Absolute Monarchs
Textbook Chapter 18
The Power of Spain: Main Idea


Spain
experienced a
golden age
during the 1500s
Economic
problems and
military
struggles
decreased
Spanish power
by the 1600s
The King Becomes Emperor




1516 - King Charles I
becomes king of Spain
Rules as ABSOLUTE
MONARCH
Absolute monarchs
have divine right and
may not be challenged
In Spain, Charles
struggled to control
empire
Charles V and the Empire

How might being both
King of Spain and the
Holy Roman Emperor
create difficulties for
Charles?
1519 –
throne of
Holy Roman
Empire
vacant, King
Charles I
becomes
Holy Roman
Emperor
Charles V
Charles V and Religion

Wants all of
Europe to be
Catholic
• 1521 – confronts
Martin Luther
• Rebellions against
Catholic rulers
spread
• Charles V is forced
to sign Peace of
Augsburg
Martin Luther
Dividing the Empire


1556 – Charles V
gives up throne
Ferdinand
Splits empire
between brother
and son
• Brother –
Hapsburg holdings
in Austria
• Son –
Netherlands,
Spain, Sicily,
Spain’s colonies
Philip
Thinking Questions
In what ways was Charles the V
a successful emperor?
 In what ways was he
unsuccessful?

Spain Under Philip II


Spain at peak of
grandeur
Marries Queen Mary I
of England


No heir
1560s – Calvinist
Protestants in
northern Low Country
provinces revolt
Dutch Revolt

Philip II sends
Duke of Alba
with army to
punish Dutch
• Court of Blood tortures and
executes rebels

Revolt
continued until
1609
Spain and England
English aid
Dutch – both
Protestant
 English sea
dogs attack
Spanish ships
 King Philip II
decides to
invade England

Sir Francis Drake
Spanish Armada
Naval fleet
assembled to
attack England
 Queen
Elizabeth I is
prepared for
attack

An Empire in Decline

Spain recovers from Spanish Armada,
but still has internal problems
• Gov’t not centralized – Philip trusts
nobody
• Wealth from America on war
• Philip borrows lots of money, goes into
bankruptcy 4 times
Thinking Question
What were 2 events that caused
problems for Spain?
 What effects might bankruptcy
have on the development of
Spain?

Absolute Monarchy in France:
Main Idea


Henry IV, Louis
XIII, and Louis
XIV strengthened
the French
monarchy
Louis XIV set the
example of an
absolute
monarch for the
rest of Europe
Religious War and Henry IV

John Calvin
1560s – 1 in 10
French =
Huguenots
• Threat to Catholic
French monarchy
• “one king, one
law, one religion”
• Religious conflict
was challenge to
absolute
monarchy
Conflict and New King

St. Bartholomew Day
Massacre ordered by
Queen Catherine
de’Medici
• 70,000 Huguenots
killed

Henry of Navarre
escapes death by
denying religion
• 1593 – coverts to
Catholicism
• Becomes King Henry IV
Compromise and Progress

1598 - Edict of Nantes
• Gives Huguenots
limited freedom of
worship – no longer
need to follow
religion of king
• Catholicism is still
official religion

Henry focuses on
repairing war-torn
country
Thinking Question

What were some of the high
points and low points in the life
of Henry IV?
Louis XIII and Richelieu


Louix XIII
1610 – Henry IV
murdered, son Louis
XIII crowed
Cardinal Richelieu =
right-hand man
• Reduce power of
Huguenots and
strengthen monarchy
• Cuts off supplies to
port city of La
Rochelle
Threat from Nobles

Louis XIII and Richelieu suppress
nobles
• Richelieu’s spies uncover series of secret
planned revolts
• Punishments severe and included
execution

Richelieu directs foreign policy
• Thirty Years War
• Sides with Protestants in effort to
overthrow Hapsburgs
Thinking Question

Who did Louis XIII and Cardinal
Richelieu see as their enemies?
Monarchy of Louis XIV



Louis XIII and
Richelieu die
Louis XIV crowned at
time of power,
prosperity, and glory
Rise of the “Sun
King”
• Cardinal Mazarin
advises
• Begins to rule by
himself at age 18
Louis XIV, Absolutism, and
Versailles



Begins tradition of
absolute monarchy
that lasts over a
century
Deprives nobles of
influence
Urges nobles to
develop expensive
new habits of
dressing, dining, and
gambling
Spectacle at Versailles

Versailles was a grand
spectacle of kingly power
•Louis XIV’s style emphasized
political strength
•Practically every moment of
king’s day required rituals by
bowing courtiers
Louis and Protestantism

Smashed power of
Huguenots
• 1685 - revoked Edict of
Nantes
• Results in financial crisis

Treasury saved by policies
of Jean-Baptiste Colbert
• Enlarges military
• Spends money on good
equipment

Louis XIV becomes most
powerful ruler in Europe
War Over a Throne
War of Spanish
Succession
 Louis wants Spanish
throne for his oldest
son
 1701 - England,
Netherlands, Holy
Roman Empire went
to war against France

Treaty of Utrecht
Louis XIV remains
in power until death
in 1715

1713 - After many defeats, Louis accepts
treaty
• Louis’ grandson got Spanish throne
• France and Spain never to be ruled by same
monarch
• Louis gave up territory acquired
Thinking Question

What were some main events
during Louis XIV’s reign?
Monarchy in England:
Main Idea


In contrast to the
absolute monarchies
of Spain and France,
the English monarch
was limited by
Parliament
Following a civil war,
Parliament became
even more powerful
The Tudors and Parliament

Henry and Elizabeth
• 2 prominent
members of Tudor
dynasty
• In England,
Parliament placed
curbs on absolute
monarchy
• Both father and
daughter had to
learn to work with
Parliament to fulfill
goals

Henry and
Parliament
• Henry VIII created
Protestant Church in
England to divorce
first wife
• Had Parliament pass
laws ending power of
pope in England
• 1534 - Act of
Supremacy
Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth

Henry VIII  Edward  Mary I
• Bloody Mary makes England Catholic
• 1558 - Mary dies

Elizabeth I crowned queen
• Returns England to Anglican Church with
help of Parliament

Tension between Elizabeth and
Parliament
• Wanted Elizabeth to marry, she said “NO!”
Elizabeth in Charge


Elizabeth allows members of Parliament
to speak their minds without fear of
punishment
Elizabeth was clearly in charge, but had
difficulty keeping subjects from
questioning her actions
• Earl of Essex rebelled against authority
• Essex executed as traitor
• Not the last to question Queen Elizabeth’s
authority
Thinking Question

What did Henry VIII and Elizabeth I
work with Parliament to do?
The Stuarts and Parliament

Relative of the Scotland Tudors
succeeded Elizabeth
• Not as close to Parliament

James I
• Considered outsider
• Rarely got the money he needed from
Parliament
• Wanted to be absolute monarch
• Sees Puritans as a threat to his power
• Publishes the King James Bible
Charles I Defines Parliament



1625 - James I dies, son Charles I
takes over
Declines in popularity when marries
Catholic princess
Parliament refused to provide money
until Charles signed Petition of Right
• Limited king’s power - cannot act without
approval from Parliament
• Charles ends up taxing English people
without Parliament - forces bankers to lend
him money
Thinking Question

Why did the Stuarts have trouble with
Parliament?
The English Civil War

Conflict continued

• Between king who
believed in absolute
monarchy and
Parliament who saw
itself as independent

• 1640 - Charles I
finally reconvened
Parliament to ask for
money
• “Long Parliament”
Limited king’s
powers
• Having been ignored
11 years, Parliament
took opportunity to
further limit
• Demand Parliament
be called at least
every 3 years
Parliament
reconvened

Grudging
acceptance
• Parliament also ruled
king could no longer
dismiss Parliament
War with Parliament

Radical Puritans try to abolish
appointment of bishops in Anglican
Church
• King is outranged and arrested Puritan
leaders for treason


Charles led troops into House of
Commons, but men had already
escaped
1642 - English Civil War officially
begins
Royalists and Roundheads


King needed to rely on wealthy nobles called
Royalists to pay for army
Parliament could back its army by voting for
funding
• Roundheads = Puritans, merchants, some upper
class
• Led by Oliver Cromwell
• 1644 - kill 4,000 of king’s men

1646 - king surrenders and Cromwell
dismisses all members of Parliament who
disagreed with him
• Rump Parliament
Trial and Execution

Eventually Rump Parliament charged
king with treason and put him on trial
• Charles defended himself and recognized
the authority of Parliament to put him on
trial
• Charles sentences to death and executed
January 30, 1649
England Under Cromwell



England’s gov’t becomes
commonwealth and outlaws monarchy
Cromwell given title of Lord Protector
of England, Scotland, and Ireland
Foreign Issues
• Military expeditions to Scotland and
Ireland
• Economic policies led to war with Dutch
over trade; also warred on Spain
A Defender of Absolutism

Question of rule
• People troubled
by constant
turmoil in
England
• Thomas Hobbes
fled to France
during
Cromwell’s rule
• Hobbes wrote
Leviathan

Leviathan
• Hobbes
described
humans as
naturally selfish
• People need allpowerful
monarch to tell
them how to live
Thinking Question

What were some effects of the English
Civil War?
Monarchy Returns

The Restoration
• 1658 - Cromwell dies, son replces but not
a good leader
• Parliament eventually votes to bring back
monarchy

Charles II invited to be king
• Had to agree to Parliament’s conditions
The Reign of Charles II


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
Has to address conflict with Dutch, religious
tensions, role of Parliament
Supported religious toleration for Catholics,
but Parliament insisted on laws to strengthen
Church of England
(+) Charles reopened theaters
(+) Habeas Corpus Act passed
(-) 1665 - bubonic plague returned followed
by Great Fire of London
(+) After fire Charles supported public
construction projects
James II


Brother of Charles…CATHOLIC
James not popular - believed in right to
rule as absolute monarch
• Not tolerated by English

Glorious Revolution
• 1688 - William and Mary invited to become
monarchs
• Both Protestant
• James fled to France
Changes in Government

Bill of Rights
• William and Mary had
to sign before taking
throne
• Prevented monarch
from levying taxes
without consent of
Parliament
• US Bill of Rights
based on this
document

Constitutional
monarchy
• Term for monarchy
limited by law
• England rejected
conceot of absolute
monarch who ruled
by divine right, for
monarch ruled by law
Thinking Questions

What happened during the Glorious
Revolution?