Transcript The Age of Absolutism

The Age of Absolutism
1500-1800
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?
SPAIN
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.
The Holy Trinity (1579), View of
Toledo (1600)
Diego
Velazquez
“Las
Meninas”
1656
Spanish Literature: Miguel de
Cervantes’ Don Quixote
Quotes from the novel…
1) Cervantes describes Quixote's
growing obsession with knighterrantry, 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 micromanage the empire and
didn’t trust anyone.
• Spain also kept its traditional
agricultural economy instead
of industrializing like other
European nations.
France
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.
Russia
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 warmwater 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
England
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?
Got monarch?