Monarchs of Europe
► Absolutism:
unlimited power on an
individual or group
► Divine Right: idea that monarchs
received their power directly from God
and are only responsible to Him
Spanish Monarchs
► Charles
Emperor
V: Holy Roman
 Divided Hapsburg lands between
Ferdinand (brother) and Philip II (son)
► Philip
II (r. 1556-1598)
 “Defender of the Catholic Faith”
► Dutch
Independence
 Prudent King (cautious and hardworking)
 Unified the Government (capital city –
Madrid)
Phillip II
“Defender of the Faith”
► Spanish
Armada
 Fleet of warships; sent to attack England
 Convert England to Catholicism
 130 ships; 20,000 men
► Armada would hold English Channel
for Army of Flanders invasion
 6 day delay
 6 fire ships
 Large Spanish galleons defeated by
smaller English ships
► Battle of Gravelines
 Spanish forced to retreat North
 Result: Spain & Catholicism show
weakness
“Golden Century” (1550-1650)
►
►
►
►
Cervantes – Don Quixote
Inflation became a concern
 Influx of gold and silver from
their American colonies
Relied on agriculture
 Lagged behind other
industrialized countries
Philip II’s successors lacked
governing skills
Charles II (r. 1665-1700)
► Was
physically and
mentally weak
 Known as Charles the Mad
► No
heirs to the throne
► European monarchs
plotted for control
The Tudor Dynasty
English Monarchs (Tudors)
► Henry
VII (r. 1485-1509)
 Aristocracy became dependent on the crown
 Used diplomacy to avoid war
 Used marriages to strengthen royal power
► Henry





VIII (r. 1509-1547)
Viewed as the most powerful Tudor monarch
Developed a strong Navy
Married six times
Worked with Parliament to accomplish his goals
Seized monastic lands and redistributed them
► Edward
VI (r. 1553-1558)
 Inherited the throne at 9 yrs. old – died at 15 yrs. old
► Mary




I (r. 1553-1558)
Was devoutly Catholic; supported by the people
Married Philip II of Spain; restored Catholicism
Went to war with France – lost the port of Calais
Died in 1558 without an heir to the throne
► Elizabeth





I (r. 1558-1603):
Also known as the “Virgin Queen”
Speculation on who would succeed her
Respected by her subjects
Elizabethan Court & Government: advised by nobles
Social & Economic Policy: (monarch, gentry, yeomen)
► Statute
of Apprentices (1563); Poor Laws (1595 & 1601)
 Foreign Policy: Relied on the Channel for protection
► Mary
Queen of Scots
The End of the Tudor Dynasty
► Elizabeth
did not leave an heir
► 1603: The English throne passed to James
Stuart of Scotland (Mary Q. of Scots’ son)
► King James VI (I):
 United England and Scotland
 Began the Stuart Dynasty
French Monarchs (The Bourbons)
► Henry




IV (r. 1589-1610): Henry of Navarre
Edict of Nantes (1598): allowed Protestantism
Restored the crown’s treasury, repaired roads, etc.
Tried to restore discipline to the military
Laid the foundation of absolutism
► Cardinal




Richelieu:
Louis XIII gave power over to him
Destroyed castles to end noble control of France
Gave local authority to intendants, non-nobles
1625: Huguenots revolted against Louis XIII
►Lost
at La Rochelle (1628)
►Lost rights to live in independent towns
► Louis
XIV (r. 1643-1715)
 Became king at age 5, began to rule alone at 23
 Absolute Rule:
►Feared
disorder if a strong monarchy did not exist
►Lived through the Fronde as a youth
►Supported by the church (Jacques Bossuet)
 Court Life:
►Moved
the government and courts to Versailles
►Kept a close eye on his nobles
 Government Policies:
►Carefully
chose advisors
►Separate authorities for separate duties
►Two key aides: Colbert and Tellier
► Louis
XIV (continued)
 Taxation
►Tax
burden was on the poor
►Little desire for higher output b/c of higher taxes
 Religious Policy
►Persecuted
Huguenots; many left France
►1685: repealed the Edict of Nantes
 Expansion and Conflict (War of Spanish Succession)
►England,
Austria, and the Dutch allied together
►Treaty of Utrecht: France and Spain can’t unite
 Legacy
►Brilliant
cultural period
►Nobles lost ability to govern
►Peasants and middle-class resented the wealthy
►Nobles wanted to regain power under Louis XV
“The New Roman Empire”
► Charles
V tried to revive the H.R.E. as the
strong center of trade/politics in Europe
► Unlike the Eastern Empires – individual
states developed independently
 Protestant Reformation allowed a political
gathering and stronghold for German princes
 Attacks from the French and Ottoman Empire
proved to be to much on the defense
German Monarchs (The Hapsburgs)
► Thirty
Years’ War: Religious conflict continued
after the Peace of Ausburg
 Ferdinand of Stryia was in favor of the Hapsburgs and
caused the Czechs to revolt
 Spain sent aid – Denmark, England, and Sweden joined
together against the Hapsburgs
 Approx. 1/3 of German population killed
 Peace of Westphalia: recognized Calvinism as a religion
► Austria:
received land in Italy and the Netherlands
 Pragmatic sanction: allowed female succession and
stated that Hapsburg land could not be divided
 Maria Teresa succeeded Charles VI in 1740
►Strengthened
the Austrian throne - improved bureaucracy
► Prussia:
enemy of Austria during the 1700s
 Ruled by the Hohenzollerns
 Fredrick William “the Great Elector”:
►Allied
with the Junkers (nobles) = absolute power
►Only nobles could own land, exempt from taxes
►Fredrick I inherited the throne (weak ruler)
 Fredrick William I: a powerful ruler
►United
all functions into one beaucracy
►Devoted to the military (regiment of giants)
 Fredrick II “Fredrick the Great”:
►Rejected
the pragmatic sanction (seized Austrian land)
►1748: the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
►1756-1763: Seven Years War: G.B. & France competed
for land (ended with the Treaty of Paris)