Europe in the Age of The Absolute Monarchs 1648-1763
Read and Understand:
1. How did Louis XIV rule France?
2. How did Peter the Great change Russia?
3. Why did Austria and Prussia become rivals?
Vocabulary: absolutism, mercantilism, export, import, balance of trade, balance of power
Summary:
Louis XIV ascended to the throne of France in 1661, having been king in name since the age of five. His reign marked the
start of a century dominated by powerful rulers in Russia, Austria, and Prussia, as well as in France. Unlike English rulers,
these were absolute monarchs, who exercised unlimited power over their subjects and nations. The absolute monarchs
built magnificent palaces and supported great artists, writers and composers. However, they also waged a long series of
destructive wars. Marked by shifting alliances and bitter conflict, these wars illustrate the role of cooperation and
conflict in international affairs.
The Sun King ruled France:
The kingdom inherited by Louis XIV was the strongest of its time in Europe. The religious and dynastic violence that
convulsed France in the late 1500's had ended. Under Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu had worked to increase royal power
and strengthen France. Now the character and policies of Louis XIV, the Grand Monarch, would shape the age of
absolute monarchs. Louis continued Richelieu's policies, drawing ever more power into his own hands. His proud
pronouncement "I am the State" voiced the principle of Absolutism - the holding of power unlimited by parliaments,
nobles, or factions. Louis used his wealth and power to pursue what he called a love of glory. At Versailles, 11 miles
southwest of Paris, he built a splendid new palace for his court. Unlike earlier royal residences, Versailles was
unfortified. Instead of unsightly walls, the palace was surrounded by gardens filled with statues and fountains. The
elaborate court life and rituals of Versailles served to display royal magnificence and control the nobility. Louis made his
court at Versailles the center of French culture. The palace itself was a marvel of architecture and design. There, Louis
invited playwrights such as Moliere and Racine to perform their works for the court. A patron of art, Louis purchased
hundreds of great paintings that later became the nucleus of the collections at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Louis
needed a prosperous economy to support his royal court. His finance minister, Jean Baptiste Colbert, met that need by
means of the policy of mercantilism - a policy that sought to gain wealth for the nation by acquiring gold and expanding
trade. Because exports help a nation to earn money, Colbert worked tirelessly to expand manufacturing. By exporting
more than it imported, France gained a favorable balance of trade. Colbert also sought colonies as a means to wealth.
The trade in furs from Canada, for example, earned high profits for France. While Colbert worked to strengthen the
French economy, Louis dreamed of winning glory by conquest. He believed that France had a right to expand to its
"natural" frontier along the Rhine River. This goal frightened other rulers. They knew that no country acting alone
could hope to defeat France. By joining in an alliance, however, rulers could equal or even exceed France's power. Such
alliances have often enabled European countries to keep the peace of avoid conquest by one great power. This process
is known as the Balance of Power. For almost 30 years, Louis XIV fought a series of wars for conquest. Each time he
seemed close to success, his enemies united against him. Although he won the German province of Alsace, he failed to
make any other significant gains. Saddened by the great cost and suffering caused by his wars, Louis died in 1715.
Peter the Great changed Russia:
In 1682 - the year that Louis XIV moved his court to Versailles - Peter Romanov became Czar Peter I of Russia. Like most
Russians, Peter knew little about western Europe. In the Middle Ages, Russians had looked to Constantinople for
religious and cultural leadership. Later the long years of Mongol rule further reduced contacts with western Europe.
This most Russians were unaware of the new ideas that arose during the Renaissance, The Age of Exploration, and the
Scientific Revolution. Peter was determined to end Russia's isolation. In 1698, he traveled to western Europe to learn
about the new knowledge and technological advances there. Eighteen months later her returned to Russia with 700
European technicians, 35000 new muskets, and a burning desire to modernize Russia. Within a short time, he took steps
to adopt a new calendar, introduce new crops such as potatoes, and give more freedom to Russian women. Peter also
increased his power as absolute monarch by limiting the role of the nobility and the Orthodox Church. Although Peter's
reforms helped to modernize Russia, they did not end it's geographic isolation. Russia at the time was landlocked except
for its long but underdeveloped arctic coast. Peter hoped to open a "window on the sea". For a brief time, he won
access to the Black Sea but lost it again to the Turks. Later Peter sought to seize a strip of the Baltic coast from Sweden.
He achieved this goal by defeating Sweden in the long and hard fought Great Northern War. Peter took advantage of his
victory to build a city where the Neva River Delta meets the Gulf of Finland. He named the city St. Petersburg after his
patron saint. In 1712, Peter proclaimed St. Petersburg the new capital of Russia. There the royal court met in a splendid
palace, the Peterhof, which symbolically faced the est. There too Peter planned the Academy of Sciences to encourage
the growth of learning in his realm. Today the city on the Neva is known as Leningrad. However, it remains a
monument of the power and vision of its founder, Peter the Great.
Austria and Prussia Rise to Power:
Between France and Russia lie the rolling plains and spreading mountains of central Europe. For centuries, the
dominant powers of his region had been the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Poland and the Ottoman empire. All
three, however, had failed to develop a strong central government or army. These weaknesses permitted ambitious
ruling families in Austria and Prussia to expand their power. In the early 1700's the Hapsburg family of Austria ruled an
empire that included Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary. The Hapsburg emperor Charles VI recognized that these lands
lacked real unity. He worried that his empire might be divided after his death because his daughter and heir, Maria
Theresa, might be unable to defend it. Charles therefore persuaded a number of other rulers to sign an agreement that
the lands of the Hapsburg empire should remain together under the rule of Maria Theresa. In theory, this agreement
assured Maria Theresa a peaceful reign. In reality, it tempted the rising ambitious of the Hohenzollerns, the ruling
family of Prussia. During the proceeding century, a series of stern Prussian rulers ha transformed their small feudal state
into a major European power. In 1740 the same yeart hat Charles VI died- a new ruler came to power in Prussia. This
was Frederick II, the most ambitious of this line. Almost a once, Frederick broke the agreement with Austria and
invaded Austria's rich and strategic province of Silesia. Frederick's invasion of Silesia threatened to disrupt Europe's
delicate balance of power. The result was a war - the War of the Austrian Succession (1640-1648) in which France
supported Prussia, while Russia and Britain aided Austria. In the end, Frederick kept Silesia. The war left Austria
determined to get revenge. To strengthen its position, Austria sought a shift in the European balance of power. This
involved allying with France, traditionally the strongest continental power and the enemy of Austria. Because the
ambitions of Frederick II were also a threat to France, that nation became an ally of Austria and Russia. France's
longtime rival, Britain allied with Prussia. The conflict that resulted was the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), in America
we call this the French and Indian War. The outcome was a victory for Prussia and Britain. Prussia again kept Silesia
from France. Britain gained Canada and trading bases in India. Britain emerged from the war as a great power in
Europe and the dominant empire overseas.
Connecting Past and Present:
The Versailles palace, once a symbol of absolutism is today one of France's most popular tourist attractions. Each year,
thousands of people tour Louis XOV's bedroom, admire the Hall of Mirrors and stroll through the palace gardens.
Rooms where the Grand Monarch made decisions on war and peace are now silent reminders of the age when absolute
monarchs ruled Europe.
Class work
Define the following terms:
absolutism mercantilism export import balance of trade balance of power Identify the following:
King Louis XIV Versailles Palace Jean Colbert Peter the Great St. Petersburg Maria Theresa Silesia Frederick II -
Answer the following questions:
1. How did Louis XIV add to the wealth and power of France?
2. How did wars of conquest undermine his achievements?
3. Why had Russia been cut off from Western Europe?
4. How did Peter the Great modernize Russia?
5. Why did Frederick II attack Austria?
Use your Best Effort to Answer With Critical Thinking - Short Essay:
How does the principle of the balance of power illustrate the role that conflict and
cooperation play in international affairs? (continue on back of page if needed)