Age of Absolutism

Positives and Strengths of Absolute Monarchies

1. Efficient & Stable- decisions are made quickly and decisively & the ruler stays the same, until he dies (great deal of continuity).

- Only one person decides policy for the whole country. There is no debating.

Positives and Strengths of Absolute Monarchies

2. Wealthone leader with little resistance is able to gain a very large empire with a huge treasury.

-With this money he is able to build an army

-They often supported the arts

- many were called patrons of the arts.

Weaknesses of absolute Monarchies

1. Very undemocratic- Only one person gets a say &he generally abuses power

2. Limited individual rightspeople were forced to agree with the Monarch

3. Tyranny leads to a desire of the people to be free!! (The Enlightenment Ideas)

Too much stability- poor leaders can do great damage to a country because they are in control for so long

Some Absolute Monarchs

Louis XIV• “The Sun King”• Ruled France for 72

years: 1643-1715• Louis lived an extravagant

life and built the famous Palace of Versailles

• Louis constantly waged war against other nations in Europe

• This extravagant lifestyle and many wars led to financial problems for France

Louis XIV: The Sun King r. 1643-1715

• Political– Fronde—hated the nobility– L’etat Cest Moi (I am the

state)– Set the style for governance– Never called Estates General– Fought wars to expand

territory…lost..• Economic

– Mercantilism/manufacturing– Heavy taxes on the people to

support extravagant lifestyle• Religious

– Repealed the Edict of Nantes– Persecuted Huguenots– “One king, one God, one state

”

• Social– Set styles for fashion,

entertaining…– Large gap between rich

and poor– Made the nobles

dependent upon him– Forced thousands of

nobles to live at Versailles with him

• Innovations (Tech)– Bayonet invented for wars

in the low countries– Established the Royal

Academy of Science• Art

– Built Versailles—set Baroque architectural style

– Ballet popularized

Palace of Versailles

Palace of Versailles Gardens

Elizabeth I

• Queen of England

• Henry VIII’s daughter (remember him?)

• Defeated the Spanish Armada.

Elizabeth I• Ruled from 1558-1603• Shrewd and highly

educated• Used her rule for the

common good• Ruled successfully without

a husband• Worked well with

parliament• Kept taxes low• Kept out of war

Philip II• Phillip II ruled Spain from 1556-

1598

• He believed in divine right of rulers and wanted complete control of all aspects of government

1. His wealth came from the The Columbian Exchange

-ChocolateSpanish monarchy had a monopoly

2. Very Catholicfought religious wars such as when the Pope sent the Spanish Armada to punish Elizabeth for establishing the Anglican Church in England

3. Supported the arts

4. Spain went downhill after his reign spent too much money on war.

Ivan the Terrible1547-1584

• Extremely crazy and paranoid– He was known as Ivan

the Terrible because of his harsh ruling style and fits of violence

– He even killed his own son during an argument

-Had a Secret Police to enforce order

-Weakened the nobles

-Centralized control of Russia

Peter the Great

• Czar of Russia from 1682-1725• Wanted to Europeanize,

modernize Russia.– Russian men shaved their

beards and shortened their coats

– Upper-class women could remove their traditional face-covering veils and move out into society

• Went in disguise to learn how to build ships in Western Europe.

Peter I (the Great) r. 1682-1725

• Ruled a backward Russia but determined to catch up with the rest of Europe

• Traveled across Europe– “The Grand Embassy”– France—admired

Versailles and Louis XIV governance style

• Admirer of Louis XIV– Holland—worked at a

ship yard; visited Leeuwenhoek

– England—visited Newton and Harvey

• Visited Manchester & studied city development

• Upon his return to Russia– Took over the Russian

Orthodox Church– Updated the calendar– Modernized army & navy

• Tax burden increased– Defeated Sweden and

gained a “window to the west”

• A warm-water-port– Built St. Petersburg– Ordered the nobles to dress

in western clothes and shave their beards

• Reduced power of the nobility

• Women could attend social events

– Started first newspaper, advanced edu

– Introduced potatoes

Catherine the Great1762-1796

• Took the throne from her weak husband Peter III

• Successful with foreign policy

• Expanded Russia’s borders on Black Sea…now had warm water port for trade

• Last of absolute rulers in 1700’s