The Age of Absolutism and Constitutionalism

Neely and Nick Per. 4

Western Europe: Geography

Both in England and France, most of population was agrarian and were farmers

Atlantic Ocean to the west allowed for easy trade access with rest of world

Political

France: Absolutism rulers began with Henry IV of

Navarre, the first of the the Bourbon Dynasty, followed by Louis XIII

Richelieu laid the foundation for absolutism with the intendant system, politique, and weakening of the nobility

“The Sun King”

Louis XIV was the epitome of an absolute ruler “L’etat c’est moi” Divine right to rule

Louis XIV’s Wars War of Devolution (First Dutch War) 1667-

1168 Second Dutch War, 1672-1678 War of League of Ausburg, 1688-1697 War of Spanish Succession, 1701-1713

Economic

Mercantilism Duke of Sully: laid foundation for mercantilism

by granting monopolies and reforming tax system

Richelieu built upon Sully by increasing taxation to fund the military exploitation of peasantry

Old system of selling offices Three estates: social order based on wealth

and power

Religion

Catholicism vs. Calvinism Edict of Nantes passed by Henry of Navarre Edict of Fountainbleu revokes it

Divine Right Absolute rulers, most notably Louis XIV,

believed they had had God’s blessing to rule absolute power

Social

Traditional Feudal France Arranged in Three Estates

First: Clergy, 1% of population Second: nobility, 3-4% of population Third: bourgeoisie (middle class), artisans,

peasants

Agriculture Primarily agrarian with 90% of population lived

in countryside

Intellectual

Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes Argues for a social contract Absolute sovereign Provided basis for reformed Parliament

Second Treatise of Civil Government by John Locke People set up civil governments to protect

life, liberty, and property Government can be overthrown by the

people if seen as oppressive and tyrannical

Artistic

French Baroque Overwhelming emotion, grandeur, and movement Sought to demonstrate power and influence Baroque was popular in France, Austria, Germany,

and Poland and would later spread to Protestant countries like England and Netherlands

French Architecture Elaborate buildings and ornate details to show the

power and wealth of the absolute ruler (Louis XIV)

Baroque Art

Technology

The Printing Press Gutenberg’s Bible Mass printing easier distribution

Oil Painting Baroque Art

Political: England

Monarchy vs. Parliament

The Power Struggle England’s problem was who would have more

power in the government, the King or Parliament?

Charles was defeated and was forced to summon Parliament for support Long Parliament

They decided they would not give Charles an army and they destroyed the English monarchy Cromwell and the New Model Army

Economic

Mercantilism Like France, England used mercantilism as its

main source of economic power They used joint stock companies throughout

their colonies to exploit and make a profit from those colonies

Religion

Religious Issues Anglican vs. Calvinism/Puritanism, sparking

English Civil War between Royalists and Parliamentarians

The monarchy wanted an absolute Anglican state but were challenged by the people

After the Glorious Revolution, “Nonconformists” had the freedom to worship

Social

England became an economic superpower with their extensive trade rise of merchants within society

Cities such as London became crowded and overpopulated The Great Plague of London killing over 100k

England’s growth as an economic power created a shift from living in the countryside to living in or close to the city = easier control of the people by the government

Central/Eastern Europe

French Absolutism vs. Eastern Absolutism Eastern absolutism was based on a powerful

nobility, weak middle class, and an oppressed peasantry with serfs

In France, the nobility’s power was limited, the middle class was somewhat strong, and the peasants were free from serfdom

Why Serfdom?

Kings were “first among equals” so they directly benefitted from serfdom

Constant warfare and political chaos allowed landowning nobility to gain power at expense of monarch

Peasants were weaker in the East so uprisings did not succeed

Weak Eastern kings could not establish policies limiting nobility’s power

The Hapsburg Empire (Austrian Empire)

Lack of Unity Austrian Empire was multinational which included

Germans, Italians, Czechs, Hungarians, Serbs, Croats, Romanians

No single administration or government existed as each region had legal relationship to Holy Roman Emperor

Important Rulers Ferdinand II- took control of Bohemia Ferdinand III- centralized government in old Austria Leopold I- restricted Protestant worship Charles VI- Pragmatic Sanction in 1713

Prussia

Frederick William, The “Great Elector” Made Prussia powerful and laid foundation for future Germany Prussian militarism most powerful army in Europe and rise of

Junkers

Frederick I Fought in two wars against Louis XIV: War of League of

Augsburg and War of Spanish Succession Allied with Hapsburgs “King of Prussia”

Frederick William I Created a militarist society Sparta of the North Doubled the size of army and Junkers’ power increased

Frederick the Great

Most powerful and famous of the Prussian kings who is considered to be an “Enlightened Despot” for his incorporation of Enlightenment ideals into his reign

Instituted number of reforms

Increased territory at the expense of Austrian Hapsburgs

Russia

The Ivans Ivan III and Ivan the Terrible both ruled Russia

with an absolute rule and their military power Both limited power of the Boyars, the nobility,

and exerting their control on the oppressed serfs and peasants

After Ivan the Terrible’s death, Russia entered the period known as the Time of Troubles Period of famine, power struggles, and war

Westernization

Peter the Great After Peter’s travels to the West to study technology

and culture, he brought back his knowledge to Russia to improve their country

He imported a large number of Western technicians and craftsmen to help with building of factories

State-regulated monopolies were created which reflected Western industrialization

By the end of his reign, iron production in Russia surpassed that of England

FRQ

Louis XIV declared his goal was “one king. One lawy, one faith.” Analyze the methods the king used to achieve this objective and discuss to which he was successful.

In what ways and to what extent did absolutism affect the power and the status of the European nobility in the period of 1650-1750? Use examples from at least TWO countries. (one eastern, one western country)

Thesis: King Louis XIV successfully achieved absolute power by strengthening the influence of government institutions, distracting aristocrats from gaining power of their own, and by ridding the nation of religious opposition.  1. Strengthening power of government -intendants: officers hand-picked by Louis to enforce king's will by districts. -getting rid of private armies- strict control over institutions like banks and law enforcement 2. Distraction of aristocrats-Palace of Versailles : "pleasure prison" -nobles required to stay at palace for long periods throughout the year to keep an eye on them -kept them from secretly plotting to seize power 3. Revoking religious toleration-Revocation of Edict of Nantes- persecuted Huguenots- 100,000 fled from France --> not good for economy ---> French Revolution.

Thesis: The class of nobles consisted the same members of society in both the East and West during the age of absolutism, but their powers and strength were very different from one another seen in the economy and social influence.    France-Weak nobility so monarch could have absolute power-Absolute control gave the monarch control over the economy (monopolies, joint stock companies)-“nobility of the sword” not allowed to influence royal council-“nobility of the robe” new nobles who purchased their titles from the monarchy and became govt officials  Russia-struggled for power with monarch but eventually power decreased due to power exerted on peasants-nobles forced to serve the tsar in order to keep their lands-many were executed because they threatened the power of the tsar-many granted exemptions from military service-power too strong created new nobility loyal to tsar