The Age of Absolutism

Unit 12 Sections 1-3

What is Absolutism?

• What are some of the characteristics of an absolute monarch?

• Define Diving Right and Mandate of Heaven

• How did Absolute monarchs rule?

• Why did they use large standing armies and secret police?

Ruling with Absolute Power

• Between 1500-1800, the old feudal order gave way to individual nation-states

with strong central government

• Monarchs presided over government bureaucracies that enforced land and

collected taxes

Powerful States and Rulers

• Spain and France set up absolute monarchies

• Absolute monarchies- political systems that a rule has complete authority over the government and the lives of the people

• Ruling families:

• Hapsburgs in Spain

• Bourbons in France

• Hohenzollern in Prussia

• Romanov in Russia

Absolute Power and Divine Right to Rule

• Absolute monarchs had parliaments or other bodies, however, had no actual

power

• Ruler could dissolve legislative body at will

• Divine Right to Rule- authority to rule came directly from God

• Used this to justify the power

• Monarchs were Gods representatives on earth

Spanish Power Grows

• Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand unified the country (Spain), enforced religious unity, and commanded the Spanish conquest of the Americas

• 1516- Grandson Charles I became king of Spain- ruler of Spanish colonies in the America’s as well

• Charles I became heir of Hapsburg Empire which included the Holy Roman Empire and the Netherlands

Charles I Charles V

• Grandson of Isabella and Ferdinand

• Devout Catholic

• Suppressed Protestantism in German states

• Faced Muslim Ottoman Empire

• Ottoman forces continued to challenge Spain through the use of the Mediterranean

• Why was Charles V in constant warfare?

Charles V Abdicates

• Why would Charles V give up on the Hapsburg Empire?

• Too scattered for one person to handle

• What happened to the empire?

• Gave the Holy Roman Empire to his brother Ferdinand

• Charles V son- Philip II- got Spain, the Netherlands, and some southern Italian states

Philip II Solidifies Power

• Reigned for 42 years

• Expanded Spanish influence

• Strengthened the Catholic Church

• Made his own power absolute, divine right

• Considered guardian of Catholic Church

Centralizing Power

• Philip II made every part of the government responsible to him

• Absolute monarch- a ruler with complete authority over the government and

the lives of the people

• Divine right- the power came directly from God

• Explain why an absolute monarch is beneficial and detrimental to a country.

Battles in the Mediterranean and the

Netherlands

• Attempted to advance Spanish Catholic power

• Battle of Lepanto- 1571

• Battle between Catholics and Ottomans, Catholics win

• Protestants resisted Philip’s efforts to crush their faith

Armada Sails Against England

• 1580’s- Philip saw England as Spain’s chief Protestant enemy

• Elizabeth supported the Dutch who were against Spain

• Armada- fleet to carry a Spanish invasion force to England

• Sent 130 ships and 20,000 men to the English channel

• What was the outcome?

An Empire Declines

• Defeat of the Armada marked the beginning of the end of Spanish power

• Reason for decline: Philip II’s successors ruled far less ably than he did

• Costly overseas wars drained Spain of its wealth

• Treasure of the Americas meant that Spain neglected farming and commerce

Spain’s Golden Age

• El Greco- “the Greek”- haunting religious

pictures and striking portraits of Spanish

nobles

• Miguel de Cervantes- Don Quixote

France Under Louis

XIV

Chapter 16: Section 2

Religious Strife

• What religion do most people in France follow?

• Religious wars between Catholic majority and French Protestants in 1560-

1590

• Huguenots- French Protestants

• St. Bartholomew’s Day

• What was the outcome of St. Bartholomew’s Day?

Bringing Peace to Shattered Land

• Huguenot prince inherited the throne- Henry IV

• He converted to Catholicism- this is how he attempted to centralize power

• Edict of Nantes- granted Huguenots religious toleration and other freedoms

• Henry IV wanted to repair France

• His royal officials administered justice, improved roads, built bridges, and

revived agriculture

Cardinal Richelieu Strengthens Royal

Authority

• Henry IV was killed in 1610 and his nine-year-old son, Louis XIII, inherited the throne

• Until he became of age, Cardinal Richelieu ruled for him

• Richelieu sought to destroy the power of the Huguenots and nobles

• Outlawed Huguenots to have armies and Richelieu smashed their walled cities

• Intendants- royal officials who collected taxes, recruited soldiers, and carried out policies

• Louis XIV took over

“I am the State”

• Absolute monarch rises- noble, merchants, peasants, and urban poor each rebelled in order to protest royal power

• Louis XIV believed in divine right to rule

• Took the sun as the symbol of his absolute power

• “I am the state”- stands at the center of the nation

• Never called the Estates General- there was no checking of royal power

• Why is this a problem?

Louis XIV

• Expanded the bureaucracy

• Appointed intendants- royal officials who collected taxes, recruited soldiers,

and carried out his policies in the provinces

• Built the strongest European army with 300,000 soldiers

• Revoked Edict of Nantes in the Treaty of Fountainbleau.

• Who was persecuted again?

Colbert Builds France’s Finances

• Jean-Baptiste Colbert- imposed mercantilist policies to bolster the economy

• Had lands cleared for farming

• Placed high tariffs on goods

• Several colonies in North America and India- regulated trade

• Had the palace of Versailles built

• Paintings, architecture, drama, and ballet flourished

Versailles: Symbols of Royal Power

• Most magnificent building in Europe

• Has the finest art

• High ranking nobles competed for the honor of holding the royal washbin

Decline of France

• At the end of Louis’s reign- France was the strongest state in Europe

• Louis XIV poured vast resources into wars meant to expand French borders

• Balance of power- goal was to maintain a distribution of military and economic power among European nations to prevent any one country from dominating the region

• 1685- Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes- more than 100,000 Huguenots fled France, settling mainly in England, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and the Americas

Wars of Louis XIV• Wars of Louis XIV

• Poured money into wars to expand French borders

• How did Europe react??

• War of Spanish Succession

• Cause:

• European Response – Balance of Power Concept

• Treaty of Utrecht – What did it say? Significance?

• Effects of Louis’ Wars

• Destroyed French economy

• 20% of French people died

• Huge debt placed on the shoulders of the third estate –issue????

S

Rise of Austria and Prussia

Holy Roman Empire

S Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, Roman, or an empire

S Patchwork of hundred small states under the elected Holy

Roman emperor elected by electors, or German princes

S Austrian Hapsburg family ruled the empire

Thirty Years’ War

S Emperor had little power over the many rival princes

S Religion further divided German states

S Holy Roman Empire placed severe restrictions on Protestantism

S War began in Czech Republic

S Ferdinand- Catholic Hapsburg king of Bohemia- sought to suppress Protestants and to assess royal power over nobles

S Defenestration of Prague- Protestant noblemen tossed two royal officials out of a castle window

S Tried to roll back the reformation

S Mercenaries fought

Thirty Years’ War

S Protestant powers alarmed by the catholic victories sent troops into Germany- Netherlands and Sweden

S Before long political issues outweighed the religious ones and rulers were shifting alliances to suit their own interests

S Cardinal Richlieu enters Catholic France into the war against the Catholic Hapsburgs because he wanted to defeat a political threat

Outcome of Thirty Years’ War

S Mercenaries- soldiers for hire- burned villages, destroyed crops, killed without mercy

S Murder, torture, famine

S Depopulation

S 1/3 of population in German states died because of the war

S Peace of Westphalia

S France emerged a winner and gained territory on the Spanish and German frontiers

S Hapsburgs were the losers because they had to accept the independence of all the princes

of the Holy Roman Empire

S Netherlands and present-day Switzerland won independence

Peace

S Peace of Westphalia- treaty aspired to bring about a general European peace and

to settle international problems

S France emerged as a clear winner and gained territory from Spain and Germany

S Thirty Years’ War left German lands divided into more than 360 separate states

Hapsburg Austria Changes its Focus

S Hapsburgs stilled wanted a strong united state

S Kept the title Holy Roman Emperor but focused their attention on expanding

their own lands

S Austria was soon added to Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland

S Problem: had different languages, laws, and political assemblies

The War of the Austrian Succession

S Frederick II of Prussia seized the rich Hapsburg empire

S Maria Theresa set off for Hungary to appeal for military to help the Hungarians

S Made a plea to assemble Hungarian nobles

S She eventually got help from Britain and Russia who did not want Prussia to upset the balance of power by gaining new lands

S Maria Theresa strengthened Hapsburg power by recognizing bureaucracy and improving tax collection

S Forced nobles and clergy to pay taxes and tried to ease the burden of taxes and labor services on peasants

S Was an absolute monarch

Hohenzollern Prussia

S Prussia: Protestant power

S Scattered lands across northern Germany

S Set up a bureaucracy

S Frederick William I- Prussian ruler- gained loyalty of the Prussian nobles- gave them positions in army and government

S Why is he an Enlightened Despot?

S Reduced nobles independence and increased his control

S By 1740- Prussia was strong enough to challenge its rival Austria

The Rivalry of Great Powers

S 1750- Great European powers included Austria, Prussia, France, Britain, and

Russia

S Formed various alliances

S Conflict occurred

S Treaty of Paris- ended in favor of the British

The Seven Years War

S Effects

S Great Powers: Austria, Prussia, France, England, and Russia

S Seven Years War (French and Indian War in N. America) 1756-1763

S Britain and France also battled in N. America, India and Africa

S Treaty of Paris ended conflict

S

Absolutism in Russia

Peter the Great Modernizes Russia

S 1600s- Russia was still a medieval state

S Untouched by Renaissance or the Reformation

S Period of disorder and foreign invasion

S Tsar who was strong enough to turn it around- Peter the Great

Peter the Great

S Romanov Dynasty

S Took the throne when he was only 10

S Not well educated

S Spent hours learning about where he was going to be ruling over

S Brought to Russia a group of technical experts, teachers, and soldiers he had recruited in Europe

S Westernization- adoption of Western ideas, technology, and culture.

S Why would a ruler want to westernize?

Peter the Great and his Government

S Autocratic- absolute monarch ruled with unlimited authority

S How may an autocratic ruler be beneficial?

S Strengthened the military

S Expanded borders

S Centralized royal power

S Boyars

S Improved education

S Developed mining and manufacturing

Russia’s Borders under Peter the Great

S Created the largest standing army in Europe

S Built word-class navy from scratch

S Russia is located along the Arctic Ocean

S Needed to find a warm water port

S Was unable to gain control of a warm water port

Catherine the Great

S Originally from Germany

S Learned Russian, became Russian Orthodox

S Wanted education for boys and girls

S Liked and encouraged western customs

S Absolute monarch:

S Harsh rule of peasants

S Granted charter to boyars- exempted them from tax

S Why is she considered an Enlightened Despot?

Poland

S In 1795- Poland was erased from the map.

S 1770- Catherine the Great, Frederick the Great, and Emperor Joseph II of Austria

avoided fighting each other by dividing up Poland

S Poland was divided among Austria, Prussia, and Russia

S Poland would not be a country again until 1919

S

Parliament Triumphs in EnglandChapter 16 Section 3

The Tudors Work With Parliament

S 1485-1603- England was ruled by

Tudor monarchs

S Tudors believed in divine rights

S Parliament approved the Act of

Supremacy- making the monarch the

head of the Church of England

S Constant need for money led Henry to

consult with Parliament

S Used his funds to fight wars overseas

A Century of Revolution Begins

S Elizabeth died childless in 1603- closest heir was James Stewart (made the

political party Stewarts)

S Stuarts were neither as popular as the Tudors nor as skillful

S Had many issue with Parliament

The Stuarts Issue a Challenge

S James I- Divine Right Ruler-

Parliament was against his claim to be

an absolute leader

S Clashed with Parliament over money

and foreign policy

S Needed funds to finance his lavish

court and wage wars

S James dissolved Parliament and

collected taxes on his own

The Stuarts Issue a Challenge

S Clashed with dissenters- Protestants who are different with the Church of England

S Puritans sought to “purify” the church of Catholic practices

S Charles I-son of James I- acted like an absolute monarch

S Imprisoned foes without trial

S Had to meet with Parliament- Parliament insisted that he sign the Petition of Right- which

said the king could not raise taxes without Parliament’s consent or from jailing without

legal justification

The Stuarts Issue a Challenge

S Charles signed the Petition of Right but then dissolved Parliament

S Created enemies

The Long Parliament Begins

S 1640- Parliament became known as the Long Parliament

S Triggered the greatest political revolution in English history

S Called for the abolition of bishops and declared that the Parliament could not be

dissolved without its own consent

S Charles lashed back- led troops into the House of Commons

Civil War

S 1642-1651

S Cavaliers vs. Roundheads

S Many people were wealthy nobles

A King is Executed

S Parliament put Charles on trial

S “I am a martyr of the people”

S Was beheaded

S No ruler could claim absolute

power and ignore the rule of

law

Cromwell and the Commonwealth

S House of Commons abolished the monarch, the House of Lords and the Church

of England

S Declared England a republic known as a Commonwealth and was led by Oliver

Cromwell

England and Ireland

S Charles II attacked England by war of Ireland and Scotland

S 1652- Parliament passed a law exiling most Catholics to barren land in the west of

Ireland

Puritans

S Puritans frowned on taverns, gambling, and dancing

S Puritans wanted everyone to read the Bible and encouraged education

S Marriage should be based on love

S Welcomed Jews back to England from more than 350 years of exile

Glorious Revolution

S Reestablished the Church of England but encouraged toleration of other

Protestants, Presbyterians, Quakers, and Baptists

James II is Forced to Flee

S James II was Charles II’s brother

S James had a daughter, Mary who married Dutch husband William III and wanted

to be rulers of England

S James II was forced to flee to France- known as the Glorious Revolution

The English Bill of Rights

S 1689

S What did the English Bill of Rights promise?

A Limited Monarchy

S Glorious Revolution created a limited monarchy

S What is a limited monarchy?

Constitutional Government Evolves

S What three new political institutions arose in Britain?

S Constitutional government- government whose power is defined and limited by

law

Political Parties Emerge

S What two political parties emerged?

S Tories- supported broad royal powers and dominant Anglican Church

S Whigs- backed the policies of the Glorious Revolution- reflected urban business

interests and religious toleration

Prime Minister and the Cabinet

S Prime minister was always the leader of the majority party

S Met in a small room

S Type of government: oligarchy- government in which the ruling power belongs to

a few people

S Right to vote was limited to a relatively few male property owners