Unit 4: Absolutism

Goals of this unit…

• To understand the role of religion in the kingdoms of the Absolute Monarchs

• To understand why monarchs were able to assert their power in a different way at this time.

• To develop an understanding of the techniques used by the different monarchs of Western and Eastern Europe and what made them different from one another.

• To understand the political and religious issues involved in the outbreak and aftermath of the Thirty Year’s War

• To understand why monarchs felt threatened by the existence of more than one religion in their empire.

Ongoing Conflict in Europe

• 1556-1598: Europe was in a period of conflict– Strong monarchies– Dynastic concerns– Phillip II– Religious divisions

• Peace of Augsburg (1555) brought peace between Catholics and Lutherans

• Growth of Calvinism brings new source of conflict

Spanish Habsburgs• 1556 - Philip’s father, Charles V,

abdicates:– Charles divides land:

• Brother: Ferdinand I gets Austria, Bohemia, Hungary – Holy Roman Emperor

• Son: Philip II takes Spain, Netherlands, Northern Italy, overseas empire

– On-going conflict with Turks, Protestants now Philip’s

Philip II (1527-1598)

• Took power in 1558• Philip II led Spain as

strongest European power– Defender of Catholic faith,

used Inquisition• But not pope’s tool – defended

Spanish interests first

– Strict, serious, hardworking– Faced serious internal

infrastructure problems• Inflation, wealth gap, starvation

The Netherlands Revolt

The Netherlands Revolt• Philip’s policies spark revolt in

Netherlands– Catholic rule sparks resistance– Some Dutch want Calvinism

• Philip’s forces fought heresy, used Inquisition– Sister: Margaret of Parma in

charge of Netherland’s– Calvinist mobs fought back: the

Calvinist Fury• Burn, desecrate churches, terrorize

Catholics– Philip sends Duke of Alva to

replace Margaret• Imposes martial law, forces use

violence, “Council of Blood”

Dutch Resistance • William of Orange – “William the Silent”– Leads resistance against

Philip– After early defeats, gains

success in north– Rebellion marred by

massacres – Antwerp– Catholic (South), Protestants

(North) unite to fight Spain – but differences weaken rebellion

• Alessandro Farnese helps Dutch diplomatically and through battles– Makes peace with Spain in

1579

• The Netherlands declares independence in 1581

France’s Line of Weak Kings

Henry II (1547-1559)&

Catherine de Medici(1519-1589)

Francis II (1559-1560)

Charles IX(1560-1574)

Henry III(1574-1589)

French Religious Conflicts• Decline came after Treaty of Cateau-

Cambreis (1559)• Treaty gave up French owned land in Italy,

Netherlands– Religious divisions– Economic downturn– Lower classes rebel against urban leaders

and landlords• Calvinism growing causes tension

– Political motives sometimes fronted as religious feeling

– Calvinists promised opportunity• Catherine de Medici

– 1560 – Mother of 9 year old Prince Charles IX

– Queen’s relatives, Guise family, lead Catholic faction

War Breaks Out (1561)• Catherine joins plot to murder Huguenots

– Saint Bartholomew's Eve Massacre (1572)

“War of the Three Henries”• After the massacre, country

decisively divided• Charles IX dies from shock• Three Henries compete for

throne– Henry III (Charles IX’s brother)– Henry of Guise– Henry of Navarre (a

Huguenot)

• Henry III and Henry Guise assassinated…

• 1589 – Henry of Navarre becoming King – First monarch of the Bourbon

family

England• Tudor dynasty

– Henry VIII remarries to produce heir

• Children: Mary Tudor, Elizabeth, Edward I

– Mary Tudor (in power 1553-1558) marries Philip II

• Elizabeth I takes power in 1558 after Mary dies– Skilled at manipulating,

dominating diplomat– Helps England avoid civil war– Considered one of England’s

greatest rulers – “Golden era”• Instilled English pride• Patron of arts, literature• Expansion, naval triumph

Threats for Elizabeth I• Elizabeth forcing Protestantism on

England• Catholic uprisings…• Threat of Mary Stuart

– Scotland under regency of Mary Guise (mother), for Mary Stuart

– John Knox leads revolt in Scotland– Mary Stuart forced to flee to England

• Ireland– James Maurice leads revolts in 1569– Irish supported by papacy

• Elizabeth skillfully defused religious problems– Failed to please both Catholic, Puritan

extremes

Conquest and Failure• Philip dominating Europe as

Catholic defender– Leads Holy League against Ottoman

Turks– Victory at Lepanto (1571)

• Wipes of Turkish naval threat

• Philip can’t control French or English policy– Angered by English piracy– Frustrated with Dutch uprising

• Confident from victory over Turks– Took control of Portuguese throne in

1580– Tried to work through Mary Stuart to

force Elizabeth out• Mary Stuart executed for treason,

assassination plot– Mary’s death and English piracy

convinced him of need for war

Spanish Armada (1588)• Philip sends the Armada (huge fleet of

ships) to go invade England– Ends in disaster, defeat

Failures for Philip II

• No major shift in power after 1588– Spain eventually rebuilt fleet, gained no major

victories– All major powers were exhausted– Bourbons gain the French throne, Dutch gain their

freedom

• Spain began slow, steady decline– Rebellions, conflict with Pope Clement VIII– Two more attacks on Britain failed– Forced to make peace with France– Philip bankrupted Spain three times

Review of Conflicts in Europe

• England experienced similar problems– Sea raids failed to achieve grand projects– Armed action on three fronts drained treasury– Religious conflict surfaced

• Dutch gain and strengthen their independence– 1609, a republic established

• France gained some stability– Henry of Navarre became King Henry IV (1589)– Edict of Nantes (1598) gives religious, political rights

to Huguenots

Louis XIV“The Sun King”

1643-1715

Louis XIV• Louis XIV (Bourbon family)

under regency– Cardinal Richelieu and Cardinal

Mazarin set him up for success• Reduced power of nobles• Took away rights of Huguenots

• The Fronde (1649-1653)– Civil war among nobles who are

angry about lost power– Leads to strengthening of a

strong central monarchy: Louis XIV

Louis XIV’s Rule• Louis XIV takes full control in 1661

– Works hard, smart, sharp

• Delegates some power to aristocracy: “intendants” – officials– Keeps nobles happy

• Expands army, engages in many wars

• Moved Palace to Versailles• Revocation of the Edict of Nantes

(1685)– Ends religious freedom for Huguenots– 300,000 flee from torture, prison– “One king, one law, one faith.”

France in 1660• 20 million people

– 4x more than England; 10x more than the Dutch

• 100,000 in his standing army in peacetime; 400,000 during wartime

• France was the most powerful in Europe

By the time of his death in 1715 France was drained from constant warfare. Debt and resentment over

royal abuse of power led to the revolution in 1789

Palace of Versailles

• Facade 1/3 of a mile long, 1400 fountains, 1200 orange trees

• 60% of royal tax revenue spent on Versailles & upkeep of the court

• Baroque Architecture• Magnificent art and sculptures• Tournaments, hunts, tennis, billiards,

boating parties, dinners, dances, ballets, operas, concerts, theater

Hall of Mirrors

Jean Baptiste Colbert (1661-1683)• Louis XIV appoints Colbert to fix and

run economic system• The wealth and economy of France

should serve the state• Mercantilism: a collection of governmental

policies for the regulation of economic activities, especially commercial activities, by and for the state

– A nation’s international power was thought to be based on its wealth, specifically gold supply

– To accumulate gold, a country always had to sell more goods abroad than it brought

– Utilize expansion and land overseas– Create a self-sufficient economy

Colbert

• Reduced local tolls in order to encourage domestic trade

• Improved France’s transportation system with canals and a growing merchant marine

• Organized a group of French trading companies

• Abolished domestic tariffs and enacted high foreign tariffs

Louis’ Wars

• Invasion of the Dutch Netherlands 1672– Treaty of Nijmegen – received several

towns and the region of Franche-Comte (he already had Spanish Netherlands)

– Encouraged French aggression• War of Spanish Succession 1700-

1713– Charles II of Spain died with no children– Left throne to Philip of Anjou – grandson of

Louis XIV (Bourbon)– England, Austria, the Dutch republic,

Portugal and several German and Italian states joined together against Louis XIV.

– Treaty of Utrecht 1713• Philip of Anjou remains King of Spain but

French and Spanish thrones could not be united

– Winner: BRITAIN• Received Gibraltar and French territories in

the New World• Austrian Hapsburgs took the Spanish

Netherlands