In late medieval France， mixed constitution held a significant position in political thought and practice. It was championed by theologians such as Aquinas， subsequently became the political program of the Parlement， and was further promoted by conciliarism in the first half of the 15th century. From the latter half of the 15th century onward， the principle of papal monarchy was re-established， and its influence extended to secular monarchies in Western Europe. In the major political struggles and debates in France of the 16th century， the defenders of the French monarchy brought the issue of political regime to the forefront. They rejected mixed constitution by emphasizing the purity and superiority of the French monarchy. However， they also generally believed that the monarch’s power was constrained by law and justice； and that the basis of rule was the mutual “love” between the monarch and the people， not violence. In this sense， what was previously called “absolute monarchy” might be more accurately described as a limited “pure monarchy”.