Absolutism in Europe

1300-1800

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Spain lost territory and money. The Netherlands split from Spain and grew

rich from trade. France was Europes most powerful country,

where king Louis XIV ruled with total control. Austrias queen resisted a Prussian land grab. In Russia Peter the Great made many changes

to try to make it more like western Europe. Englands Parliament struggled with different

kings and became the greatest power in the country.

Spanish Absolutism

Charles V ruled the Holy Roman Empire until 1556. He retired from the throne and split his holdings to :

Ferdinand (his brother)- Austria & the Holy Roman Empire.

Philip II (his son)- Spain & its colonies.

Philip II expanded his holdings by taking Portugal and gaining its global territories.

In 1588 he tried to invade England but he failed. However, Spain will stand still strong because of its wealth- gold & silver- that flowed in from the colonies in the Americas.

This wealth led to some serious problems: the prices of goods constantly rose; unfair taxes hit the poor; the silver from the colonies, then, began to flow to Spains enemies.

In the middle of this troubles, Spain lost land. In 1579 seven Protestant provinces declared their independence from Spain.

French Absolutism

France was torn by eight religious wars. (1562-1598)

In 1589, the Protestant prince Henry IV became King of France and changed his religion.

In 1598, he issued an order called the Edict of Nantes. It gave Huguenots- the French Protestants the right to live in peace and have their own churches in some cities.

Henry IV rebuilt the French economy and brought peace to the land.

Louis XIII (the son of Henry IV), was a weak king.

However he had a very capable chief minister - Cardinal Richelieu.

Cardinal Richelieu ruled the land for him and increase the power of the crown.

Cardinal Richelieu increase the power of the crown by:

Ordering that the Huguenots could not build walls and the nobles had to destroy their medieval castles. As a result, protestants & nobles could not hide within walls and defy the kings power.

He used people from the middle class- not nobles- to work in its government. That also cuts nobles power.

French thinkers (Michel de Montaigne and Rene Descartes) had reacted to the religious wars with horror. They developed a new attitude- skepticism. Nothing could be known for certain and doubting old ideas was the first step to learning the truth, they said.

LOUIS XIV (Le Roi Soleil) (1633-1715)

Achievements: He made France the most powerful nation in

Europe. France had more people and larger army than any other country.

He improved the French economy because of his minister of finances Colbert and his theory of mercantilism.

He made France leading in the arts: Comedy francaise-1680;new palace -Versailles

Mistakes:

He revoked the Edict of Nantes and 200 000 Huguenots fled France.

He fought costly wars. Louis on his deathbed advised his

heir: "Do not follow the bad example which I have set you; I have often undertaken war too lightly and have sustained it for vanity. Do not imitate me, but be a peaceful prince, and may you apply yourself principally to the alleviation of the burdens of your subjects".

Louis XIV at the Siege of Namur 1692

Jean Baptiste Colbert minister of finance of Louis XIV

believed in a theory of mercantilism.

He tried to build French industry. Colbert convinced the French people to buy French made-goods and not those from other countries.

He also urged people to settle in the new French colony in Canada. The fur trade there brought wealth to France.

Austria

MARIA THERESA (1740-1780)

Character counts: Religious, artistic, caring

Increased her power and cut the power of the nobles. She was highly religious and caring for the well being of the peasants and she was often called the most human of the Hapsburgs

She was a patron of Viennas rich culture-enlightened ruler. She reformed the imperial government and wisely resolved

her political problems-could be compare with Elizabeth I.

Prussia

FREDERICK THE GREAT (1740-1786)

Character counts: Practical and atheistic. He earned the title the Great by achieving his goals for Prussia in both domestic and foreign affaires.

He increased the power of his country. Practical and atheistic he earned a reputation as an

enlightened monarch, supporting education, religious tolerances and the legal reform.

He encouraged the building of a strong and very well trained army. He believed that the fundamental of government is the principal of extending territories-he won Silesia a rich in iron region.

Russia- was isolated from the Western world for 2 reasons: geography and religion

PETER THE GREAT (1672-1725)

He greatly increased the power of his country by increasing the power of the

tsar. He cut the power of nobles and put the Russian Orthodox Church under his

control. He built up the army and made it better trained. He made Russia more western-(he gave more social status to women and

told the nobles to adopt western cloths. He promoted education, changed the Russian calendar, began the first

newspaper. He improved agriculture, trade and communication by changing the capital

to St. Petersburg. He built factories and mines and a worm-water port- Window to the

world.