An Age of Absolute Monarchs
During the late Middle Ages,
monarchs built powerful kingdoms in
Europe.
In the 1550s and 1600s, some
European monarchs began to expand
their power. They became absolute
monarchs, or kings and queens with
absolute power. Within their nations,
their word was law.
 How did Philip II govern Spain?
 How did the Tutor monarchs
strengthen England?
 How did the Bourbon kings rule
Catherine the Great
France?
 What changes did Peter the Great bring to Russia?
 Who were the Hohenzollern and Hapsburg rulers of central
Europe?
The Rise of Monarchs
The rise of monarchs in Europe began late in the Middle Ages.
At that time, feudalism was declining. (Feudalism was the system of
government in which nobles ruled much of Europe.) Kings were building
armies and gaining power over nobles.
New weapons helped monarchs gain power. In the 1300s, guns
and gunpowder appeared in Europe. By 1500, kings were using cannons
to blast through thick castle walls. No longer could nobles hold out in
their castles against a king’s army.
Europe’s growing middle class of traders and merchants also
supported powerful monarchs. Monarchs used their power to build
overseas trading empires. Trade meant more business for the middle
class.
The Divine Right of Kings
As rulers gained power, ideas about their right to rule changed.
Under feudalism, a monarch’s right to rule was based on agreements
between the monarch and the people. The monarch gave the people
land and protection in exchange for their loyalty.
By 1600, monarchs based their rule on the divine right of kings.
That was the belief that monarch’s right to rule came from God, not
the people. Monarchs claimed to have absolute power. No one but God
could question how they ruled.
The Hapsburg Rulers of Spain
In the late 1400s, Spain was ruled by King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella. Their daughter Joanna married into the Hapsburg family.
The Hapsburgs were emperors of the Holy Roman Empire.
After King Ferdinand’s death in 1516, Joanna’s son Charles
became the first Hapsburg king of Spain. Later, Charles also became
emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He was known as Emperor Charles
V.
Philip II
In 1556, Charles V made his son Philip II the king of Spain.
Philip was an absolute monarch who insisted on making all important
decisions himself. He often worked late in to the night studying
reports and signing official papers.
During Philip’s reign, the Protestant Reformation was spreading
across Europe. Philip was a devout Catholic. He believed that God had
chosen him to stop the spread of Protestant ideas.
Philip executed thousands of Protestants in the Netherlands,
which was ruled by Spain. Philip also sent the Spanish Armada against
Protestant England in 1588.
Spain’s Decline
During the 1500s, gold and silver from America made Spain
the richest and most powerful nation in Europe. But Philip spent
Spain’s wealth on war against Protestants. By the time Philip died
in 1598, Spain was no longer a right country.
Hapsburg kings continued to rule Spain in the 1600s. During
that time, the flow of American gold and silver into Spain slowed.
Spanish power declined. By 1700, once-mighty Spain was not
longer a major power in Europe.
AN AGE OF ABSOLUTISM
1. How did new weapons help monarchs gain power?
2. Why did Europe’s middle class support powerful monarchs?
3. What was the “Divine Right to Rule”?
THE HAPSBURG RULERS OF SPAIN
1. How did Phillip II rule Spain?
2. How did Phillip use Spain’s wealth?
3. What happened to Spain in the 1600s?
ANTICIPATION GUIDE
AN AGE OF ABSOLUTISM
1. New weapons were responsible for the rise of monarchs. T F
2. Kings who have no control are absolute monarchs.
T F
3. The Divine Right to Rule is the right to rule decided by the
people.
T F
4. The middle class supported the monarchs.
T F
5. Absolutism grew out of feudalism.
T F
THE HAPSBURG RULERS OF SPAIN
1. Phillip II ruled Spain by delegating responsibilities.
T F
2. Spain had no money when Phillip II became King.
T F
3. Spain remained a great European power until recent times. T F
4. Phillip II was one king who worked late into the night.
T F
5. The Spanish Armada was sent to invade France.
T F