Do Now:

(1) What would you do if you had absolute power over a country?

Good:

Bad:

Absolutism: The time period from 1500s- 1800s when very strong kings came to power with absolute control over their state and established large government bureaucracies.

Creating the modern powerful nations we know today by taking power from nobles.

Absolutism: The time period from 1500s- 1800s when very strong kings came to power with absolute control over their state and established large government bureaucracies.

Creating the modern powerful nations we know today by taking power from nobles.

Kings made country’s modern by…• Combining land of nobles• Used govt. tax collectors (not nobles)• Created permanent standing army (no

need for nobles to gather knights)

Unit Essential Questions: 1) How did kings centralize power around themselves? How do we see the results

from this today? 2) Why would the people give total power

to one person? What you should do after today:

Make flashcards for all RED terms (absolutism, divine right, King Louis XIV, Huguenots)Relevant textbook section: Chapter 5

Absolute Monarchs in Europe P. 160 – 162 “Absolutism in Europe” & “

Analyzing Key Concepts Chart”P.162-168, use review questions p.168

Why do absolute monarchs only emerge for the first time in the 1500s?

"Yet while God has created all men according to His image...it is nonetheless true that it is in the person of kings that He has imprinted the most vivid colors, and it is there that He carved the most perfect characters of divinity...There is only one God in the world, and in the kingdom there is only one king to whom alone one should render honor and duty...the power of kings is without limits...God loves all His creatures, but not equally...one cannot doubt that, among all the mortal creatures, kings and monarchs are the most cherished by God..." -De Montmeran's view of Louis XIV's rule over France, 1683

Divine Right- Belief that God created the monarchy and the king acted as God’s representative on Earth. The king answered to God, not his people and was a quasi-religious figure.

Why would the people give power to one person?

Case Study: France

• 1638 - 1715 • The Sun King of France

What can we tell about KING LOUIS the XIV

(14th) from this picture?

• Flamboyant personality – wearing a wig to get attention, starts new fashion trends (high

heels)• Appearance of power and

wealth – using scepter (knowledge) and sword (military power); wearing silk fleur-de-lys

robes (a symbol of France)

End Religious Conflict between Huguenots (French Protestants) v. Catholics

Positives/Strengths an Absolute Monarchy

1) Efficiency: decisions are made quickly and decisively. Only one person decides policy.

2) Stability: The ruler only changes when he dies. There is a great deal of continuity (clear heir). For instance, Louis XIV was King for 80 years. Almost always a clear successor or heir. It is usually the eldest son

3) Glory: With one leader with little resistance, he/she is able to gain a huge treasury and promote the glory of the country.-The arts are often supported with this wealth. Creation of museums, palaces, etc.

Why else would the people give power to one person?