Absolutism
Enduring Understanding:
How people view an action determines how
they will respond to that action.
Conceptual Unit Question:
How much power should one person or
institution have?
Power tends to corrupt,
absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great
men are almost always bad men.“
~Lord Acton, 1887
Absolutism in Context
During the Middle Ages the Church was
looked to as the power and authority.
During the Renaissance the Church was still
powerful but there was shift toward
secularism.
Absolutism in Context
The Reformation brought a complete break
with the Catholic Church for much of the
population of Europe.
As church power diminished there was an
increase in the power of a central monarch
who was an absolute ruler.
What is Absolutism?
Political system in which total power is
vested in a single individual usually a
monarch (king or queen).
The opposite of a constitutional government
like the United States.
Distinguished from democracy by the
unlimited power claimed for one ruler.
Power of a Monarch
In the seventeenth century people looked
to the monarch for political stability
Absolute monarchs could make laws,
levy taxes, administer justice, control
the state’s officials, and determine
foreign policy.
No Rights for People
Citizens had no say in matters of
government.
There were no written Constitutions or
Bills of Rights
Most people did not have any political
rights at all.
Absolutism-Vocabulary
Monarch-a king or queen who rules a state
or territory, usually for life and by
hereditary right
Arbitrary- rule based solely on personal
wishes, feelings, or perceptions, rather than
on objective facts, reasons, or principles
Dynasty- a family that rules based on the
idea that divine right is passed down from
one generation to the next.
Do you have rights?
What are some rights you have and
how are these rights guaranteed by
law?
Who Pays?
Where did the money come from that
supported the king or queen?
TAXES!!
Where Did Their Power Come From?
Where did the king or queen’s
power come from?
GOD!
Rule by Divine Right
The political idea that a monarch
received their power directly from God
and were responsible only to God for
their actions.
This allowed monarchs to go
unchallenged by their subjects.
Absolute Monarchs We Will Learn About
Louis XIV of France-Palace of Versailles as a
symbol of royal power
Peter the Great of Russia-City of St
Petersburg and the westernization of Russia
End PPT
French Wars of Religion
The French religious wars of the sixteenth
century pitted Protestant Calvinists against
Catholics.
From 1560 to 1650, wars, including the
devastating Thirty Years’ War, and
economic and social crises plagued Europe.
European monarchs sought economic and
political stability through absolutism and
the divine right of kings
French Wars of Religion Causes
Calvinism and Catholicism were becoming
militant
Aggressive tactics were being used to get
converts
There was a Catholic monarch, but the
nobles were mainly Protestant
Many Nobles were becoming Huguenots
Age of Absolutism ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:
Students will understand:
The variety of ways monarchs held and exercised power
People are not born equal
Leaders have the right to control their citizenry
The relationship of religion and political authority
When a ruler’s power goes unchecked great changes will
occur
The personal beliefs of a leader greatly influence his/her
course of action
Characteristics of absolute monarchies
Power in most European states was
concentrated in the monarch:
Centralization of power
Concept of rule by divine right
Gradually religious toleration emerged, along
with democratic thought