Absolutism and State Building in Europe, 1618-1715

The WestThe West

CHAPTER 15

The Theory of Absolutism

• Monarchs possessed the power to make laws by themselves, without legislatures

• A monarch was accountable only to God, not to his or her subjects

• A monarch was not bound by the laws of the state, but was obliged to observe them

• Obligation to rule of law defined western absolutism

The Practice of Absolutism

• Elimination or subordination of national assemblies and legislatures

• Cultivation of regional and municipal support

• Subordination of nobility to royal will and favor

• Establishment of effective, centralized administrative control

Warfare and the Absolutist State

• State of almost continual warfare in Europe, between 1600 and 1721

• Establishment of large, standing armies• Application of new military tactics and

technologies• Intensification of military training• Expansion of taxation and bureaucracy to

support and manage new armies

The Foundations of French Absolutism

• Began as a response to the turmoil of the Wars of Religion

• Cardinal Richelieu restricted the power of regional assemblies, strengthened central administration of the state, disarmed the Protestant minority, and increased taxation

• The Fronde, 1648-1653, revealed the continuing strength of resistance to absolutist government

Absolutism in the Reign of Louis XIV

• Projected an image of incomparable majesty• Secured the loyalty and dependence of the

nobility• Perfected Richelieu’s policy of

administrative centralization• Increased tax revenues, and encouraged and

protected French industry• Enforced religious conformity

Louis XIV and the Culture of Absolutism

• Influenced and controlled the creation and dissemination of cultural products

• Patronized and encouraged cultural institutions• Transformed public life, by seeking order and

uniformity in all matters• French culture became the dominant influence in

European high society

The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667-1714

• Financial and military reforms created a formidable military machine

• Fought wars to acquire new territory• Only an alliance of almost all the other

European powers was able to counter the French military

• Treaty of Ryswick, 1697, established the principle of a balance of powers

Absolutism and State Building in Spain

• Period of economic, political and military decline

• Attempt at absolutist reforms

• Failed to subdue regional and aristocratic autonomy and influence

• Ineffectual economic reforms failed to increase taxation or encourage industry

Germany and the Thirty Years’ War, 1618-1648

• Thirty Years’ War began as a religious and constitutional struggle within the empire

• Demographic and economic devastation of Germany

• Weakened the institution of the empire permanently

• Individual German territories developed into sovereign states -Prussia and Austria became major European powers

The Ottoman Empire: Between East and West

• Western Europeans considered the Ottoman empire to be “oriental” and despotic

• Deep cultural divide between the Ottoman Empire (East) and the West

• Ottoman power declined through the seventeenth century

• Network of diplomatic, commercial and cultural contacts between the Turks and the West

Russia and the West

• Until the seventeenth century, Russia was considered more Asian than European

• Peter I (r. 1682-1725) initiated a process of cultural, political and military reform, modeled on Western ideas

• Built a westernized military state• Construction of St. Petersburg symbolized

Russia’s new engagement with Europe

The English Monarchy and the Civil War

• Institution and culture of the English Parliament were antithetical to absolutism

• Attempt by Charles I (r. 1625-1649) to rule as an absolute monarch led to religious and constitutional conflicts with parliament

• English Civil War, 1642-1649, ended in victory for Parliament - execution of Charles I and abolition of the monarchy

Revolution and Restoration in England

• Republic established after 1649 faltered on constitutional and religious issues

• The restored monarchy attempted to subvert parliament by packing it with royalists

• James II (r. 1685-1688) attempted to grant toleration and political power to Catholics

• “Glorious Revolution” deposed James II, in favor of William of Orange and Mary Stuart

William III and Parliamentary Supremacy

• The Declaration of Rights became the cornerstone of the English constitution;

• Guaranteed the role of parliament in government• Royal veto of legislation was exercised for the last

time, in 1707• Expansion of the power of the state prompted by

military pressures and supported by parliament

The Dutch Republic

• Remained a loose confederation of sovereign republics

• Political power held by urban merchants and rural nobles

• Highly commercial economy fueled the acquisition of colonial possessions

• Fostered religious toleration and artistic creativity - the Dutch Golden Age

The Western State, in the Age of Absolutism

• Dramatic expansion of the state - increasingly centralized and cohesive

• Introduction of royal absolutism

• Development of new style of warfare

• Emergence of concepts of international law and a balance of power