 42b - examine absolutism through a comparison of the
reigns of Louis XIV, Czar Peter the Great, and
Tokugawa Ieyasu
 Who was Louis XIV?
 Why is he a model for European Absolutism?
 Absolutism – the theory that one ruler should hold all
the power within the borders of a country
 Can you think of other absolute rulers in history?
 Absolute monarchy – Kings/Queens who held all the
power
 Supported by belief in divine right
 What does divine right mean?
 Divine right is the belief that god created the monarchy,
and the king/queen must answer only to god
Causes
Effects
 Religious and territorial
 Rulers regulated religious
conflicts created fear and
uncertainty
 The growth of armies to
deal with conflicts
caused by rulers
 Heavy taxes led to
additional unrest and
peasant revolts
worship and social
gatherings to control the
spread of ideas
 Rulers increased the size of
their courts to appear more
powerful
 Rulers created
bureaucracies to control
their countries’ economies
 Called the “Sun King”
 Absolute monarch
 Most powerful ruler in French history
 Patron/supporter of the arts
 Built the Palace at Versailles to show of his power and
make other monarchs jealous
 Famous for saying “I am the state!”
 What did he mean?
 Led France into a series of disastrous wars
 Louis XIV used his power to expand French
domination in Europe
 The War for Spanish Succession
 Caused when Charles II of Spain died and made Louis
XIV’s grandson the heir, adding to Bourbon power
(Louis XIV was part of the Bourbon Dynasty)
 War dragged on and weakened France
Positives
Negatives
 France was still very
 Wars weakened France
strong in Europe
 The arts flourished
under his rule
 Debt and taxes lay the
foundations for the
French Revolution
 What is absolutism?
 What is divine right?
 What did Louis XIV mean when he said “I am the
state!?”
 Why did the War of Spanish Succession start?
 Who was Peter the Great?
 What was his impact on Russia?
 Before Peter the Great, Russia was more influenced by
Asian customs than those of Western Europe
 When we say “Western” Europe, what countries are we
referring to?
 Russia was also a country of serfs
 Do you remember what serfs were?
 Peter spent a long time in Western Europe and then
came back and launched a campaign to reform Russia
What were some of the
things Peter saw in
Western Europe?
What did he study in
Europe?
When Peter returned
home, what were his
goals?
What did he order
Russians to do?
Why did Peter want
warm water ports?
 Modernized Russia; increased its power greatly
 Built St. Petersburg as a seaport to make it easier to
travel west
 Introduced the potato
 Raised the status of women and made nobles wear
Western fashions
 Why did Peter build St. Petersburg?
 What are his reforms?
 Describe culture in Russia before Peter?