17 th Century Weather Crisis-
Most of Europe is worse off except for the
Dutch.

Less grain production: smaller and fewer animals

Absolutism and
Constitutionalism in Western
Europe 1589-1715
- Mostly France
Larger standing armies . Increased 10 times by 1659
Heavy taxes
Bureaucracies

Absolutism
 Sovereignty (in one ruler )
– Control of force and laws within its borders
 Like Medieval Kings – Divine Right
 Eliminate the threat of the nobility
 Regulated religion sects

How the Sovereign solved financial problems
 Borrow money from the nobles in exchange for future tax exemptions
 Create bureaucracies to levy taxes and find other ways to raise revenues
– France – used middle class as collectors
– Spain and Eastern Europe – aristocratic mix

Difference between the Medieval public officers and the 17 th
Century
 Medieval and Renaissance viewed money they collected as their private property
 17 th Century- money belongs to the state, collectors are representatives of the King

Absolutism
 Permanent standing armies
 Concerned themselves with the private lives of subjects- secret police and spies.
 Not totalitarianism – no sophisticated mass media – TV – radio - recordings

Absolutism
 Glorification of the State
– Art
– Ceremonies
– Building projects
– Theatre

For Louis – The glorification of the state and of the monarch were one in the same
 “Le etat c’est moi!” I am the state.

Absolutism
 War and expansionist foreign policies
– Acquire new territories
• Europe
• New World
– Modern sophisticated weaponry
• Land
• Sea

French Absolutism
 Henry IV
– Real Politique
– A chicken in every pot
• Aligns himself the common man
• Places himself above all nobility
• Becomes Catholic
• Edict of Nantes
• Over seas trade
• Highway system
• Wanted a United nations

French Absolutism
 Sully – Chief finance minister
–
Protestant
– Few wars – Savoy 1610
–
Paulette
– lowered taxes on the poor and taxed the wealthy for holding royal offices-
Permanent Judges
– Taxes declined but revenues increased

Richelieu
 1628 becomes First Minister of the French
 Domestic Policies






Crown – Remade France’s administration.
Raison d’ etat
All must be subordinate to the Monarch
Crush upstart nobles
Divided France into generalities
Intendants were appointed directly by the monarch from the new judicial nobility and could that not be native of the district
 Foreign Policy surrounding France
– Subdue Habsburg expansion from

Louis XIII
(r. 1610-1643)
 Ends political independence of “a state within a state.”
 Huguenot’s would not allow Catholics to worship freely in their cities.
 La Rochelle 1627 – tied to Protestant
Holland and England
 City falls in 1628
 King reinstates Catholics
 Towards French unification

Absolutism
 Many riots over taxes and “outsiders”
– Local authorities were helpless
– By the end of the 17 th century municipal authority was better integrated into the national structure.
The French Academy – a French language and culture
Economy – France never controlled the entire economy so it was not a complete absolutism.

The Fronde
 The term means “ slingshot” or … the rebellion of aristocrats and country folk to the reign of Louis
 Louis XIII under Mazarin is too weak to subject all the nobles


French provinces refused to pay taxes
French defeat Spain 1643 – War of the Pyrenees “no need for taxes”
 Three significant results
– The gov. would have to compromise with the local elites
– French economy was disrupted
– Louis XIV was traumatized

The Sun King… Louis XIV (1643
–1715) “ After me, the deluge.”
 Silence and caution… “Je verrai”
 Acted in every way like a king
 Complete domestication of the nobles… perhaps cooperation is a better term.
 The Palace at Versailles
– Create a sense of awe
– French replaces Latin as the international language
– Used court ceremonials to undermine powerful nobles

Colbert
 The Economy should serve the state
 Mercantilism
– Concept that resources are limited
– Sell more goods then you buy
– System of state inspections to insure quality
– Control tariffs (taxes on foreign goods)
– Merchant Marine and Sea power
– 1683 France leads the world in productivity
– 1685 The most highly centralized state in Europe
– Agriculture still main business. Peasants emigrated

Goodbye to the Edict of Nantes
 The Edict was never to be permanent
 Religious pluralism was not in the 17 th
Century mindset

French Classicism
 Glorification of the state through
– Plays - Moliere
– Paintings - Poussin
– Architecture
– Greco-Roman history

Architecture


Louis XIV’s Wars
 Standardized the army
– Uniforms
– Commissariat
– Clear means of promotion
– Gains little territory
– Collapse of the wheat harvest 1693-4

War of the Spanish Succession
1701-1713
 Charles II of Spain is “unable to rule” land must be divided
 Dutch and English would accept French rule of the Netherlands. Spain and France under French control was not acceptable
 The Grand Alliance – Check France’s domination at home and abroad

The Peace of Utrecht 1713
 Philip of Anjou remains King of Spain
 France gives up much of Canada
 Depletes Spain and increases English power
 Austria, not the Dutch gain Spanish
Netherlands

Decline of Spain
 Absolutist
– Standing army
– Bureaucracy
– National taxes
– Most taxes fell on the poor

Decline of Spain 17 th Century
 Expulsion of Jews and Moors depletes the middle class
 Europeans began to trade with Spanish colonies
 Declarations of bankruptcy
 Aristocrats saw money-making as vulgar
 Inflation
 Weakening of the monarch - inbreeding

Don Quixote
 Illusions of previous greatness
 Idealistic but impractical
 “ The Spaniard convinced himself that reality was what he felt , believed and imagined.”

Constitutionalism
 The limiting of governmental power by law
 By Republic or Monarchy
 At this time there is not a democratic – republic in Europe

The Growing Power of
Capitalism - England


Social mobility – Growing wealth of ‘Country gentry and middle class business men
The House of Commons “ we could buy the House of
Lords three times over.” they wanted political power that was equal to their economic strength
 English nobility, unlike the French had no stigma associated with taxes as long as they had a say in political affairs.
 English nobility unlike the Spanish used their position and money in capitalistic ventures
 Calvinism – Hard work, thrift, delay gratification

Decline of Absolutism in
England
 From Elizabeth I in the late 16 th century to
1689 the monarchy loses power
 1603 – James IV of Scotland becomes
James I of England

James I
 Male lovers made him lose respect in
Parliament
 George Villiers the first Duke of
Buckingham

Charles I (r.1623-1649)

Stuart, Stuart,Cromwell, Stuart









Hobbes – the Social Contract
Charles I –Treacherous
Triennial Act
Parliament would not provide him with an army to suppress
“northern rebellions”
English Civil War
– Parliament VS. The Royalists
– 1649 King is beheaded
Cromwell – Puritan , Military Dictator- Navigation Act
Restoration – Charles II Stuart 1660 - 85
James II Catholic , Divine Right
Glorious Revolution 1688

ll
 Charles Beheaded

 Cromwell

 Charles II

 James II

English Bill of Rights 1689
 William and Mary

The Dutch Republic: A loose confederation of states

The Hague

The Dutch Republic of the
Seventeenth Century ( 1600’s)
 Ruled by wealthy merchants with middle class values
 Dutch East India Company – Overseas
Imperialism
 Navigation Acts 1651 – All English goods be transported by English Ships
 Wars of 17 th and early 18 th centuries caused decline