Absolutism arose in Eastern Europe between 1600-1740 as monarchs consolidated power over nobility and imposed serfdom on peasants to gain economic and political control. Eastern European absolutism differed from French absolutism and involved tying peasants to the land through serfdom to support noble estates and the monarch's authority. Serfdom, where peasants were bound to the land and the lord, became widespread in Eastern Europe during this period of growing absolutism.
