Unit 08 Political Revolutions 1750-1914 Absolutism • Between 1500 and 1800 the old feudal order gave way to nation-states with strong central governments • Some countries set up absolute monarchies, meaning that a ruler has complete authority • These rulers embraced the idea of divine right – the authority to rule comes directly from God Spain and the Hapsburg Empire • In 1516 Charles I (grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella) became King of Spain • In 1519 his Austrian grandfather Maximilian died and he also became ruler of the Hapsburg Empire, which included the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Netherlands • He took the name Charles V as ruler of the Holy Roman Empire • His reign was marked by constant wars – with France (over claims in Italy), the Muslim Ottoman Empire, and Protestants in Germany (led by Luther) Spain and the Hapsburg Empire • Exhausted, Charles V gave up his titles in 1556 and entered a monastery • He divided his empire between his brother Ferdinand (who became Holy Roman Emperor) and his son Philip II (who became ruler of Spain, the Netherlands, some southern Italian states and the colonies in the New World Philip II Becomes an Absolute Monarch • Philip II ruled for 42 years as a devout, hard working, and ambitious king. • Philip won important victories against the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean and fought Protestantism in all of his lands • In 1581 the northern provinces of the Netherlands, known as the Dutch Netherlands, declared independence from Spain • They were secretly supported by Elizabeth I of England The Spanish Armada • In 1588 Philip assembled a huge armada (fleet of ships) to invade England • With more than 130 ships, 20,000 men, and 2,400 pieces of artillery the Spanish were confident of victory • The lighter, faster English ships outmaneuvered and defeated the Spanish Decline of the Spanish Empire • While the defeat of the armada and economic problems weakened the empire, the “Golden Century” in Spain saw advancements in the arts and literature • Paintings by “El Greco” and literary works such as Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes made indelible impressions on the world Royal Power Expands in France • In the 1500s rivalry with Spain and the Protestant Reformation posed new challenges in France • Religious wars between the Catholic majority and French Protestants, called Huguenots, tore France apart • In the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572 a Catholic plot led to the death of thousands of Huguenots Henry IV Restores Order • In 1589 a Huguenot prince inherited the throne as Henry IV, the first ruler of the Bourbon Dynasty • To honor the Catholic majority he converted to Catholicism, but to protect the Protestant minority he issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598, which granted toleration and freedom to the Huguenots • Henry built the foundations for royal absolutism by reducing the influence of the nobles, improving infrastructure (roads and bridges), and promoting the welfare of all Richelieu Strengthens Royal Authority • When Henry IV was killed by an assassin in 1610 his 9 year-old son Louis XIII inherited the throne • In 1624 Louis appointed Cardinal Richelieu as his chief minister • Richelieu was determined to destroy the power of the two groups that defied royal authority – the nobles and the Huguenots • He defeated the private armies of the nobles and destroyed their fortified castles • He made the nobles dependent on the king by giving them positions in the royal court • He destroyed the walled cities of the Huguenots and outlawed their armies, but allowed them to practice their religion Richelieu Strengthens Royal Authority • Richelieu died in 1642 and hand-picked his successor, Cardinal Mazarin • In 1643 5 year-old Louis XIV inherited the throne but Mazarin continued to direct affairs until his death in 1661 • Louis XIV, at age 23, declared himself the sole ruler of France, calling himself the “Sun King” and asserting “I am the state” • Under Louis XIV the French army became the strongest in Europe, enforcing royal rule at home and abroad The Royal Palace at Versailles • Near Paris, Louis XIV built the immense palace of Versailles • Nobles competed for the honor of holding his wash basin or buckling his shoes in the daily levée (rising) ritual • In this way Louis kept the nobles in his service rather than competing against him The Legacy of Louis XIV • Louis XIV ruled France for 72 years – longer than any other monarch • During that time French culture, manners, and customs set the standard for Europe • Costly attempts to unite the Spanish and French crowns failed • Persecution of the Huguenots caused more than 100,000 to flee France, damaging the French economy The Thirty Years’ War • In 1618 tensions between Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire erupted when two royal officials were thrown out of a castle window in Prague by Protestant nobles • The Holy Roman Emperor tried to roll back Protestantism by force with the support of Spain, Poland, and other Catholic states • Protestant Sweden and the Netherlands sent troops into Germany to help the Protestants • Roughly 1/3 of people in the German states died as a result of the war • Finally ended in 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia The Rise of Austria and Prussia • After the war, the Hapsburgs rebuilt their Empire with Austria as its base, adding Bohemia, Hungary, parts of Poland and some Italian states • Emperor Charles VI died in 1740 and his daughter, Maria Theresa, succeeded him • Prussia emerged as a Protestant power and, under the rule of Frederick II (the Great), they seized the Austrian province of Silesia • Maria Theresa was unable to regain Silesia, but she did solidify her reign over the Hapsburg Empire Peter the Great Modernizes Russia • Isolated from Western Europe, Russia remained a medieval state • Peter I took the throne as tsar in 1682 at the age of 10 and took full control seven years later • Peter traveled to Europe to learn about European technology and government • When he returned to Russia he implemented many changes designed to westernize his country • He was a harsh but effective ruler Peter the Great Modernizes Russia • Peter created the largest standing army in Europe and built a worldclass navy from scratch • He tried, but failed, to push through the Ottoman Empire to establish a warm-water port on the Black Sea • However, he did push Sweden out of territory along the Baltic Sea, where he established his great capital city of St. Petersburg Catherine the Great • The Romanov successors to Peter the Great were ineffective rulers • Tsar Peter III was mentally unstable, but had married a German princess • Catherine was 15 when she came to Russia: she learned the Russian language and culture and won the loyalty of the Russian people • In 1762 Russian army officers murdered Tsar Peter III and Catherine ascended the throne Catherine the Great • Catherine continued the modernization of Russia and embraced western ideas • She ruled as an absolute monarch and could be ruthless • She harshly suppressed uprisings by the Russian serfs (peasants) and their conditions deteriorated under her rule • Catherine did succeed in securing a warm-water port on the Black Sea and also seized lands from Poland