AP European History · Exam guide

AP European History Mini-DBQ: Limits on Royal Power, 1650 to 1790

This is a shortened DBQ with five real documents instead of seven, so you can practice the full routine in less time. The documents are public domain, and translations vary slightly. Plan an argument before you read the notes.

The prompt

Evaluate the extent to which political thought and practice limited the power of European rulers, 1650 to 1790.

The documents

Document 1. Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, 1651

the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short

Hobbes used this picture of life without government to argue for a strong sovereign.

Document 2. English Bill of Rights, 1689

That the pretended power of suspending of laws or the execution of laws by regal authority without consent of Parliament is illegal.

Passed by Parliament after the Glorious Revolution and accepted by William and Mary.

Document 3. John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, 1689, section 6

being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions

A philosophical defense of natural rights and limited government.

Document 4. Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws, 1748

Constant experience shows us that every man invested with power is apt to abuse it ... it is necessary from the very nature of things that power should be a check to power.

A French nobleman and judge arguing for the separation of powers (translations vary).

Document 5. Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, France, 1789, Article 3

The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation.

Adopted by the National Assembly, which was then limiting the French king.

What the five documents show together

GroupDocumentsClaim they support
The case for strong rule1Fear of civil war led some thinkers to defend a powerful sovereign.
Limits in law and theory2, 3 and 4Rights, consent, and separation of powers became tools to restrain rulers.
Limits in revolution5By 1789 sovereignty was said to belong to the nation, not the king.

A model thesis

Earns the pointPolitical thought and practice limited rulers' power substantially in England and, by 1789, in France, but in much of Europe strong monarchs kept and even increased their power by building armies and bureaucracies, so the extent of change varied sharply by region.

It claims a large change in some places and little in others, and sets up a comparison.

An annotated body paragraph

Paragraph with the points markedIn England, the Bill of Rights declared that the monarch could not suspend laws "without consent of Parliament" (Document 2), which put the Glorious Revolution's results into law. Because Parliament wrote it to secure the position of the new rulers, William and Mary, it shows a limit on the Crown that served the interests of the political nation, not only a principle. Locke's argument that people are "equal and independent" (Document 3) gave that settlement a philosophical defense. On the Continent, however, Louis XIV of France ruled without an assembly, controlled the nobility by bringing them to live at Versailles, and revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, showing that absolute power could grow while England limited its king.

Two documents used, sourcing of Document 2 (who wrote it and why), and evidence beyond the documents (Louis XIV, Versailles, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes) used to build a contrast.

Evidence beyond the documents

  • Louis XIV, Versailles, and the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685.
  • Peter the Great's reforms in Russia.
  • Frederick the Great of Prussia, who called himself the first servant of the state.
  • The English Civil War and the execution of Charles I in 1649.
  • The Dutch Republic as a state governed by merchants and regional assemblies.

Self-check before you write

  • Did your thesis make a claim about the extent of change?
  • Did you use at least four documents and say what each says?
  • Did you source at least two documents?
  • Did you add evidence that is not in the documents?
  • Did you qualify the argument somewhere to earn the complexity point?

Frequently asked questions

Why only five documents?

To practice the routine in a shorter session. The real DBQ has seven documents, and you need four to earn the second evidence point.

Are these real documents?

Yes, the documents are public domain and quoted briefly. The prompt and the notes are our own.

Which documents should I source?

Choose two where the author or situation matters most to your argument, such as Documents 1 and 2.

Why do translations matter?

Wording differs between editions, so use the key idea instead of memorizing a phrase.

Where can I find the official scoring rules?

Exam formats change a little from year to year, so check the current course and exam description on the College Board site before test day.

Keep practicing

The AP European History course has five practice prompts for the DBQ and LEQ, plus short-answer sets, with a writing space that scores your response against the 7-point and 6-point rubrics. These free lessons also build the skills the free-response section tests:

See the AP European History course Free lessons and lesson list

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