The Rise of Absolute Monarchs
Unit 5
Rise of Absolutism
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From weak king to absolute monarch
 End of Middle Ages, kings of England, Spain,
France, Russia, Prussia, Austria began to expand
rule
Factors strengthening royal power
 Crusades & other wars killed many feudal lords
 Rising middle class supported monarchs
 Reformation gave monarch powers formerly
held by the Church
 Awakening spirit of nationalism made the
monarch a symbol of national unity
England
1066 – William, duke of Normandy
becomes king (Battle of Hastings)
 Strengthened royal power
 Hundred Years’ War spurred English
patriotism
 War of the Roses – middle class supported
Tudors – strong capable leaders
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Tudors of England
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Henry VII, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I
Expanded central government; dominated
Parliament
Anglican Church (Protestantism)
Furthered economic prosperity & transformed
England into a world power
Aroused nationalism
Defeated Spanish Armada in 1588
Enjoyed immense popularity
France
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Hundred Years’ War
 Spurred national pride; spurred by Joan of Arc
 Strengthened & enriched the crown
Religious Wars – opposing Catholic and Protestant
claims to the throne
 Bourbon kings emerge (Henry IV)
Cardinal Richelieu – helps lead King Louis XIII
 Ignores the Estates General (Parliament)
 Leads France into Thirty Years’ War in support
of Protestantism; emerges a leading power
France cont.
Louis XIV – The Sun King; divine right,
“L’etat c’est moi” I am the state
 Built palace at Versailles
 Economic Affairs
 Finance minister (Jean Baptiste Colbert)
– furthered industry, built roads, canals,
trading posts in India and N. America
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France cont.
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Foreign affairs
 Acquired more territory through war
 Placed a Bourbon relative on the throne
of Spain.
 Upon his death, people were weary of
wars, taxes, despotism – leads to French
Revolution
Spain
Ferdinand and Isabella united Christian
Spain (1469)
 Defeated Moors (Muslims)
 Absolutism – ruled without the legislature
(Cortes); strengthened royal power
 Staunch Catholics – Inquisition hurt Spain
 Financed voyages of Columbus; eventually
acquired a colonial empire
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Spain cont.
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Charles V – Holy Roman Emperor – controlled
Spain, Netherlands, Sicily, S. Italy, Austria; failed
to halt Protestantism in Germany
Son Philip II – “Most Catholic King”
 Failed to stop Protestant revolts
 Failed to halt English raids on Spanish ships
 Lost the Spanish Armada to England in 1588
 Decline of Spain’s prestige and power
Russia
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Romanov family – czars ruled Russia for 300
years
Peter the Great
 Westernized Russia (modeled after Europe) in
areas of science, education, military, industry
 Ordered males to shave long beards, discard
Asian garments
 Gained seaports “windows” for the landlocked
country
Russia cont.
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Catherine the Great
 Greatly expanded Russia’s territory
through war and agreements
 Most educated Russian leader
 Made 18th century Russia into a major
power
Prussia
Hohenzollern Rule (15th to 18th Centuries)
 Autocratic government
 Expanded military
 Expanded territory
 Frederick the Great – aggressive foreign
policy (7 Years’ War); seized much
territory
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Austria
Hapsburg family – 18th C.
 Maria Theresa – sought to govern
efficiently and promote prosperity
 Joseph II
 Increased royal power; weakened nobles
 Seized Church lands; controlled Church
 Abolished local self-government
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Summary of Absolute Monarchy
Achievements – weakened the nobles,
provided strong central government,
generally furthered growth of nation states
 Weaknesses – nation’s welfare depended on
one person, sacrificed national well-being
for personal or family interests, led nations
into costly wars, disregarded the rights of
the common people
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Summary cont.
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Attacked by Intellectuals
Writers of the Enlightenment or Age of Reason
believed monarchs
 Used brute force over reason
 Perpetuated despotic government
 Created legal and social inequality
 Promoted ignorance and religious intolerance
 Prevented progress
Enlightened Despots
Frederick the Great, Prussia; Catherine the
Great, Russia, Joseph II, Austria
 Supported literature, art, music, science,
education, some reforms
 However, autocracy, class distinctions,
unfair taxation, and frequent wars undid any
reforms they made
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