Western Absolutism

James I

James I (1603-1625)

• James I was the cousin of Elizabeth I.• He quickly proclaimed himself to be a divine

right monarch.• Puritan members of Parliament, who made up

a large percentage of the House of Commons, opposed James.

• James relaxed the restrictions on Catholics in England in return for their support against the Puritans.

• When James reinforced the restrictions on the Catholics, several Catholic extremists launched the Gunpowder Plot.

• Under the leadership of Guy Fawkes, Catholic extremists plotted to blow up Parliament.

Gunpowder Plot

Guy Fawkes

Charles I

Charles I (1625-1649)

• Attempted to strengthen the power of the monarchy at the expense of Parliament and believed in the Divine Right of Kings.

• However, Parliament hold the purse strings and refused to relinquish control.

• The squabbling between Charles and Parliament came to a head in 1640, when revolution broke out between the aristocracy and the Anglican church hierarchy and the New Model Army led by Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan member of Parliament.

• The forces of Cromwell will defeat the king, and Charles I will be tried and executed for “crimes against his people”.

Execution of Charles I

Oliver Cromwell

William and Mary

The English Bill of Rights (1689)

• Guaranteed members of Parliament freedom of speech.

• The king could not levy taxes without Parliament’s consent.

• The king could not maintain a standing army without Parliament’s consent.

• Frequent meetings of Parliament were also required.

Outcomes of the Glorious Revolution

• All future monarchs must be Protestant.• Succession to the throne now lay with

the legislature, not the royal family (no divine right).

• Protestant rule of Ireland.• Emergence of Whig and Tory parties in

Parliament.

John Locke

• The Second Treatise of Government

• Locke’s theory guaranteed individual rights of life, liberty, and property.

• Rejects the idea of an absolute monarch.

• Rule by the will of the people.

The Seesaw of King and Parliament

France in the 17th Century

• French monarchs were more astute and successful in gaining and retaining power, as compared to English monarchs.

• Henry IV, Cardinal Richelieu, and above all, King Louis XIV, were masters of centralizing powers in their hands and weakening the power of the nobility.

Fronde (1648-1653)

• A period of civil war in France.• During the Fronde, the nobles tried to

reassert their power, but failed.• The Estates General, the French

equivalent to the English Parliament, did not meet between 1614 and 1789.

• During this period, France enjoyed a golden age in culture under absolutism.

Louis XIV

• Became king at age 5.

• The Fronde will occur when Louis is too young to rule, so his able minister, Cardinal Mazarin, will quell the rebellion.

• Louis XIV will not become an independent ruler until 1661, at age 23.

The State is Me!

Failures (conti.)

War of Spanish Succession

• 1701-1713• An attempt to bring the French and

Spanish thrones under one crown, that of Louis XIV.

• Louis only succeeded in placing his grandson, Phillip V, on the Spanish throne after the death of the last Hapsburg.

Peace of Utrecht

• Provided for the following:

1. If the Bourbon line failed in France, the Spanish line could not succeed to both crowns.

2. England gained Gibraltar, which gave it control over access in and out of the Mediterranean.

3. Spanish territory in Italy passed to Austria.

Peace of Utrecht

4. Spanish Netherlands acquired by Austria.

5. France ceded their North American territories to Britain.

6. Dutch independence was secured.

** With this, Great Britain is now poised to become a global great power.