The first form of the national state was monarchical, based on the absolute authority of the king. It existed, broadly speaking, from the middle of the 15th century to the end of the 18th.
Social and economic factors which contributed to its rise were the decay of the medieval Church and religion, the spread of the New Learning, called the Renaissance, and the rise of the bourgeoisie or the middle classes who hated the social and political disturbances and quarrels of the feudal barons.
These causes led to the growth of national consciousness of the people who rallied around the king against the feudal nobles in order to consolidate and strengthen national unity, peace and prosperity. Political thinkers, like Machiavelli, Hobbes and others, also supported the cause of royal absolutism in their writings.