Royal Powers and Conflict
Europe
• 1500 and 1600’s philosophy of rule by
ABSOLUTISM
• Form of gov’t with unlimited power
• Held by 1 person or a group
• Divine Right-King or Queen rule derived
absolute or complete authority to govern
directly from God and God was responsible for
his/her actions
Spain
• Philip II (Hapsburgs)
• Ruled from 1556-1589
• Most powerful monarch
in all of Spanish History
• Devout Catholic-went to
great efforts to end
Protestantism
• Son of Charles V(HRE)
and Isabella of Portugal
Philip II
• Built a granite
palace called El
Escorial
• Served as a
royal court,
gallery,
monastery, and
tomb for
Spanish royalty
Philip II
• Known as the “Prudent King”
• Was cautious, hardworking, and suspicious of
others
• Spent most of his time reading and
responding to hundreds of documents
• He made all decisions and signed all papers
Unrest in Spain
• 1469- Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of
Castile unite Spain-but no central gov’t
(separate laws)
• Phillip II-continues this but makes Castile the
dominant gov’t
• By 1500’s Castile has: Largest Territory, Largest
Population, Greatest Wealth
Castile
• Castile becomes the center of Spain and the
Empire
• Madrid is located in Castile—becomes capital
• Seville-Castilian city controlled trade and the
overseas empire
• 1590’s Aragon revolts--defeated
Religious Policies
• Concerned w/large populations of religious
minorities
– Protestants
– Morranos-Jews who converted to Christianity
– Moriscos-Muslims who converted to Christianity
Phillip II supported the Inquisition efforts to
-eliminate heresies
-He attended many of the Public Sentencing's
(Autos da fe) followed by execution (Protestantism
never took hold in Spain because of the
Inquisition)
• 1567—Philip II imposes Catholicism on the
Netherlands
– Dutch rebel
– Conflict is bloody, long, and complex
1581—Dutch declare their independence—fighting
continues
--English support the Dutch
--English begin to raid Spanish ships (Privateers)
Spanish Armada
• Philip supported
Elizabeth I early in her
reign until the English
helped the Dutch
• 1586– Philip plans to
invade England
• May 30, 1588
– 130 Spanish Ships
– 33,000 men
– Set sail for England
• Late July enter the
English Channel in
crescent formation
• English have faster
ships and longer
range cannons
• Yet they are unable
to block the Spanish
A Stormy Sea Saves the English
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40 Spanish ships sink in the Irish Sea
They were circling Great Britain
15,000 soldiers were killed
Spain is defeated
Last of the Spanish Hapsburgs
• Defeat of the Armada—Beginning of decline
• Costly war drained the treasury—had to
borrow from foreign banks
• Spanish economy suffered—inflation—sharp
rise in prices w/ an increase in currency
• Industry and agriculture decreased
Philip III and Philip IV
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Son and Grandson
Lacked intelligence and interest in politics
Gov’t nobles ran the affairs of State
Mismanagement and corruption
Built extravagant homes--Royals
Decline of Spain
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War w/ Dutch renewed under Philip IV
Conflicts w/ Germany
Overburdened and taxed citizens
Rebellion by citizens—Portugal a part of Spain
since 1580 rebels—struggle until 1668 for
Independence
• Philip IV son—Charles II is the last Spanish
Hapsburg
Charles II
• Became King 1665 at
the age of 4
• Ruled under the
regency of his mother
• He was physically and
mentally weak
• He does marry but has
no children—no heirs to
the throne other
European monarchs
plot to control Spain
England
Tudor Dynasty
1485-1603
The Tudors
• Bring unity to the country
• Henry VII
– 1st Tudor-War of the Roses
– Help rebuild commercial prosperity
– Encouraged foreign trade
– Improved the method of tax collection
– Avoided war through diplomacy
– Used marriage to increase English strength in
Europe
Henry VIII
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Most powerful of all Tudor monarchs
Fought wars in Europe
Made England a great Naval power
In pursuit of a make heir—married 6 x’s
Broke from Catholicism w/Parliaments
approval
Edward VI
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Son of Henry VIII
9 yrs old when he took the crown
Was sickly
Dies in 1552 at the age of 15
Mary I
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Daughter of Henry VIII
Catholic
English people support her claim to the throne
Reestablishes Catholic policies married Philip
II of Spain in 1554
• Kills 300 Protestants—burned at the stake—
heresy (Bloody Mary)
• Went to war with France—English lose its final
foothold in France (Port Calais)
• English fear Spain will control them
• She dies childless
• Throne then goes to
Elizabeth I
• Daughter of Henry VIII
• Becomes Queen in 1558—Age of 25
• Highly educated and shrewd—forceful
personality sharp tongue and asserted her
iron will
• Often fought with Parliament
• Subjects were loyal to her—believed her
honest and good
• Great cultural period during her reign—
Shakespeare
• Never married—saw that a “foreign prince”
like Philip II was bad for England
• And an English prince would cause jealousy
among the English nobility
• Did not want to share power
Court and Government
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Elizabeth was assisted by a Council of Nobles
They drafted proclamations
Handled foreign affairs
Administration of justice
Regulation of PX’s and wages
Parliament
• Did not have the power to initiate legislation
• Could plead, argue and hold approval
• Had influence especially to tax laws
Justice of the Peace
• Enforced the Queen’s law—where unpaid
respected community members
• Most belonged to rural land owning classes
• Collected taxes
• Kept Gov’t informed of local problems
Social and Economic Policy
• Elizabeth believed in the importance of social
rank
• Rank
– Queen and court
– Prominent nobles and great landed families
– Gentry: lesser nobles, merchants, lawyers, and
clergy
– Yeomen: farmers, small landholders, laborers
The Statute of Apprentices of 1563
• Declared work to be a moral duty
• Required to live and work where they were
born
• Controlled the movement of labor, wages and
regulated apprenticeships
The Poor Laws of 1597 & 1601
• Made local areas responsible for the homeless
and unemployed
• Means to raise money for charities
• Provide work for vagabonds
Elizabeth I
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Inherited a monarchy that was badly in debt
She spent lavishly on court ceremonies
But was known as a “pinchpenny”
She sold official royal land, offices and licenses,
monopolies, and the rights to collect customs
• She was forced to turn to Parliament for taxes
due to inflation and wars
• When she ended her reign—England remained
badly in debt
Foreign Policy
• By Elizabeth’s time, England had lost all of its
possessions on the European Continent
• France was too powerful to defeat
• For security relied on the English Channel for
protection
• Built and maintained a strong Navy
• Feared an alliance between Spain & France
used diplomats to protect their interests
Balance of Power
• Work to maintain equal power throughout
Europe
• One nation becomes too powerful then a third
nation can balance it
• E.g.. England & Spain feared France—
cooperated w/each other to balance France
– Keep France out of the Netherlands
– Later England supported the Dutch vs. Spain
Scotland and Ireland
• 1550’s Scotland is
largely Catholic—
resisted English
rule
• Ireland resisted
English rule also
• 1560’s Elizabeth feared
Scotland and Ireland
would ally with Spain
and attack England
• Elizabeth was successful
in converting Scotland
to Protestantism—now
an ally of England
Mary Queen of Scots
Death Mask
Madam Trousseaus Wax Museum
Mary Stuart
• Elizabeth’s Catholic cousin
• Forced to abdicate her position as Queen of
Scotland in1567
• She fled to England-she is also an heir to the
throne of England
• Protestants feared that she could replace
Elizabeth I
• In 1587 Elizabeth agreed to execute Mary-she
is hesitant to execute another monarch
• In 1590’s England
carried out military
campaigns in Ireland to
conquer the Irish
The Virgin Queen
• 1609 Elizabeth dies—
age 69—end of the
Tudor Dynasty
• Death Mask
King James VI of Scotland
• Son of Mary Queen of
Scots (Stuart)
• Becomes King James I
of England
• Ruled England,
Scotland, and Ireland