Age of Absolutism

World History

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» Based on the image, how would you describe an absolute monarch?

Louis XIV

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»What might be the pros and cons to having an absolute monarch?

» Can you think of any factors that would weaken a monarch’s power?

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» Identify 3 characteristics of an absolute monarch.

» Why did some think it was necessary to have an absolute ruler?

» Name 2 reasons European monarchs became wealthy.

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»List at least 5 qualities that are important for a monarch to possess and tell why

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»If you could become monarch for the day, what three rules would you implement and why?

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»What are two accomplishments of Peter the Great?

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»Who was the greatest ruler of the time?

Assignment

» Label and shade the Five Powers that Emerged from the Age of Exploration

»Unscramble the four key concepts that led to the emergence of absolute powers

The Age of Absolute Monarch

By the end of the Renaissance,New nations were formed in EuropeMany of these nations were Ruled by powerful kings with Unlimited power known asAbsolute monarchsThe era from 1600 to mid-1700sWas known as the Age of Absolutism

How did European kings gainso much power?

The Rise of Absolute MonarchsDuring the

Middle Ages, European kings were not very

powerful

Instead, feudal lords had real power because they controlled

local manors and had the loyalty of knights

The Catholic Church was the dominate religion in Europe

The Pope had power over

the peasants

The Rise of Absolute Monarch

The Crusades stimulated trade

and led to the rise of cities in Europe

This Trade sparked the Renaissance and weakened the power

of feudal lords

As feudalism declinedThe power of kings increased

What is an Absolute Monarch?

» An absolute monarch is a king or queen who believes that all of the power rests in their hands. There is no limit to their power

» Charles II – King of Ireland and Scotland

Louis XIV of France

Phillip II of Spain

Maria Theresa

of Austria

By 1600, some European kings had become absolute

monarchs

Frederick the Great of Prussia

Absolute monarchy is a government in which one king

should hold all the power within a country

Absolute monarchs controlled all aspects of their nations, including

taxes, religion, the military, and the

economy

Peter the Great of Russia

What is Divine Right?

» Divine right is the idea that God created the monarchy

» Monarch is God’s representative on earth.» The absolute monarch answers only to God, not

to their subjects» How does the concept of divine right attempt to

use religion to discourage dissent or disagreement with the monarch?

» What do you think? Do the monarchs really try to do God’s will?

» Absolute Power + Theory of divine rights of kings (and queens) = Absolute Divine Right Monarchy

ABSOLUTISM

Peter the Great of Russia

How do Monarchs increase their

power?

» Monarchs want to build huge armies˃ How do they pay for this?

» Taxes are raised˃ How do the people feel about this?

» Peasants revolt˃ How will the monarch respond?

» Monarchs increase army and seize even more control

European Monarchs

Louis XIV of France

France before king Louis XIV Before Louis XIV came to

power, France was a nation in conflict between

Catholics and French Protestants (called

Huguenots)

King Henry IV tried to fix this issue by declaring religious freedom called the

Edit of Nantes

After Henry IV died, Catholic leaders took

control of France, ended the Edict of Nantes,

weakened the power of nobles, and increased the

power of monarchy

Roman gods

Assignment

»Complete the “The Sun King” worksheet

»Design your own Palace of Versailles

Peter the Great

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Russia before Peter the Great

» Russia was influenced by the Ottoman Empire but was conquered by the Mongolians

» Ivan III successfully liberated Russia from the Mongols and ruled as first czar (“Caesar” or “king”)

» Over time, czars expanded Russia’s borders, increased

their power over the nobles, and created an

absolute monarchy

By the time Peter the Great became czar in 1682, Russia was a

large empire

But Russia was not as advanced as Western European nations

Russia was isolated from Western Europe and know very little about the new ideas of the

Renaissance

While European nations grew wealthy from

trade/industry, made cultural advances, and had strong economy

Russia had no advance industry,

no overseas colonies, and an

economy of small scale farmers

Most Russians were feudal peasant working for nobles (called boyars)

When he returned from Europe, Peter imposed new reforms to Westernize Russia

Created iron and lumber factories

Modernized the army and navy

Made himself head of the Orthodox Church (like Henry VIII in England)

» Adopted European fashions by banning beards for men and veils for women

» Adopted a European calendar

» Improved farming techniques» Used mercantilism as an

economic policy

Peter expanded Russia’s borders and built a new “European-style” Russian capital at St. Petersburg

Video

http://mrdsclass.weebly.com/unit-2-absolutism.html

The Legacy of Peter the Great

» As a result of Peter the Great, Russia became a more

advanced, Western nation

» But, modernization was slow process and Russia had a not fully industrialized by World

War I

» During World War I, revolutionaries overthrew the

monarchy and created a radical new government

based on socialism

Elizabeth I of England

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England before Elizabeth

» Unlike other nations in Europe, England had a limited monarchy rather than an absolute monarch

» During the Middle Ages, English nobles revolted against a cruel king who overtaxed them

» In 1215, nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta which limited the king’s power and protected citizen’s rights

» The Magna Carta created a “limited monarchy” and led to the formation Parliament in 1295

» Parliament is a legislative group of commoners and lords who work with the king to pass laws and taxes

executed

After Henry’s death, his son Edward VI became king, but he diedat the age of 15

The monarchy

Rights

Phillip II of Spain

Phillip’s Accomplishments

» As king, Philip controlled Spain, the Netherlands, and colonies in America, but Philip took Portugal and its colonies in Africa and India too.

» This brought Spain great wealth, which Philip used to build a strong army and the Spanish armada.

» Philip used his navy to defend Catholicism against Protestants and Ottoman Muslims.

» Phillip being a devout Catholic, he was a hero of the Counterreformation raging in Europe in which he managed to hold back Protestant expansion

Spanish Armada unsuccessfully attacked Protestant England

The Decline of Spain

» Despite Spain's power around the world from across south and central America to Spain, north Africa, the Low Countries and southern Italy to the Philippines in the Far East.. There was a decline caused by:˃ Incapable monarchs – Hapsburg Dynasty in

1700˃ Costly wars – Spanish Armada defeat˃Massive inflation

How bad was Hapsburg’s inbreeding?

» Charles’s mother was a niece of Charles’s father

» Maria Anna was his aunt and also his grandmother

» Margaret of Austria was his grandmother and great grandmother

» The inbreeding was so bad his 8 great grandparents were all descendants of the same couple, Joanne and Philip I

Assessment

»Partners to present their story book on Who’s the Absolutist of Them All?

Review Game

» Break into two groups» Each team come up with 25- 30 questions (will

draw test questions from them)» Select a team captain» Team Captain will ask the question to the other

team» A member of the other team answer the

question after discussion with team mates» Team with the most points will receive candy