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| An absolute monarch was a ruler with complete authority over the government and the lives of the people. Philip II of Spain was an absolute monarch, for example. Many absolute monarchs also believed that their rule was from divine right. Absolute monarchs centralized the power in the government. |
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| Philip II/decline of Spanish Empire |
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| Phillip II was the King of Spain and Portugal. Spain reached its greatest extent, power, and influence under his rule. After Phillip II, the rulers were weaker. They used too much money on colonies, and the increasing amounts of gold and silver led to inflation. Overseas wars drained Spain of its wealth, and treasure caused agriculture and commerce to be neglected. Spain also lost merchants and artisans with the expulsion of Muslims and Jews. The heavily taxed middle class felt no support for royal power. |
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| The Spanish Armada was a huge fleet assembled by Philip II. The Armada consisted of 130 ships, 20,000 men, and 2,400 weapons. It was known as the “Invincible Armada” by the other European nations. In 1588, The Armada sailed out to stop British attacks and to suppress the Dutch. The Armada lost to the British, and their defeat signaled the decline of Spanish Power. |
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| The Edict was a law made by Henry IV of France. It gave religious freedom to Protestants, or Huguenots. It permitted them to worship anywhere but Paris. The Edict also allowed Catholicism once again in places where it had been banned. Pope VIII and the Roman Catholic clergy disliked the Edict. On October 18, 1685, Louis XVI annulled the Edict of Nantes and took away the rights of the Protestants. This caused 400,000 Huguenots to emigrate to England, Prussia, Holland, and America. This caused France to lose its most industrial commercial class. |
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| Cardinal Richelieu was the chief minister to King Louis XIII of France. His goal was to strengthen the central government by taking away the power of the Huguenots and nobles. He defeated the Huguenot and noble armies while allowing them to worship freely. He smashed the Huguenots’ walled cities, and the nobles’ fortresses. He reduced the nobles’ independence but strengthened their loyalty to the king by giving them high positions in court and the army. He also picked an able successor than continued to strengthen royal power. |
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| mercantilism - Colbert was the financial minister of King Louis XIV of France. He fixed many financial problems, strengthened the economy, and supported mercantilism. Mercantilism was centered around the belief that precious metals were essential to a country’s wealth. It was believed that a country needed to export more than it imported. |
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| Versailles was the palace built by Louis XIV of France to showcase his wealth and power. It was the most magnificent building in all of Europe. Many court ceremonies such as levees, were conducted at Versailles. Louis XIV brought nobles to Versailles to ensure their loyalty to them. If nobles were at their own estates, they were a threat to the royal power. If they were at the palace, Louis XIV had them under control. |
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| James I and other Stuarts ruled England by divine right |
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| Divine Right is the belief that the ruler has absolute power over his subjects. James I and the Stuart monarchs ruled England with absolute power. They did not get along with parliament and in 1629, King Charles dissolved Parliament. They did not consult Parliament as they were supposed to. Their absolute rule caused the Parliament and their subjects to revolt. The Parliament executed King Charles’ chief ministers, and Charles fought back with his own army. The divine rule of the Stuarts caused the Civil War. |
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| English Civil War – Oliver Cromwell was led the Parliament’s Roundheads against Charles’ Cavaliers. His army defeated King Charles’ army during the Civil War. After the King was defeated and executed execution, Oliver Cromwell led the new Commonwealth. He crushed any uprising against the common wealth. Cromwell took the title Lord Protector, and became a dictator through the army. Cromwell allowed religious freedom and brought back the Jews. His morals of morality, equality, and government lasted after he died and the monarchy was revived. |
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| English Bill of Rights and The Glorious Revolution |
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| The Glorious Revolution was caused by the actions of King James II. James II openly practiced Catholic faith and appointed Catholics to high positions. He also clashed with his subjects by suspending laws on impulse. Parliament beseeched Mary and William III of Orange to become rulers of England. When their army arrived, James II fled for France. Before they were crowned, William and Mary had to accept the English Bill of Rights. This ensured Parliament’s power over the monarchy. The monarchs were required to summon Parliament regularly and that the House of Commons had control over spending. The monarchs could no longer suspend laws or interfere in Parliament debates. The Bill also reinstated traditional rights of English citizens, such as trial by jury. |
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| The Oligarchy of England was a government in which ruling power belongs to a few people. The nobles held the highest seats in the House of the Lords. Landowners and business men controlled elections in House of Commons. A few male property owners could vote. Because `wealthy landowners basically controlled the Parliament, they drove out many families after buying their farms. |
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| The Holy Roman Empire was one of the greatest and oldest empires of all time. It encompassed Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia, eastern parts of France, and western parts of Poland. The Holy Roman Empire was superior for many centuries. Napoleon Bonaparte of France was the cause of the end of the Holy Roman Empire. He wanted the Holy Roman Empire to be part of his “new order.” Because Napoleon was so powerful and influential, Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire simply annulled the title of Emperor. He decided that no one was going to wear the crown if he wasn’t. That caused the end of the Holy Roman Empire. |
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| Thirty Years’ War/Peace of Westphalia |
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| A European war (actually a series of wars) which took place from 1618- 1648 which broke out between the Holy Roman Emperor (Catholic) and many of his German Protestant states which developed into a struggle for continental dominance. This war started in Bohemia and included Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, and the Holy Roman Empire. This local conflict created by the Defenestration of Prague act transformed into a general European War as both sides sought allies. Finally, in 1648, both sides accepted a series of treaties, known as the Peace of Westphalia. The treaties sought to bring about a general European peace and to settle other international problems. The significance of the Thirty Years War is that it brought the long-lasting idea of Europe unified as a single political and spiritual body to an end as it left German lands divided into more than 360 separate states. |
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| Maria Theresa rules Hapsburg Austria |
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| In the early 1700s, a new challenge confronted Hapsburg Austria, as Emperor Charles VI had no male heir. Therefore, he persuaded other European rulers that his daughter, the intelligent and capable Maria Theresa was to succeed him. Shortly after Charles’ death, the War of the Austrian Succession broke out. At just 23 when she became Hapsburg empress, her chances of remaining in power seemed very slim. However, she stayed determined and survived as she appointed advisors and was able to maintain control of her empire. During her 40- year reign, she courageously endured in many wars, added to her growing empire. The significance of Maria Theresa was that when she died, she left behind a unified Hapsburg monarchy for her son to take over. |
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| Prussia ruled by Hohenzollerns |
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| : In the 1600s, the Hohenzollern family ruled scattered lands across north Germany, then united their holdings, creating Prussia. The Hohenzollerns rulers set up an efficient central bureaucracy. Frederick William I was a main Prussian ruler who cleverly gained the loyalty of the Junkers by giving them positions in the army and government. This increased his control and reduced the nobles’ independence. His son “Frederick the Great”, (Frederick II) took over after him. He put his army up to harsh training, and soon made them recognize Prussia as a great power. The significance of the Hohenzollerns to Prussia was that they made many improvements to this region. |
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| Peter the Great modernizes Russia |
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| : Peter the Great brought to Russia a group of technical experts, teachers, and soldiers that he had recruited in Europe. He introduced westernization, the adoption of western ideas, technology, and culture. He became the most autocratic of Europe’s absolute monarchs, in order to fulfill the difficult task of persuading fellow Russians to change their way of life. Peter the Great wanted to strengthen the military, expand Russian borders, and centralize royal power. To achieve this, he brought all Russian institutions under his control, and forced the boyars to serve the state in civilian or military positions. He pushed through social and economic reforms. Peter also imported Western technology, improved education, simplified the Russian alphabet, and set up academies. Peter was significant to Russia because he made many reforms, brought in many experts, teachers, and soldiers, and made many improvements for his people. |
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| After Peter the Great died in 1725 without an heir and without naming a successor, Catherine the Great took the power into her own hands. Like Peter, she embraced Western ideas and worked to bring Russia fully into European cultural and political life. Among the most ruthless absolute rulers, she was determined to expand Russia’s borders. The significance of Catherine the Great was that she proved to be an efficient, energetic empress as she made many reforms and improvements for Russia |
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