CHAPTER 21SECTION 1
Spain’s Empire and European Absolutism
Key Terms
Absolute MonarchDivine rightPhilip II
The King Becomes and Emperor
1516 Teenaged Charles became king
Member of the Hapsburg family
Absolute monarch-a ruler whose power was not limited to consulting with other
Divine right- received their power from God and cannot be challenged
Charles the V and the Empire
1500-1700’s they imposed their will on Europe
King of Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, colonies in the Americas
Borrowed money to get votes to be the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V and the Empire
Now controls Italy, Austria and parts of Germany
Charles face many enemies
Charles faced religious fighting
Closely connected to the Catholic Church
Charles the V and the Empire
1521 Charles confronted Martin Luther
Declared him and outlaw
Peace of Augsburg- 1555 gave German prince the right to choose Catholic or Protestant
Charles V and the Empire
Charles had more success in the Americas
Spanish explorers claimed much the Americas for Spain
Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztecs
Francisco Coronado explored and found gold
20 years later gold was flowing from the Americas
Dividing the Empire
Charles V gave up his throne in 1556
Divided his empire between his brother and his son
Philip II ruled Netherlands, Spain, Sicily, and Spain’s colonies in the Americas
Charles V spent the rest of his life in a monastery
Spain under Philip II
Reached its peak of grandeur
Empire provided with incredible wealth
By 1600 339,000 pounds of gold and 16,000 tons of silver bullion from America
King claimed between a fourth or a fifth of each shipment
1580 Philip seized the Portuguese kingdom
Religion and Revolt
Philip II devout Catholic
Leader of the Counter-Reformation
Philip’s duty to defend Catholicism against the Muslims
Pope called on Catholic princes to take arms against the Ottoman Empire
Artistic Achievements
Greek Domenico Theotocopoulos known as El Greco Famous for elongated
human figures Religious work
reflected the Reformation
Diego Velazquez-portrayed people of all social classes with great dignity
Literature
Miquel de Cervantes- wrote Don Quixote de la Mancha Man caught between
medieval and modern world
Mocking chivalry Juana Ines de la
Cruz-Wrote poetry, thought women should be educated (criticized by the Church)
The Spanish Empire Weakens
Severe inflation with decline in value of money
Spain’s population was growing
More people demanded food and good
Merchants were able to set prices
Silver flooded the marketNeeded more silver to
buy things
An Empire in Decline
England remained Protestant
Spain had internal problems
Spanish bought goods from France, England and Netherlands
Philip spent wealth on constant warfare
Borrowed money from German and Italian bankers
Went Bankrupt 3 times
An Empire in Decline
Spain expelled the Muslims and the Jews
Lost valuable artisans and business men
Spain’s nobles did not pay taxes
Spain’s industries relied on their agriculture
Economy lagged behind other countries
Spain declined as a major power
Religion and Revolt
Faith clashed with Calvinist Protestantism
Spreading through the low countries
Dutch refused allegiance to Philip II
Sent Duke of AlvaCourt of Alva tortured
and executed thousands of people
Spain and England
Spain and England were rivals
English sent aid to Dutch rebels
Infuriated PhilipEngland’s Queen
Elizabeth was allowing attacks on Spanish ships
Stole the gold and silver for England
Religion and Revolt
1609 seven provinces broke away formed the Netherlands
Became the United Provinces
Ten southern provinces remained Catholic and in Spanish control (Modern day Belgium)
Independent Dutch Prosper
Dutch Art 1600’s became the Florence of 1400’s
Had the best banks and the best artists
Rembrandt van Rijn-greatest Dutch artist of the period
Painted wealthy middle class merchants
Group portraits Night Watch
Rembrandt
The Independent Dutch Prosper
Jan Vermeer used effects of light and dark
Painted women doing familiar activities
Both artists work reveal how important merchants, civic leaders were in 17 century Netherlands
Dutch Trading Empire
Stable government allowed Dutch to concentrate on economic growth
Dutch had the largest fleet in the world
4,800 ships in 1636Dutch East India
Company dominates Asian spice trade
Dutch replace Italians as bankers in Europe
Spain and England
King Philip II wanted to stop England’s raids and return it to Catholicism
Spanish Armada- 130 ships and 20,000 soldiers
Fleet was called invincible, unbeatable
Sailed into English Channel 1588
Spain and England
Spanish packed ships for a land invasion
Planned to join forces with Spanish forces in the Netherlands
Naval battles damaged the fleet
English set 8 ships on fire and aimed them at the Armada
Spain retreated and lost several ships in a storm
The Theory of Absolutism
Absolute monarchs- kings and queens hold all the power
Goal to control every aspect of society
Divine right- the idea that God created the monarchy
Each monarch was God's representative
Growing Power of Europe’s Monarchs
Monarchs grew after the Middle Ages
Growing middle class backed monarchs
Monarchs promised peace and supported business
Used wealth of colonies
Church authority broke down (Reformation)
Crisis lead to Absolutism
17 century territorial conflicts led to constant warfare
Governments built huge armies
Peasant revoltedMonarchs imposed
orderCreate government
bureaucracies to control economy