Absolutism in Europe

Chapter 7, Section 3

What is Absolutism?

• Absolutism is a system in which the ruler holds total power

• Tied closely with the divine right of kings– God determines king, king

only answers to God

• Were our three branches of government rolled into one– Legislative, Executive, Judicial

• Best example of absolutism is France under Louis XIV

The Cardinals• Remember, France was

almost 50%/50% Protestant (Huguenots)/Catholic

• Cardinals, serving as royal ministers (and employees of the Church) presided over the kingdom if the king was too young to inherit the throne

• Louis XIII had Cardinal Richelieu

• Louis XIV had Cardinal Mazarin

Louis XIII• Inherits the throne in 1601 at

age 8 from his father, Henry IV, or Henry of Navarre

• Cardinal Richelieu holds power while the king is young– Took away political and

military rights of Huguenots– Set up spy networks to catch

plots of nobility to harm throne

• King during the Thirty Years’ War– Joined Protestants in fight

against rival Hapsburgs

Louis XIV

• Inherits the throne in 1643 at age 4

• Cardinal Mazarin holds power for the young king– Negotiated the Peace of

Westphalia to end the Thirty Years’ War

– Ended a revolt to overthrow the crown known as the Fronde• Nobles wanting to protect

feudal aristocracy from centralized government

• With his passing in 1661, Louis XIV took supreme power

Louis XIV Comes to Power• Louis XIV wanted to be a close,

personal king– Ordered nothing to be signed without

asking

• Established a royal court at Versailles– Personal household of the king– Chief offices location– Powerful allies and enemies had to

come here to see Louis XIV

• If enemies emerged within his council, Louis XIV removed them– Ensured royal ministers obeyed his

every command– Gave him control of foreign policy, the

Church, and taxes

• Louis XIV would become known as the Sun King– A source of light for all of his people

Power at the Local Level• Absolute power could only go so

far…what about the local level?– Local politics controlled by

nobles, local officials, and councils

• How would you reach areas controlled by nobles, local officials, and town councils?– Louis XIV used bribes to ensure

he controlled local politics

• Religious control (Remember Philip II??)– Louis XIV destroyed Huguenot

churches, closed their schools, and drove them out of France

– Wanted no objection to his authority

Funding the Kingdom

• Jean-Baptiste Colbert was controller-general of finances– Responsible for funding for

wars, building palaces, and maintaining the court

• Followed practices of mercantilism to bring in money to throne– Export more than you import

• Because of this, Louis XIV could hold a standing army– Waged four wars throughout

his reign

Legacy of Louis XIV

• Louis died in 1715 at the age of 76

• Creates an absolute kingdom in France

• Added to the kingdom through war

• Left France with a great debt

Absolutism in Prussia• The Thirty Years’ War created

several new Central European states…among them Prussia and Austria

• Frederick William the Great Elector was leader

• Known for large standing army– 40,000 men (4th largest in

Europe)

• Made money through taxes levied by the General War Commissariat– Eventually became a part of the

government– Made up of nobility known as

Junkers

Not-So-Absolutism in Austria

• Led by the Hapsburg family of the Holy Roman Empire

• Started small, but gradually grew through conquest

• Never reached true absolutism– Too many different groups

of people to govern– Each region had its own

laws and regulations

Peter the Great and Russia

• Czar is the Russian word for caesar– Ivan IV (1547-1598)

• Crushed the Boyars, or Russian nobility

– Michael Romanov (1613-1645)• Chosen after the “Time of

Troubles”

– Peter the Great (1682-1725)

• Peter the Great claimed the divine right to rule– Made Russia an absolutist

state

Military and Government

• Military– European and Russian

officers– Drafted peasants into 25-

year military service– Increased the army to over

200,000 men– Constructed Russia’s navy

• Government– Divided Russia into

“provinces”– Hoped to maintain rule

through police states– Had administrators that

ruled each state

Cultural Changes• Wanted to “westernize”

Russia– A book of etiquette was written

to tell people how to act– St. Petersburg is created as a

“window to the West”

• Dress and appearance was changed to fit European standards– Cutting of beards on men– Removal of women’s facial

shrouds– Trimming of traditional clothing

Impact of Peter the Great

• Introduced Russia to the West– Traveled and visited with

leaders of European nations

• Introduced the West to Russia– Changing of customs and

clothing

• The “window to the West” was opened– St. Petersburg

Exit Slip

• How did absolutism change Central Europe? Did it affect all of the nations in Central Europe?

• How did Peter the Great rule Russia differently than his predecessors?

• Would you consider Peter the Great an absolutist ruler? Why or why not?