Download Notes: Western Absolutism

Absolutism in Western
Europe
• Absolutism
• Derived from the
traditional assumption of
power – heirs to the
throne- and belief in
“divine right of kings”
• Louis XIV of France was
the quintessential
absolute power
Characteristics of Western European
Absolutism
1. Sovereignty of a country was embodied in the person of the ruler
2. Absolute monarchs were not subordinate to national assemblies
3. Nobility effectively brought under control
• Contrast to E. Europe
4. Bureaucracies in the 17th century were often composed of career
officials appointed by and solely accountable to the king
5. French and Spanish monarchies gained effective control of the
Roman Catholic Church in their countries
6. Maintained large standing armies
Characteristics of Western European
Absolutism
7. Employed a secret police to weaken political
opponents
8. Foreshadowed totalitarianism in 20th Century
9. Those who did not overtly oppose the state were
usually left alone by the government
10. Utilized the extravagant emotional appeal of
monumental architecture
Philosophy of Absolutism
• Jean Bodin (1530-96)
• Among the first to provide a
theoretical basis for absolutist states
• Wrote during the chaos of the
French Civil Wars of the late 16th
century
• Believed only absolutism could
provide order and force people to
obey the government
Philosophy of Absolutism
• Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
• Leviathan
• Pessimistic view of human
beings in a state of nature
• Experienced turmoil of the
English Civil War
Philosophy of Absolutism
• Bishop Jacques Bossuet (1627-1704)
• Principle advocate of the “divine right of
kings” in France during the reign of Louis
XIV
• Believed “divine right” meant that the
king was placed on throne by God, and
therefore owed his authority to no man
or group
Development of French
Absolutism
(1589-1648)
France in the
th
17
century
• In feudal tradition, French society was divided into three
Estates made up of various classes
• First Estate: clergy – 1% of population
• Second Estate: nobility- 3-4% of population
• Third Estate: bourgeoisie (middle class), artisans, urban
workers, and peasants
• This hierarchy – based on rank and privilege- was restored
under Henry IV
Henry IV (Henry of Navarre)
• Laid the foundation for France
becoming the strongest European
power in the 17th century
• First king in the Bourbon dynasty
• Weakening of the old nobility
• New nobles- who purchased titlesbecame high officials in gov’t and
loyal to king
Duke of Sully
• Financial advisor to Henry IV
• His reforms will enhance the power of the
monarchy
• Emphasized mercantilism
• Increased role of the state in the economy
• Reduced royal debt
• Reformed the tax system – more efficient
• Poulette Tax
• Improved transportation
• Henry was assassinated in 1610
• Led to severe crisis in power
• Henry’s widow, Marie de’ Medici, ruled as regent
until her son (Louis XIII) came of age
• In 1624- she appointed Cardinal Richelieu as her
Council of Ministers
• He will lay the foundations for absolutism
Richelieu
• Like Henry IV he was a politique
• Intendant System – used to weaken the
nobility
• Built on Sully’s economic achievementsfurther emphasized mercantilism
• Increased taxation to fund the military
• Taxed farmers and exploited peasants
• Subdued the Huguenots- Peace of Alais
• Sought to weaken Hapsburg’s in Thirty Years’
War
• Richelieu persuaded the king to
appoint Cardinal Mazarin as his
successor
• Richelieu died in 1642,
followed by Louis XIII 5 months
later
• Queen Anne of Austria
governs for her son Louis
XIV as regent
The Fronde (1648-53)
• Noble insurrection against royal authority
• Three significant results:
a) government would have to compromise with the
nobility
b) the economy was ruined and would take years to
rebuild
c) Louis XIV would never forget the trauma
Louis XIV
“L'état, c’est
moi”
Government Organization
• Recruited his chief ministers from the middle class
• Continued the intendant system (Richelieu)
• Checked power of French institutions that might resist his
control
• Never called the Estates General into session
• Control over the peasantry (95% of pop)
• He had control of foreign policy, making war and peace, levy
taxes, assert secular power against any religious authority
Economic Policy
• Louis appointed Jean- Baptiste Colbert as Controller of
Finances
• Goal: economic self-sufficiency for France
• Oversaw construction of roads and canals
• Emphasized luxury industries
• Organized French trading companies
• Grew the Navy and merchant fleet
• But due to wars, poor peasant conditions, and excessive
spending there will be an eventual financial crisis
Religious Policies – “one king, one law, one
faith”
• 1685- Edict of Fontainebleau- revoked the Edict of Nantes
• Many Huguenots will emigrate – will have economic
impact
• Closed schools, Protestant churches
• Targeted the Jansenists (“Calvinists who go to mass”)
• Convinced Pope Clement XI to issue papal bull which
condemned Jansenism
• Attempt to impose complete religious orthodoxy fell shortabsolute rule had its limits
Versailles
• “Nothing marks the greatness of princes better than the buildings
that compel the people to look on them with aw, and all posterity
judges them by the superb palaces they have built during their
lifetime.”
• Versailles became the grandest and most impressive palace in all
of Europe
• Cost of maintain was about 60% of the royal revenues
• Baroque architecture and style
• More than 10,000 nobles, officials, and servants lived near or in
the chateau
Wars of Louis XIV
• Kept France at war for most of his reign
• Appointed Marquis de Louvois as
Secretary of the State for War
• Developed professional modern army
• Standard weapons and uniforms
• Rationalized training
• Regulated promotion
• An ambulance corp.
• Feed the troops
Wars of Louis
• In 1667 Louis invaded the Spanish Netherlands to his north
(Belgium)
• The Triple Alliance of the Dutch, English, and Swedes forced his to
peace in 1668
• He never forgave the Dutch
• In 1672, he invaded the United Dutch Provinces with some
success
• The French victories led Brandenburg, Spain, and the HRW to
form a new coalition that forced Louis to end the Dutch War
• Moved eastward against HRE, perceived as weak
• Gradually annexed the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine
and occupied the city of Strasbourg
• Led to the creation of the League of Augsburg against
Louis
• War of the League of Augsburg (1689-1697)
• 8 year struggle that brought economic depression and famine
to France
• Treaty of Ryswick ended the war and forced Louis to give up a
lot of his conquests, although could keep Strasburg and parts
of Alsace
War of Spanish Succession (1702-13)
• Louis’s 4th war
• Charles II, childless Habsburg ruler, left the throne of Spain
in his will to a grandson of Louis XIV
• Suspicion increased that France and Spain would
eventually be united in the same dynastic family which
would threaten a balance of power
• England, the United Dutch Provinces, Habsburg Austria,
and German states opposed France and Spain in war
Treaty of Utrecht (1713)
• Most important since Westphalia (1648) and until Treaty of Paris
(1763)
• Maintained the balance of power in Europe
• Philip of Anjou remains king of Spain, but Spain and France must
never unite
• France gave England Nova Scotia, Hudson Bay, and Newfoundland
• France recognizes the Hohenzollern rulers of Prussia
• Spain gave England Gibraltar
• Spain gave England the rights to the slave trade and ability to trade in
their empire
Cost of Louis XIV’s wars
• Destroyed the French economy
• Huge debt will be placed on the shoulders of the Third
Estate
• Financial and social tensions would sow the seeds of
the French Revolution later in the century