Absolutism
Chapter 16
Spain
• Two crowns:
– Charles I/Charles V
– Spain/Hapsburg Empire
• empire includes Netherlands and the
Holy Roman Empire
Charles V
• devout Catholic
• Protestant opposition in Germanic States
• Muslim opposition in Mediterranean and
Austria
• 1556- Charles gives up titles and enters
monastery
– Hapsburg lands go to his brother Ferdinand
– Spain and Netherlands go to son, Philip at 29
years old
Philip II
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Expands Spanish influence in Europe
Strengthens the Catholic Church
Made his power absolute
Lived a simple life
Devoted his time to gov't
Philip II cont.
• Centralized power:
– Absolute monarch - a ruler with complete
power over all
– Divine right - authority of rule come from God
• Battle of Lepanto in 1571
– Spanish Fleet destroys Ottoman fleet
• 1581-Dutch declare independence
English Enemy
• Elizabeth I
– Encouraged Dutch independence
– Encourage privateers (especially on Spanish
gold)
– Made Francis Drake a knight
• Philip creates the Spanish Armada
– 130 ships, 20K men, 2.4K cannons
– Sailed in 1588 and are defeated by the faster
English ships
Spanish Decline
• Successors are poor rulers
• Wars drained wealth
• Neglected other forms of revenue in the
New World and the mines dried up
• Inflation from wealth
Spain's Golden Age (1550-1650)
• Excelled in arts, literature, science, and
mathematics
– El Greco - "the Greek"
• Painter of religious and royal settings
– Miguel de Cervantes
• Writer
• Don Quixote, makes fun of medieval chivalry
France
• 1560s-1590s = Catholic Majority vs.
French Protestants/Huguenots
• St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
– Catholic Holiday
– Catholic royals massacre 3k Huguenots
– Many more killed in the days following
Succession
• Henry IV - Huguenot prince that inherits
the throne
• Converts to Catholicism to bring peace
• Edict of Nantes
– Grants religious toleration and freedoms to
Huguenots
Henry's Government
• Repair infrastructure
• Improve agriculture
• Lessen the influence of nobles
Succession
• 1610- assassinated
– Louis XIII (9 yr. old) takes over
• Nobles regain power
Cardinal Richelieu
• 1624 - appointed Chief Minister
– Wanted to destroy power of nobles and
Huguenots
• Destroyed fortified defenses of both
– Tied nobles to the king by giving them
positions within the gov't and military
– chose Cardinal Mazarin as successor
Louis XIV
• 1643 - inherits the throne at 5 yrs old
– Fronde - a revolt of nobles, merchants,
peasants, and urban poor against absolute
power
• 1661 - Mazarin dies
Louis XIV
• Louis never called a meeting of the
Estates General
– appointed intendants = royal officials
• -given to members of the middle class to check the
powers of the nobles and church
• built up the French army
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
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finance minister
Cleared new lands for agriculture
Encouraged industry and mining
Built up luxury trades
Uses tariffs and trade regulation to boost
revenues
Palace of Versailles
• Housed nobles, gov't officials, and
servants
• Rich gardens and halls
• Levee - "rising" daily ceremony in his
bedroom
• People fought to serve him
Decline of French State
• Balance of power - check the economic and
military powers of European countries
• War and luxuries drained finances
• Philip V inherits Spanish thrown
– grandson of Louis XIV
• War of Spanish Succession
– Treaty of Utrecht
• Agree not to unite Spanish and French crowns
• 1685 revoked Edict of Nantes
– Loss of workforce
England
• From Tudor to Stuart
• James I
James I
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Wished to be an absolute monarch
Argued with parliament
Dissolved it
Dissenters - Protestants that were not
Anglicans
• Puritans - Protestants that want to get rid
of Catholic customs
Charles I
• inherits in 1625
• Belief in absolutism
• Imprisoned opposition and seized money
as tribute
• Summoned parliament for money (1628)
• Forced to sign Petition of Right
– No taxes, no jail time
Charles I
• 1629 - Dissolved Parliament
• 1637 - try to force Anglican prayer book on
Scotland  revolt
• 1640 - summon Parliament
Long Parliament Proceedings
• Executed head officials of Charles I
• Called for abolishment of bishops
• Outlawed the dissolving of itself without
consent
English Civil War (1642-1651)
• Cavaliers vs. Roundheads
• Oliver Cromwell - leader of the
Roundheads
• 1649 - Charles I is executed
House of Commons
• Abolished monarch, House of Lords, and
Church of England
• Created Commonwealth under Oliver
Cromwell
Commonwealth
• Cromwell crushed the forces in Ireland
and Scotland
• Cromwell took title of Lord Protector and
ruled as a dictator
• Puritans take strict action and ban:
– Taverns, theaters, working on Sunday,
gambling, dancing
• 1658 - Cromwell dies
• 1660 - Charles II invited to rule
Charles II
• Reopens taverns and theaters
• Reestablished the Church of England
• Allows religious toleration
James II
• brother to Charles II
• Devout Catholic
• Appointed Catholics to gov't offices
Glorious Revolution
• William III of Orange and Mary are invited
to rule in England
• James II flees to France
English Bill of Rights
• required signing before accepting position
• Requires monarchs to summon parliament
regularly
• Give power of "purse" to House of
Commons
• Barred any Catholic from sitting on the
throne
Toleration Act
• Limited religious freedom to Puritans and
Quakers
• Catholics given no freedom
• Only Anglicans in public office
Government Progression
• Limited monarchy- monarch with powers
limited by a legislative body
• Constitutional government - a government
whose power is defined and limited by law
– Political parties, cabinet, prime minister
emerge
• Cabinet - executive advisors
• Prime Minister - head of the Cabinet
• Oligarchy - a government in which the
ruling power belongs to a few people
Prussia and Austria
• Protestant vs. Catholic
• Electors - German princes that elect the
Holy Roman Emperor
• Power vacuum
Thirty Years' War
• Began in present day Czech Republic with
Ferdinand, the Hapsburg King
– Tried to use power against nobles
– Defenestration of Prague - nobles throw two
officials out the window
• Mercenaries - soldiers for hire; destroy
villages
• Depopulation - reduction in population
Peace of Westphalia
• France got land on both sides
• Hapsburgs lose Holy Roman Empire
• German States remain in 360 states
Hapsburg Austria
• gain many lands, Germany, Poland, Bohemia,
but cant unite them
• Maria Theresa becomes Hapsburg Emperor
upon death of Charles VI
– She is not recognized
• War of Austrian Succession
– She got help from Britain, Russia, and the Hungarians
– Never is able to force Frederick II of Prussia out of
Silesia
Hohenzollern Prussia
• Strong Protestant state
• Frederick William I, Prussian ruler in
1713
• Built up Army
• Reduced power of nobles with positions
Frederick II
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Tried fleeing country
Was put into confinement by father
Frederick William then beheaded his friend
Used his military training to earn him the
title Frederick the Great
Russia
• Peter the Great- took over as tsar and
began the greatness of Russia
– Took throne in 1682 @ 10 yr. old
– 1689 took control of the gov't
– Uneducated but curious
Journey West
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Walked the streets of Europe
Learned anatomy from a doctor
Visited factories
Learned how to pull teeth from a dentist
Brought back soldiers, teachers, and
technical experts
Terms
• Westernization - adoption of Western
ideas, technology and culture
• Autocratic - unlimited authority
Peter’s Goals
• Strengthen the Military
• Expand Russian Borders
• Centralize royal Power
Actions taken by Peter
• All Russian institutions and church under
his control
• Boyars - landowning nobles
• Forced people to shave and change the
way they dressed
• Ended female seclusion with balls
Actions taken by Peter (cont.)
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Increased serfdom
Imported technology
Improved education
Encouraged exports and industry
Executed all that were against him
Expanding Borders
• Warm water port- unfrozen port
– Tried taking Black Sea from Ottoman Empire
but failed
• Great Northern War
– Russia vs. Sweden
– Losses at first then finally is victorious
St. Petersburg
• city built on the Baltic coast in the swampy
area
• Serfs forced to drain the swamps
• Italians invited to design the city
• Forced China to sign a treaty for land
Legacy of Peter (died in 1725)
• Expanded Russian territory
• Created a mighty army
• Set up ports and increased the economy
Succession
• Peter had no heir and didn’t appoint one
– Power struggle occurs in the Romanov family
– Catherine the Great - German princess that
married the Russian heir to the throne
• Learned Russian, converted to Orthodox, and
gained the loyalty of the people
• 1762 - Tsar Peter III is murdered by army officers
• She gets throne
Catherine the Great
• Improved education
• Codified laws
• Encouraged French language and
customs
• Wrote histories and plays
Ruthless Catherine
• Exempted boyars from taxes
• Allowed them to be ruthless to serfs
• 1774 - takes Black Sea from the Ottomans
Russian Establishment
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Catherine, Frederick II, and Joseph II
Meet and agree to partition Poland
Partition - split up
Catherine makes Russian a top power in
the World