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The Age of Absolutism 1500-1800. Introduction. Throughout the 1500s, global discoveries and exploration brought new wealth and prestige to Europe’s monarchs.
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Introduction • Throughout the 1500s, global discoveries and exploration brought new wealth and prestige to Europe’s monarchs. • The Age of Absolutism takes its name from a series of European monarchs who increased the power of their central government and had few limits on their power. It was a time of many wars, but also great achievements. • Characteristics of Absolute monarchies: • Centralization of power • Concept of rule by divine right • Tried to reduce the power of the nobility and the church
As we learn about the great monarchs of Europe, ask yourself… • How did they come to power? • How did they increase their power? • How did they handle threats to their power? • Why would some people want a monarch? • Why would some people not want a monarch? • Why don’t we have as many monarchs today?
Charles V • Charles V became King of Spain in 1516 when he was just a teenager. He was a member of the powerful Hapsburg family of Austria. • In 1519, he became king of the Holy Roman Empire as well. • This expanded his territory to include Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain’s colonies in the Americas, parts of Italy, Austria, and various German states. His empire was so vast, he claimed “the sun never set” over it.
Charles V • Charles V fought to keep Europe Catholic in the face of the Protestant Reformation. After many devastating wars, he signed the Peace of Augsburg, which gave each German prince the right to decide whether his state would be Catholic or Protestant. • All this warfare brought Spain a lot of debt. However, gold and silver from the Americas brought Spain fabulous wealth. • Charles V divided his empire between his brother and his son, Phillip II.
Phillip II • The Spanish empire reached its peak under Phillip II due to gold from the Americas. He also fought to keep Europe Catholic, without success (The Dutch Revolt).
Spain also fought England. English “sea dogs” like Sir Francis Drake were authorized by the Queen to attack Spanish ships bringing treasure from the Americas. • Phillip II assembled the Spanish Armada to sail up the English Channel. • In 1588, the British Navy defeated the Spanish Armada.
Spanish Art • El Greco (Domenicos Theotocopoulos) • Most of his work was religious. • He is known for his elongated features.
Spanish Literature: Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote Quotes from the novel… 1) Cervantes describes Quixote's growing obsession with knight-errantry, saying, "he so immersed himself in those romances that he spent whole days and nights over his books; and thus with little sleeping and much reading his brains dried up to such a degree that he lost the use of his reason" (Book 1, Part 1). 2) Cervantes explains the Don's desire to leave his village and take up the profession of knighthood: "he was spurred on by the conviction that the world needed his immediate presence." (Book 1, Part 2).
Spanish Decline • Spain ultimately declined due to : • the defeat of the Armada • the high cost of fighting so many wars • and internal problems. Phillip II tried to micro-manage the empire and didn’t trust anyone. • Spain also kept its traditional agricultural economy instead of industrializing like other European nations.
Religious Conflict • Soon after the Protestant Reformation began in Germany, it spread to France. By the 1560s, 10% of the Frenchmen were Huguenots, or French Calvinists. Noble Huguenot families threatened the Catholic absolute monarchy of France. • Fighting between Catholics and Protestants broke out in 1562 • The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre was a major example of tension between French Catholics and Protestants. The Catholic monarchy ordered the killings of Protestant members of the nobility in order to keep their absolute power.
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre • 10 years later in 1572, Marguerite de Valois (a Catholic princess) was to marry Henry of Navarre (a Protestant nobleman) • The night before the wedding, there was an attempted assassination against Admiral de Coligny, a Protestant nobleman and leader. Catherine de Medici, the Queen of France, is traditionally held responsible for the attack. Catholics in Paris feared that Protestants would take revenge on the city’s Catholics. The monarchy decided to assassinate the Protestant nobility. • Tension in the city exploded and the violence spread as average citizens joined in the killing. The fighting spread to other French cities as well. The death toll was between 2,000 and 70,000.
One morning at the gates of the Louvre, 19th century painting by Édouard Debat-Ponsan. Catherine de’ Medici is in black. The scene from Dubois (above).
Different Interpretations of the Massacre • Traditionally, Catherine de Medici is held responsible for the attacks. However, modern historians focus on four ringleaders of the initial conspiracy, three of whom were Italian advisers to the court. • Some believe Charles IX feared a Protestant uprising and decided to strangle it before it gained strength. • Some argue it was the violently anti-Huguenot city of Paris itself that was responsible. The city was on the verge of revolt anyway, and the Guises (Catholic family responsible for initial assassination attempt on Coligny) exploited this situation. These are political interpretations. • However, average Catholics did much of the killing; thus, religion was also a factor. Many Parisian Catholics were incited by extremist preaching; they thought they were doing God’s will.
Putting it in perspective… • It is important to note that Protestants "could be as bloodthirsty as Catholics. Earlier Huguenot rage at Nimes (in 1567) led to... the massacre of a hundred or so Catholics, mostly priests and prominent laymen, at the hands of their Protestant neighbors. Few towns escaped the episodic violence and some suffered repeatedly from both sides. Neither faith had a monopoly on cruelty and misguided fervor.” (Raymond Mentzer)
Henry IV • (The Protestant nobleman who tried to marry a Catholic princess) • In 1593, Henry IV accepted the crown by converting to Catholicism. • In 1598, he granted some rights to Huguenots by issuing the Edict of Nantes, giving them limited freedom of worship. This was significant because it broke with the conformity of the past (“one king, one law, one religion”). • Henry IV went on to become one of France’s most respected rulers, bringing great financial achievements and success. • Unfortunately, in 1610, he was stabbed and killed by a fanatic Catholic.
Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu • Louis XIII was a very young king, and his mother initially ruled for him. • When he was old enough to rule, Cardinal Richelieu became his most trusted adviser. • In order to reduce the power of the Huguenots, Richelieu laid siege to the Huguenot city of La Rochelle and punished them by tearing down their walls and forcing them to follow Catholicism.
Louis XIV • history’s (and the SOL’s) best example of an absolute monarch • son of Louis XIII • Where his father was weak, Louis was strong and confident. He chose the sun as his personal symbol, implying the world revolved around him. • Louis demanded control of all military, political, economic, and religious issues. This centralization of power weakened the power of the nobility. • Louis also increased his power by building a fabulous palace at Versailles and requiring nobles to visit him there. • In 1685, Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes, outlawing Protestantism. 200,000 French Huguenots were forced to flee the country.
The Palace at Versailles was a big symbol of the absolute monarch’s power.
Louis extravagant lifestyle demanded a lot of money, but he also wanted to increase the size and prestige of the French military. He wanted to expand France’s territory through war. • The most costly war was the War of Spanish Succession, in which he tried to claim the throne of Spain for his son. After many defeats, in 1713, he accepted the Treaty of Utrecht, an English victory, but he remained in power.
Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) • In the 1500s, Russia lagged behind the rest of Europe in both technology and centralization of power. • Russia was run by boyars, or landowners, until in 1546 Ivan IV claimed the title of czar (after the Latin: caeser) and tried to become an absolute monarch. • Initially, he brought several good reforms to Russia. He created a council of merchants and nobles and promoted military officers based on merit rather than status. He defeated the Tatars and expanded Russian territory.
During the 1560s, Ivan changed for the worse. • He became paranoid and ruthless, creating his own police force to carry out his will. He seized land from the boyars and ordered thousands of people killed. • “In 1581, Ivan beat his pregnant daughter-in-law for wearing immodest clothing, which may have caused a miscarriage. His son, upon learning of this, engaged in a heated argument with his father, which resulted in Ivan striking his son in the head with his pointed staff, causing his son's (accidental) death. • This event is depicted in the famous painting by Ilya Repin, Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan on Friday, 16 November 1581 better known as Ivan the Terrible killing his son.” (Wikipedia)
The death of Ivan’s son left Russia without an heir to the throne. • This ushered in the chaotic “Time of Troubles” until 1613, when Michael became the first ruler of the Romanov dynasty…
Peter the Great • Peter became czar in 1682 when he was still a child. He was an impressive man: tall, strong, and energetic. He was determined to modernize Russia and build a strong navy. • He also encouraged westernization, or bringing elements of Western culture to Russia. He traveled Europe, often in disguise, to learn ship building and other ideas about modernization.
Peter brought the church under state control, built up Russian industry, started the first Russian newspaper, and supported education. • He even personally cut off the long coats and beards of the boyars so they would look more Western. For these efforts, he is considered the founder of modern Russia. • Peter also founded St. Petersburg on land won from Sweden, giving Russia a warm-water port. The city is more Western in architecture, and is still a cultural and educational center.
Catherine the Great • German princess who married the grandson of Peter the Great • Catherine seized power from her husband, Peter III, who was murdered, and became “czarina” • Catherine considered herself the true successor to Peter the Great and wanted to continue his policy of westernization and reform. She reformed Russia’s legal and educational systems, removed trade restrictions, and promoted the arts and sciences.
Central Europe • Central Europe was different from the rest of Europe. It was ruled by the Holy Roman Empire, but smaller states had a lot of power as well. • The Thirty Years’ War was a continent-wide conflict between Catholics and Protestants over control of the HRE. The Treaty of Westphalia ended the war, brought religious tolerance to both Catholics and Protestants, and weakened the HRE. • Austria and the Hapsburgs v. Prussia and the Hohenzollerns
Look at Central Europe… what a mess! Where are Germany and Italy?
Frederick the Great • Leader of Prussia • emphasis on military power • seized Austrian provinces, intensifying the rivalry • fought the 7 years war, with Prussia emerging as strongest military in Europe
The Tudors • Henry XIII split with the Roman Catholic Church so he could divorce his wife. • Henry’s daughter Mary (Bloody Mary) briefly returned England to Catholicism • When Mary died, Elizabeth became queen. She refused to marry and weaken her power. She had a good relationship with Parliament, which was strengthened during this time.
The Stuarts • King James I was the first to challenge Parliament; he wanted to rule as an absolute monarch. • His son, Charles I, wanted to rule as an absolute monarch too. He fought with Parliament over this. He also clashed with the Puritans. • In 1642, the English Civil War began.
Oliver Cromwell • Oliver Cromwell was the leader of Parliament’s resistance to the king (“Roundheads”). • He defeated the Royalist army and won the English Civil War. • Then he dismissed all members of Parliament who disagreed with him. They put Charles I on trial, found him guilty, and executed him in front of his own palace. • England became a commonwealth under Cromwell.
Restoration of Charles II • When Cromwell died, Parliament decided to bring back the monarchy. This was known as the Restoration. They invited Charles II (Charles I’s son) to be king. • Charles II allowed the theatres to reopen and passed the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679, guaranteeing the right of the accused to a public trial. However, the plague returned, along with the Great Fire of London.
Glorious Revolution • England didn’t want Charles II’s Catholic son James to be king, so they offered the crown to his Protestant daughter Mary and husband William to be joint rulers. This became known as the Glorious Revolution. • This was very important because Parliament essentially crowned the new king and queen! But before they could rule, they had to sign the English Bill of Rights, which among other things prevented the king from passing taxes without the consent of Parliament.
Thus, England became a constitutional monarchy, or a monarchy limited by law. England had rejected the notion of an absolute monarch with a divine right to rule. • The foundations of English freedoms include the jury trial, the Magna Carta, and common law. • The English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution prompted further development of the rights of Englishmen.
Now, ask yourself… • What are some examples of absolute monarchs (SOLs)? • How did they come to power? • How did they increase their power? • How did they handle threats to their power? • Why would some people want a monarch? • Why would some people not want a monarch? • Where is the monarchy today? Where have all the monarchs gone?
