1 / 51

Absolutism

Absolutism. Divine Right K ings asserted that they were chosen by God and they are responsible to Him alone Exclusive power to make and enforce laws No checks on power. What are the requirements to have an Absolute ruler? Centralized state Undermine the nobles and church

maire
Download Presentation

Absolutism

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Absolutism

  2. Divine Right • Kings asserted that they were chosen by God and they are responsible to Him alone • Exclusive power to make and enforce laws • No checks on power

  3. What are the requirements to have an Absolute ruler? • Centralized state • Undermine the nobles and church • Bureaucracy to run provinces • Unified army • Spy network • Louis XIV

  4. Spain • Charles I/V • Hapsburg Empire • Spain, Holy Roman Empire, and Netherlands

  5. Charles V • Conflict • Religious • Too scattered

  6. Charles V abdicates • German lands -> brother Ferdinand • Spain and Netherlands -> son Philip (Philip II)

  7. Philip II • 1556-1598 • Absolute • Divine Right

  8. Philip II • Guardian of Catholicism • Fought Ottomans • Fought Protestant rebels in Netherlands • (Dutch declared independence 1581)

  9. Philip II • Spanish Armada • English Queen (Elizabeth I) was main enemy • Built a massive fleet • Lost to smaller, faster English ships • Weather

  10. Spain’s Decline • Began with defeat of armada • Economy • Costly wars • Tiny middle class • Soaring inflation (gold and silver from America)

  11. France • Foundations • Henry IV (r. 1589 – 1610) • Edict of Nantes • Murdered by Catholic Zealot

  12. Cardinal Richelieu • Minister to Louis XIII • intendants • Recruited for army, collected taxes, presided over law, checked on nobility • Ignored Estates-General (like parliament)

  13. Cardinal Richelieu • Policy of statecraft: what is done for the state is done for God. • God absolves doings that if privately committed would be a crime

  14. Louis XIV • Continued to increase royal power • Louis XIV will take court in his own right in 1661 • Sun King • “L’etatc’estmoi” • Continued Richelieu’s policies and methods (intendants, refusal to call Estates-General)

  15. Versailles • Built massive palace outside Paris • (Symbol of his wealth and power) • Housed nobles, officials, and servants

  16. Versailles

  17. Versailles

  18. Other symbols of power • Court ceremonies • Ex: Levee (ceremony for kings rising) • Goal: keep nobles close so that they do not threaten the crown’s power

  19. Jean-Baptiste Colbert • Mercantilist policies • Tariffs • East Indies Company • Settled Canada • Moved south (“Louisiana”)

  20. Military • Louis built up military • Professional standing army • Expand France to “natural” borders

  21. Issues • Costly, long wars • Rejected Edict of Nantes • Suppressed Protestant freedoms only to maintain order • Left behind an exhausted bankrupt France

  22. Russia • Muscovite Princes pushed out Mongols • Ivan the Great (III) • Called himself “Tsar” • Ivan the Terrible

  23. Grandson of Ivan the Great 1547-1584 • Grandmother was niece of last emperor of Byzantines • Married Anastasia • Officially crowned tsar (Czar) • Further United Russia • Established absolute rule • Limited power of nobles • Further bound serfs to their land Ivan the Terrible

  24. Became mad (after 1560) • Killed his own son • Agents of terror (oprichniki) to enforce his will • They sacked towns and killed people suspected as disloyal • Killed boyars (Nobles) • Many fled (joined Cossacks) • Autocracy Ivan the Terrible

  25. Common people believed autocratic government the only way • But they will hit trouble when there is no powerful tsar • Romanov Dynasty (1613-1917)

  26. Expanded • Reformed (weakened) Russian Orthodox Church • Modernized • (In his case, this meant westernize) Peter the Great

  27. Peter the Great • Forced boyars (nobles) to serve the state • Shave their beards; wear western clothes • Forced public interaction between genders • Protected their interests • Ensured serfs were bound to their land

  28. St. Petersburg • Window to the West

  29. Tudors • Worked with Parliament • Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547) • Elizabeth (r. 1558-1603) • Stuarts • James I • (r. 1603-1625)

  30. James I • Clashed with dissenters (Protestants who differed with Church of England) • Puritans

  31. Charles I (r. 1625-1649) • Absolute-like • Petition of Right

  32. Charles I • Charles made enemies • Scots rebelled • Needed money; • Long Parliament (1640-1653)

  33. Long Parliament • Tried and executed Charles I’s chief ministers (including the Archbishop) • Declared that Parliament could not be dissolved without its own consent

  34. Charles I lashed back • 1642 – Charles attempted to arrest radical leaders • They escape, raise their own army, and fight.

  35. Civil War • 1642 – 1651 • Cavaliers (sup. Charles) • Roundheads (sup. Parliament) • Leader Oliver Cromwell

  36. Oliver Cromwell • New Model Army • Selected officers for skill • Disciplined army • 1647 – Charles I captured • 1649 – Charles I executed for being a “tyrant, traitor, murderer, and public enemy” • In England, no ruler can claim absolute power and ignore the law.

  37. Oliver Cromwell • After Civil War • Monarchy and House of Lords abolished • Republic (the Commonwealth)

  38. The Commonwealth • Threats from king’s son • Ireland • Threats from within • Levelers • Cromwell became Lord Protector (dictator)

  39. Puritans • Religious people with the goal of rooting out godlessness • Laws for Sunday and religious observance • Frowned on taverns, dancing, gambling • Had to read the Bible  education • Fidelity  marriage based on love

  40. End of Commonwealth • Cromwell died 1658 • 1660 – Parliament invited Charles II back to throne • Some Puritanical ideas remained

  41. Charles II • Popular • Reopened theaters and taverns • Practiced tolerance

  42. James II • (Charles II’s Brother) • Openly Catholic • Ignored Parliament • Parliament invited his daughter (Mary) and her husband (William III of Orange) to be rulers of England • James fled to France • Glorious Revolution

  43. English Bill of Rights • William and Mary accept Bill of Rights • Parliament had to be summoned • All laws had to be made in Parliament • Monarch can not suspend laws • House of Commons gets power of the purse • Restated traditional rights • Created limited monarchy

  44. Constitutional Government – a gov’t whose power is defined and limited by law. • Political parties – Tories vs. Whigs • Cabinet system • Prime Minister

  45. Student: Indicate your interest level in the exam below • A perfect system? • Or an oligarchy?

  46. Austria • Hapsburgs left with just Austria (after Thirty Years War) • Expand lands (Bohemia, Hungary, parts of Poland and Italy)

  47. Austria • Maria Theresa takes throne • Very capable • Trouble being recognized • Prussia stole Silesia • She fought back (War of the Austrian Succession) • Britain and Russia helped • Reform: made clergy and nobles pay taxes • Lowered taxes for peasants

  48. Prussia • Hohenzollern family takes control (Frederick William I) • Gained support of nobles (Junkers) • Forged a very strong army • Trained son in the army

More Related