ABSOLUTISM IN EUROPE
WHAT IS ABSOLUTISM?
Absolutism- kings or queens who believe all power within their
state’s boundaries rested in their hands
• Believed in divine right (God blesses their rule)
WHY DID EUROPE’S MONARCHS
GROW?
• 17th century upheaval in Europe and monarchs respond by
using power to impose order
• Decline in feudalism and rise in cities
• Use of colonies to pay for ambitions
SPAIN: KING PHILIP II
RULED: 1554-1598
PHILIP II TRIED TO CONTROL EVERY
ASPECT OF HIS EMPIRE’S AFFAIRS
• Deeply religious- very Catholic and against Muslims
and Protestants !
• Expanded territory- took control of Portugal when
Portuguese king died without an heir
• Built a large army and palace (with a monastary inside)
• Art and Literature flourished under him: Don Quixote
de la Mancha – by Miguel de Cervantes was birth of
European novel
KING PHILIP’S WARS WEAKEN SPAIN
• 1571 took up arms against the Muslims at battle of Lepanto
and defeated the Muslims
• 1588 war against England- sent Spanish Armada- but lost
(showed the waning power of Spain and allowed other
Europeans to take over the seas)
• Lost the Spanish Netherlands to the Dutch and the Netherlands
becomes independent of Spanish rule
FRANCE: KING LOUIS XIV
RULED: 1643-1715
LOUIS XIV: THE SUN KING
• “L’etat, c’est moi” I am the state
• 1643 became ruler of France at five years old
• Weakened power of nobles, strengthened power of
central government and government agents called
intendants – they collected taxes and administered
justice
• Louis wanted France to attain economic, political,
and cultural brilliance
• Jean Baptiste Colbert- finance minister, who
believed in mercantilism and wanted to make
France self-sufficient.
• Colbert expanded manufacturing, high tariff on imports,
and encouraged people to migrate to Canada
• 1685 Louis cancelled the Edict of Nantes (a
document of religious toleration) and many skilled
artisans left the country
• Louis Controls the
Nobility
• Nobles at the palace to
serve him
• Required hundreds at
Versailles
• Palace at Versailles
was so large it was like
a small royal city
• Patron of the Arts
• Purpose of art was to
glorify the king and
promote values of
absolute rule
RUSSIA: PETER THE GREAT
RULED: 1682-1725
• Peter the Great got his name because he was a
good reformer
• To force change on his people he increased his
power as an absolute ruler
• Brought Russian orthodox church under state
control – Holy Synod – group to run the church
• Reduced the power of the great landowners
• Modernized the army using European trainers
• Heavy taxes to pay for the army
WESTERNIZING RUSSIA
Introduced potatoes
Started first newspaper
Raised women’s status
Ordered the nobles to give up traditional clothes for
western fashion
• Wanted a seaport to the west. Fought Sweden for 21
years and won St. Petersburg (named after his patron
saint)
• Difficult to build St. Petersburg (many died). Ordered
nobles to settle there later
• 1725 Peter died and Russia was a power to reckon with
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PRUSSIA: FREDERICK THE GREAT
RULED: 1740-1786
• 1640 Frederick William (Frederick the Great’s dad)
built a strong standing army
• Introduced permanent taxation to pay for the army
• Weakened representative assemblies
• Junkers (landowning nobility) resisted these moves
but were given army officer positions and Prussia
soon became military society
• Frederick II (son) followed many of his father’s
policies but with a softer hand and became known
as Frederick the Great
AUSTRIA: MARIA THERESA
RULED: 1745-1765
• Ruler centralized government and
created a standing army
• Her father took Hungary from
Ottomans in 1699
• Very Catholic- did not allow any
tolerance in her kingdom