Absolutism in Europe
Chapter 7, Section 3
What is Absolutism?
• Absolutism is a system in
which the ruler holds total
power
• Tied closely with the divine
right of kings
– God determines king, king
only answers to God
• Were our three branches of
government rolled into one
– Legislative, Executive, Judicial
• Best example of absolutism
is France under Louis XIV
The Cardinals
• Remember, France was
almost 50%/50% Protestant
(Huguenots)/Catholic
• Cardinals, serving as royal
ministers (and employees of
the Church) presided over
the kingdom if the king was
too young to inherit the
throne
• Louis XIII had Cardinal
Richelieu
• Louis XIV had Cardinal
Mazarin
Louis XIII
• Inherits the throne in 1601
at age 8 from his father,
Henry IV, or Henry of
Navarre
• Cardinal Richelieu holds
power while the king is
young
– Took away political and
military rights of Huguenots
– Set up spy networks to catch
plots of nobility to harm
throne
• King during the Thirty Years’
War
– Joined Protestants in fight
against rival Hapsburgs
Louis XIV
• Inherits the throne in
1643 at age 4
• Cardinal Mazarin holds
power for the young king
– Negotiated the Peace of
Westphalia to end the
Thirty Years’ War
– Ended a revolt to
overthrow the crown
known as the Fronde
• Nobles wanting to protect
feudal aristocracy from
centralized government
• With his passing in 1661,
Louis XIV took supreme
power
Louis XIV Comes to Power
• Louis XIV wanted to be a close,
personal king
– Ordered nothing to be signed
without asking
• Established a royal court at
Versailles
– Personal household of the king
– Chief offices location
– Powerful allies and enemies had to
come here to see Louis XIV
• If enemies emerged within his
council, Louis XIV removed them
– Ensured royal ministers obeyed his
every command
– Gave him control of foreign policy,
the Church, and taxes
• Louis XIV would become known
as the Sun King
– A source of light for all of his
people
Power at the Local Level
• Absolute power could only go
so far…what about the local
level?
– Local politics controlled by
nobles, local officials, and
councils
• How would you reach areas
controlled by nobles, local
officials, and town councils?
– Louis XIV used bribes to ensure
he controlled local politics
• Religious control (Remember
Philip II??)
– Louis XIV destroyed Huguenot
churches, closed their schools,
and drove them out of France
– Wanted no objection to his
authority
Funding the Kingdom
• Jean-Baptiste Colbert was
controller-general of
finances
– Responsible for funding for
wars, building palaces, and
maintaining the court
• Followed practices of
mercantilism to bring in
money to throne
– Export more than you
import
• Because of this, Louis XIV
could hold a standing
army
– Waged four wars
throughout his reign
Legacy of Louis XIV
• Louis died in 1715 at
the age of 76
• Creates an absolute
kingdom in France
• Added to the kingdom
through war
• Left France with a great
debt
Absolutism in Prussia
• The Thirty Years’ War
created several new Central
European states…among
them Prussia and Austria
• Frederick William the Great
Elector was leader
• Known for large standing
army
– 40,000 men (4th largest in
Europe)
• Made money through taxes
levied by the General War
Commissariat
– Eventually became a part of
the government
– Made up of nobility known as
Junkers
Not-So-Absolutism in Austria
• Led by the Hapsburg
family of the Holy Roman
Empire
• Started small, but
gradually grew through
conquest
• Never reached true
absolutism
– Too many different groups
of people to govern
– Each region had its own
laws and regulations
Peter the Great and Russia
• Czar is the Russian word for
caesar
– Ivan IV (1547-1598)
• Crushed the Boyars, or
Russian nobility
– Michael Romanov (16131645)
• Chosen after the “Time of
Troubles”
– Peter the Great (1682-1725)
• Peter the Great claimed the
divine right to rule
– Made Russia an absolutist
state
Military and Government
• Military
– European and Russian
officers
– Drafted peasants into 25year military service
– Increased the army to over
200,000 men
– Constructed Russia’s navy
• Government
– Divided Russia into
“provinces”
– Hoped to maintain rule
through police states
– Had administrators that
ruled each state
Cultural Changes
• Wanted to “westernize”
Russia
– A book of etiquette was
written to tell people how
to act
– St. Petersburg is created as
a “window to the West”
• Dress and appearance
was changed to fit
European standards
– Cutting of beards on men
– Removal of women’s facial
shrouds
– Trimming of traditional
clothing
Impact of Peter the Great
• Introduced Russia to the
West
– Traveled and visited with
leaders of European
nations
• Introduced the West to
Russia
– Changing of customs and
clothing
• The “window to the
West” was opened
– St. Petersburg
Exit Slip
• How did absolutism change Central Europe?
Did it affect all of the nations in Central
Europe?
• How did Peter the Great rule Russia differently
than his predecessors?
• Would you consider Peter the Great an
absolutist ruler? Why or why not?