AbsoluteMonarchy

ABSOLUTISM

Sources of power

• Monarchs were able to get so much power because the Protestant Reformation weakened the Church and colonization brought money

Absolutism in Europe

• The Theory of Absolutism
• Absolute Monarchs
• Kings or Queens that had absolute power within their borders. Their goal was to control every aspect of society
• Divine Right
• The idea that God created the monarchy and that the monarch acted as God’s representative on earth.

Absolute monarchy persisted in France until 1789 and in Russia until 1917. Today only Swaziland and the Vatican are absolute monarchies

Absolute Monarchy

• Structure
• Monarch rules as executive without the check of legislative or judiciary
• Acquisition, Use, and Justification of Power
• Monarch gains power through family and sometimes “God.”
• Citizen Participation
• Citizens listen to and respect monarch

Absolute Monarchy

• Benefits
• Clear decision-maker
• Stability with clear leader

the future

• Disadvantages
• Lack of citizen participation
• Lack of citizen choice and rights
• Infrequent/erratic changes in leaders
• Example Countries
• France and Spain PRE-ENLIGHTENMENT

Saudi Arabia today

One theme = CONTROL!!!

1. Control the government

-Centralize & create bureaucracies -Reduce power of representative bodies

1. Control the nobility

-Increase size of court; regulate social gatherings -Reduce nobles’ power in the government

1. Control economics

-Great works -Economic policies centralized

1. Control power

-Divine right & regulate religion

Rise of Absolutism

Rise of cities

Wealth of colonies

Growth of national kingdoms

Breakdown of Church authority

Decline of feudalism

Growth of middle class

Economic and religious crises

Revolts

Absolute Monarch

Created new government bureaucracies

Reduced power of nobles and representative bodies

Regulated worship, social gatherings, and economy

Increased size of court

Growing power of Europe’s monarch

• When Europe emerged from the middle ages, the monarchs’ power grew
• The decline in feudalism and the rise of cities, a growing middle class.
• Decline in the churches power also allowed the monarchs to gain more power

Crises Lead to Absolutism

• Religious and territorial conflicts between states led to almost continuous warfare.
• Governments were forced to create large Armies and levy even heavier taxes
• These changes led to peasant revolts
• To stop revolts the monarchs imposed order by increasing their own power.

A Powerful Spanish Empire

• Philip II’s Empire
• Philip II
• Inherited Spain, the Spanish Netherlands, and the American Colonies from Charles V
• He was a very hard worker but very suspicious of other people so he worked alone
• He was aggressive for the sake of his empire
• Took over the Portuguese Empire (Portugal, parts of Africa, India, and the East Indies.
• The mines in America allowed Philip to keep a standing army of 50,000 soldiers

Louis XIV

Louis XIV Comes to Power

• Louis XIV
• The most powerful ruler in French history
• Louis, the Boy King
• Cardinal Mazarin
• Ended the 30 years war
• He increased taxes and strengthened the central government, which led to noble rebellions and they failed for 3 reasons
• Its leaders distrusted one another even more than they distrusted Mazarin
• The government used violent repression
• Peasants and townspeople grew weary of disorder and fighting

Louis XIV Comes to Power

• Louis Weakens the Noble’s Authority
• Cardinal Mazarin died and 22 year old Louis took over
• He weakened the power of the nobles by excluding them from his councils
• He increased the power of the government agents called Intendants
• Collected taxes and administered justice

Louis XIV Comes to Power

• Economic Growth
• Jean Baptiste Colbert
• Believed in the idea of Mercantilism
• Wanted France to become self-sufficient and produce all products they need.
• To expand manufacturing in France they gave government funds and tax benefits to French Companies
• Also placed high tariffs on imported goods
• Colbert died:
• Louis announced a policy slowed France’s economic progress
• Canceled the Edict of Nantes

The Sun King’s Grand Style

• Louis spent a fortune to surround himself with luxury.
• Each meal was a feast
• Louis Controls the Nobility
• Outside Louis canopy bed stood 100 of the most privileged nobles at court
• Waiting to help the great king dress
• Only 4 would be allowed to assist him
• Outside in the hallway lesser nobles waited in the palace halls and hoped Louis would notice them
• Having nobles at the palace increased royal authority in 2 ways;
• It made the nobility totally dependent on Louis
• Took them from their homes, thereby giving more power to the intendants

“Among the rights that the laws give the sovereign should be included [the right] to display all the signs of grandeur and majesty necessary to make manifest the authority and dignity of such wide-ranging and lofty power, and to impress veneration for it upon the minds of all subjects. For although they should see in it the power of God Who has established it and should revere it apart from any visible signs of grandeur, nevertheless since God accompanies His own power with visible splendor on earth and in the heavens as in a throne and a palace...

Versailles

He permits that the power He shares with sovereigns be proportionately enhanced by them in ways suitable for arousing respect in the people. This can only be done by the splendor that radiates from the magnificence of their palaces and the other visible signs of grandeur that surround them, and whose use He Himself has given to the princes who have ruled according to His spirit.” – Jean Domat, Jurist

Tour Versailles

Louis’ Private Chapel

Nave

Hall of Battles

King’s Chamber (one of them)

Furniture

Louis as Apollo

Louis as Sun King

Other Absolute Monarchs in Europe 1500-1800

• Phillip II of Spain
• Maria Theresa of Austria
• Frederick the Great of Prussia
• Peter the Great of Russia
• Catherine the Great of Russia