. Br.
Abstract
In the discussion about the concept of absolutism, no one so far has questioned the fact that the term was first coined in the 19th century. Nicholas Henshall has gone so far as to demand that the term be banned from historiography of the early modern period. He argues that the first occurrences of the word date from the 1820 s and were meant to denote contemporary monarchies. The term was transferred to historiography only afterwards and in order to designate monarchies of the early modern period, whichwere very different from those of the 19th century. This article challenges Henshall’s claim and argues that the word did in fact already appear with it’s full political meaning during the 18th century in sources from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The first occurrence the author found is in a pamphlet from the time of the interregnum of 1733. The Polish nobility had always been very intent on preserving its freedom and restricting the power of its kings. It had therefore already in the 16th century created the term