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Absolutism in Western Europe: 1589-1715

AP European History C.O. 6. Absolutism in Western Europe: 1589-1715. I. Absolutism. A. Derived from the traditional assumption of power (e.g. heirs to the throne) and the belief in “divine right of kings” -- Louis XIV of France was the quintessential absolute monarch.

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Absolutism in Western Europe: 1589-1715

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  1. AP European History C.O. 6 Absolutism in Western Europe: 1589-1715

  2. I. Absolutism A. Derived from the traditional assumption of power (e.g. heirs to the throne) and the belief in “divine right of kings” -- Louis XIV of France was the quintessential absolute monarch

  3. B. Characteristics of western European absolutism 1.Sovereignty of a country was embodied in the person of the ruler 2. Absolute monarchs not subordinate to national assemblies 3. Nobility was effectively brought under control

  4. 4. Bureaucracies in the 17th century were often composed of career officials appointed by and solely accountable to the king 5. French and Spanish monarchies gained effective control of the Roman Catholic Church in their countries 6. Maintained large tanding armies during peacetime 7. Employed a secret police force to weaken political opponents

  5. 8. Foreshadowed totalitarianism of 20th century but lacked financial, technological and military resources of 20th century dictators (like Stalin and Hitler)

  6. C. Political Thought 1. Jean Bodin (1530-96) a. Among the first to provide a theoretical basis for absolutist states b. Saw the horrors of the French Civil Wars c. Believed that only absolutism could provide order and force people to obey the government

  7. 2. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679): Leviathan, 1651 a. Humans in a state of nature: “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish” b. Political sovereignty is derived from the people who transfer it to the monarchy by implicit contract. c. Justified absolute monarchy (but not divine right) d. Hobbes was not popular in the 17th century.

  8. Title page from Hobbes’ Leviathan, 1651

  9. 3. Bishop Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet (1627-1704) a. Principal advocate of “divine right of kings” during the reign of Louis XIV b. Believed “divine right” meant that the king was placed on the throne by God, and therefore owed his authority to no man or group

  10. III. Development of French absolutism A. France in the 17th century • The Three Estates: feudal tradition for dividing various classes a. First Estate: clergy (1% of population) b. Second Estate: nobility (3-4% of pop) c. Third Estate: Bourgeoisie, artisans, urban workers, peasants.

  11. 17th Century French Society 1st Estate: clergy 2nd Estate: nobility

  12. Hierarchy of social orders based on rank and privilege was restored under the reign of Henry IV • Society was primarily agrarian: 90% of population lived in the countryside • Largest population in Europe (17 million): France comprised about 20% of the European population

  13. B. Henry IV (r. 1589-1610) 1. Laid the foundation for France becoming the strongest European power in the 17th century 2. First king of the Bourbon dynasty

  14. a. Came to power in 1589 as part of a political compromise to end the French Civil Wars b. Converted from Calvinism to Catholicism in order to gain recognition from Paris of his reign c. Issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598 providing a degree of religious toleration to the Huguenots

  15. 3. Weakening of the nobility a. “Nobility of the sword” not allowed to influence the royal council b. “Nobility of the robe”: new nobles who purchased their titles from the monarchy and became high officials in gov’t ; remained loyal to the king (e.g. Duke of Sully)

  16. 4. Duke of Sully (1560-1641): Finance minister for Henry IV • Reforms enhanced power of the monarchy b. Mercantilism: increased role of the state in the economy in order to achieve a favorable balance of trade with other countries c. Reduced the royal debt d. Reformed the tax system to make it more equitable and efficient

  17. e. Oversaw improved transportation • Began a nationwide highway system • Canals linked major rivers • Began a canal to link the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean

  18. 5. Henry was assassination in 1610 by a fanatical monk who sought revenge for Henry’s granting of religious toleration a. Led to a severe crisis in power b. Henry’s widow, Marie de Medici, ruled as regent until their son came of age.

  19. C. Louis XIII (1610-1643) 1. As a youth his regency was plagued by corruption and mismanagement a. Feudal nobles increased their power. b. Certain nobles convinced him to assume power and exile his mother.

  20. 2. Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642) • Laid the foundation for absolutism in France. -- Like Henry IV, he was a politique who placed political principles ahead of religious ones

  21. b. Intendant system • Used to weaken the nobility • Replaced local officials with intendants who reported directly to the king • Intendants were largely middle class or robe nobles. • Each of the country’s 32 districts had an intendant responsible for justice, police, and finance. • Gov’t became more efficient and centrally controlled

  22. c. Built upon Sully’s economic achievements in further developing mercantilism Portrait of Cardinal Richelieu, Philippe de Champaigne, 1637

  23. d. Increased taxation to fund the military although tax policies were not as successful as Sully’s • Resorted to old system of selling offices • Tax farmers ruthlessly exploited the peasantry

  24. e. Richelieu subdued the Huguenots • Peace of Alais (1629): Huguenots lost their fortified cities and Protestant armies • Calvinist aristocratic influence was reduced • Huguenots still allowed to practice Calvinism

  25. 30 Years’ War: “French phase” a. Richelieu and Louis XIII sought to weaken the Hapsburg Empire. b. France supported GustavusAdolphuswith money during the “Swedish Phase” of the war. c. Later, France entered the “International Phase” of the war and ultimately forced the Treaty of Westphalia on the Hapsburgs

  26. Reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715) • Quintessential absolute ruler in European history 1. Personified the idea that the sovereignty of the state resides in the ruler a. Letat, c’estmoi (“I am the state”) b. Known as “Sun King” as hewas at center of French power 2. Strong believer in “divine right” theory (advocated by Bishop Bossuet)

  27. Louis XIVHyacintheRiegaud, 1701

  28. 3. Longest reign in European history (72 years) 4. France became the undisputed major power in Europe a. French population was the largest in Europe -- Massive standing army b. French culture dominated Europe • French became the international language • Epicenter of literature and the arts until the 20th century

  29. B. The Fronde(noble revolt) 1. Cardinal Jules Mazarin (1602-1661) controlled France when Louis XIV was a child 2. Some “sword” nobles revolted against Mazaran in the 1640s 3. Civil war among various noble factions enabled Mazarin to defeat the nobles

  30. Portrait of Louis XIV (1638-1715) as Jupiter Conquering the Fronde, Charles Poerson, 1648-1667Palace at Versailles 4. Louis never forgot the humiliation he faced at the hands of the nobles and he was determined to control them.

  31. Government organization • Recruited his chief ministers from the middle-classto keep the aristocracy out of gov’t • Continued the intendant system begun by Richelieu • Louis nullified institutions that might challenge him. a. Parlementsfearful of resisting him after failure of the Fronde b. Officials who criticized the gov’t could be arrested c. Estates General never called

  32. Control of peasants (95% of the population) a. Some peasants kept as little as 20% of their cash crops after paying their landlord, gov’t, taxes and church tithes b. Corvée: forced labor required peasants to work for a month out of each year on roads and other public projects c. Idle peasants could be conscripted into the army or forced into workhouses.

  33. d. Rebellious peasants could be executed or used as galley slaves on ships

  34. D. Versailles Palace 1. Grandest and most impressive palace in all of Europe a. Built to reinforce his image as Europe’s most powerful ruler b. Begun by Louis XIII c. Baroque architecture d. Cost of maintaining it was 60% of all royal revenues e. The façade was about 1.3 of a mile long; 1,400 fountains f. Royal court grew to 10,000

  35. Versailles Palace became a pleasure prison for the aristocracy a. Louis gained absolute control over the nobility b. Required nobles to live at the palace for several months each year c. Nobles were entertained with numerous recreational activities such as tournaments, hunts, and concerts

  36. Versailles Palace in 1722

  37. A view of the Palace from the garden

  38. The interior court at the Palace of Versailles

  39. Hall of Mirrors

  40. Religious Policies • Louis considered himself the head of French Catholic Church -- Did not allow the pope to exercise political power in the French church 2. Revoked Edict of Nantes with the Edict of Fountainbleauin 1685 a. Huguenots lost their right to practice Calvinism b. About Huguenots 200,000 fled France c. Huguenots later supported the Enlightenment and toleration

  41. 3. Louis supported the Jesuits in cracking down on the Jansenists(Catholics with some Calvinist views)

  42. F. Mercantilism 1. State control over a state’s economy to achieve a favorable balance of trade -- Bullionism: a nation’s policy of accumulating as much precious metal as possible while preventing its outward flow to other countries

  43. Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) 2. Jean-Baptiste Colbert: Louis’ greatest finance minister (1665-1683) who oversaw the French mercantilist economy

  44. 3. Colbert’s goal: economic self- sufficiency for France a. Oversaw construction of roads and canals b. Granted gov’t-supported monopolies in certain industries c. Heavily regulated guilds d. Reduced internal tariffs that had inhibited trade e. Organized French trading companies for international trade (East India Co.; West India Co.) f. Forbade exports of foodstuffs

  45. By 1683, France was Europe’s leading industrial country a. Excelled in such industries as textiles, mirrors, lace-making, and foundries for steel manufacturing and firearms. b. Colbert’s most important accomplishment: developing the merchant marine c. Military buildup stimulated the economy: uniforms, overcoats, weapons, ammunition

  46. 5. Drawbacks of mercantilism and the French economy: • Poor peasant conditions (especially taxation) • Not enough money for both a naval fleet and army (Louis chose the army) -- France later lost some major naval wars against England c. Later wars of Louis XIV nullified Colbert’s economic gains -- Louis was at war during 2/3 of his reign

  47. V. Wars of Louis XIV A. Overview • Wars initially successful but eventually economically ruinous to France • France created the professional modern army • Perhaps the first time in modern European history that a single country was able to dominate politics 4. Balance of Power system emerged

  48. B. War of Devolution (1st Dutch War), 1667-68 1. Louis invaded the Spanish Netherlands (Belgium) without declaring war 2. Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle a. France got 12 towns on Spanish Netherlands’ border. b. Gave up Franche-Comtè (Burgundy)

  49. C. Second Dutch War (1672-78) 1. Louis invaded the southern Netherlands as revenge for Dutch opposition in the previous war 2. Peace of Nijmegan (1678-79) • Represented limit of expansion under Louis XIV • France took back the Franche-Comté from Spain, gained some Flemish towns, and took Alsace.

  50. D. War of the League of Augsburg (1688-97) 1. Louis again invaded Spanish Netherlands 2. In response, the League of Augsburg formed to counter Louis: included HRE, Sweden, Bavaria, Saxony, Dutch Republic -- Demonstrated the emergence of balance of power

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