Absolutism
Absolutism
•A type of government in which
a single monarch (king) has
supreme authority.
•The absolute monarch wields
unrestricted power over its
people.
•They are not restricted by a
Constitution.
Louis XIV
•King of France
•Ruled 1643 – 1715
•Believed in the Divine
Right of Kings (chosen by
God and only has to
answer to God)
•Built the Palace of
Versailles w/the people’s
money
•“E’tat c’est moi.” (“I am the
State.)
•The Sun King
Versailles
Louis XIV died here in 1715 leaving his
only survigin descendent as heir, his 5year-old great grandson Louis XV.
At court, you weren’t allowed to
knock on the door to see the
king; instead you had to use your
left little finger to scratch on the
door until you were allowed to
enter (many court members grew
their left little finger nail longer
for this purpose)
Versailles had over 14,000 fountains. But, there
wasn’t enough water to run all the fountains
simultaneously. Therefore, there was a special
corps of peasants whose job it was to locate the
king and keep the fountains around the king
running while turning off the fountains that were
out of the king’s sight.
Over 35,000
laborers and 6,000
horses spent over
fifty years on the
construction.
Hall of Mirrors
(Galerie des
Glaces)
Costs Billions to build
• Louis XIII used the land as his hunting grounds
• Louis XIV destroyed all of the accounting paperwork
• Decorated with huge paintings on walls, ceilings
• Silver furniture, chandeliers, statues, etc.
• All of the materials used were from France
• Louis forced the nobility to live on site
• Stopped them from gaining power to use against him
• Some forced to live in one bedroom apartments
• Symbol of royal authority from 1682-1789 (French Rev.)
• Along with the
Oval Office, one
of the most
famous rooms
on the planet
• Treaty to end
WWI signed
here (Treaty of
Versailles)
Peter the Great
•Czar (Tsar) of Russia
(Czar is Russian for
Caesar)
•Ruled starting at the age
of 10! 1682 – 1725
•Westernized Russia
(made it more European)
•Modernized Russia
•Wanted a warm water
port for Russia (1st
Russian navy)
•Table of Rank (rank on
service, not nobility)
St. Petersburg “Window to the West”:
•Peter wanted a warm water port
•Won war with Sweden to gain this land
•Conscripted Russian serfs to build his city, 100,000 peasants died in the
process
•Made it the Capital of Russia (was Moscow)
The Grand Embassy
• A trip throughout Europe to form an alliance
with European countries against the
Ottomans
• London:
1. Visited new city of Manchester being built
2. Visited shipbuilding yards
3. Observed Parliament (why important?)
• Amsterdam:
1. Stayed for 4 months
2. Visited a shipbuilding yard (why another?)
• Had to leave Europe early due to a rebellion in
Russia
The Westernization of Russia
• Beards must be cut or pay a tax
• Women removed veils and wore lower-cut
French-style dresses
• Changed calendar from Russian year 7202 to
Julian year 1700
• Long coats were replaced with European
pants
• Ended arranged marriages
• Opened Western schools
• Started a Russian newspaper (Freedom of
the press?)
• Brought potatoes to Russia
The Development of the
Rights of Englishmen
Back in England…
•Queen Elizabeth I dies in 1603
•James IV of Scotland becomes James
I of England. He dies in 1625
•James’s son Charles becomes King.
James I
•Believed in divine right
of kings
•King James IV of
Scotland (aged 13
months) AND King
James I of England &
Ireland (1603 after
death of Queen
Elizabeth)
•English colonization of
North America
(Jamestown 1607)
Charles I
•Reigned 1625 – 1649
•Believed in divine right of
kings
•Highly religious
•Did not like Parliament and
its House of Commons
(elected by the people)
•Needed money but
Parliament refused so he
dissolved it
•Executed by Oliver
Cromwell
The English Civil War
• 1642 - 1651
• Charles I flees
London
• England divided:
1. Pro-King
(Cavaliers)
2. Pro-Parliament
(Roundheads)
• Charles captured in
Scotland, tried and
executed for treason
under Roundhead
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
•Puritan (no fun – no
Christmas, no pubs, tore
down Globe Theater)
•Abolished all aspects of
Parliament
•Became a dictator
•Died from an illness –
huge funeral
•Body eventually dug up
and “executed”
Charles II
•Son of Charles I
•Reigned 1660 – 1685
•New Parliament elected
and chose to reinstate a
monarch
•Brought back fun to
England
•Under him, Parl. passed
habeas corpus against
unlawful imprisonment (a
prisoner has to be brought
before a court or judge –
trial)
James II
•Charles II’s younger
brother
•Reigned 1685 – 1688
•Catholic – distrusted by
the people (England
was Protestant)
•Tried to dissolve
Parliament but was run
out of the country
•Daughter Mary and
husband William took
over
William & Mary
•Glorious Revolution
(bloodless overthrow
of James II)
•Signed the English
Bill of Rights and
established a
“Constitutional
Monarchy” (King
follows a Constitution)