Download The Age of Absolutism

The Age of Absolutism
Spain and France
Sections 1 and 2
TRIVIA
• In 1900 there were still
quite a few absolute
monarchies in the
world.
TRIVIA
• In 2008 There are only
a few absolute
monarchies left:
– The Vatican
– Brunei
– Swaziland
– Saudi Arabia
– Liechtenstein
The Vatican
• Pope Benedict XVI
• Elected pope in 2005
and will rule until he
dies or he chooses to
resign.
• Absolute authority over
the Catholic faith and
Vatican City in Rome.
Brunei
• Sultan of Brunei.
– Picture of his
60th birthday
with his first
two wives as
they went to
his birthday
party for 4000
of his dearest
friends in
2008.
Swaziland
• King Mswati III
• Has not kept promises
to bring democracy to
his people.
• Collects wives and
bankrupts the country.
– 14 by September.
• Uses the Virgin
Dances to choose
his next wife.
Saudi Arabia
• 84 year old King
Adullah.
• Collects all the oil
revenue that comes to
Saudi Arabia and
decides how it will be
spent.
– Estimated worth $21
billion.
Liechtenstein – a step backward?
• In 2008 the people of
Liechtenstein voted to
make Prince HansAdam absolute,
abolishing the
Constitutional powers
over him.
The rest of monarchies
• CONSTITUTIONAL.
• There are limits on
their power.
• Only 13 left in the
world.
One family in particular keeps popping up in the
history of absolutism …
• THE HAPSBURGS
– (Sometimes history
books say
Habsburg)
– Ruled in different
areas of Europe
from 1519 – 1918.
• Mostly Spain and
Austria.
The Hapsburg Empire in the 1500s –
1600s
• This family didn’t get
their lands by war.
– They never were
very good generals.
• The Hapsburgs
married to get more
land and power.
The Hapsburgs had “distinctive”
features
• That became more
noticeable as cousins
(and more) tended to
marry more than a few
generations.
How did the Hapsburgs end up
ruling in Spain?
• Remember Ferdinand
and Isabella?
– They united Spain in
1492.
– Helped Columbus
find a new world.
Ferdinand and Isabella had a
problem:
• They had had six
children.
• They all died as young
adults – with the
exception of one
daughter – Joanna.
– Joanna had an
“interesting”
nickname in history.
Joanna the Mad
• Joanna had been
married off to an
Austrian prince – Phillip
the Handsome
(Hapsburg).
• Joanna was really,
really, REALLY
attached to her
husband.
– Obsessed might be
a better word.
Joanna and Phillip had a son
• Charles
• Poor Charles witnessed his
mother’s bizarre behavior
with his father and
eventually she was locked
up with his corpse.
• Charles was raised by
Grandfather Ferdinand who
didn’t like a less than fullblooded Spaniard
becoming the king.
– Remember the blue
blood?
Charles V took over in 1519
• Ruled the riches of
Spain and most of what
was to become
Germany, the
Netherlands, parts of
Italy too!
• Took the title Holy
Roman Emperor.
Charles V –BIG mistakes in ruling.
• Tried to force all his
subjects to be Roman
Catholics.
– He lost. Lutheranism
spread and the German
princes got to choose
the religion of their
people.
• TREATY of TRENT
ring a bell??
• Fought against the Muslim
Ottoman Empire in Turkey
for control of the
Mediterranean.
– Kind of lost.
Charles V - ABDICATES
• Found being king to
CUMBERSOME.
– Maybe a bit of
depression from his
mother’s side?
Philip II (ruled 1556 – 1598)
• 29 years old when he
took over for his father.
• Ruled 42 years.
• With the help of all the
silver and gold his
country was taking
from Mexico / South
America he made
himself ABSOLUTE in
power in Spain.
• “I am the state.”
Philip II: The Good Qualities of a
King
He spent most of his time
managing his
government.
He seldom hunted,
jousted and did the
“kingly” things. He
concentrated on
making sure his control
was complete.
Lived almost like a monk.
Philip II
• His palace THE
ESCORIAL was like a
church, a residence
and a tomb for the
royal family.
Philip II: The so-so qualities
• Had a number of
marriages.
• Marriage was not for love
or a partnership, it was to
get land, power and sons
to inherit.
– Married Maria of
Portugal (his double
cousin)
• One child, deformed.
Died in childbirth’
– Married Mary Tudor
• No children.
Philip II: So-So Qualities
• Wife #3: Elisabeth of
France. She was 14
and he was 59 when
they married.
– Between 19 until she
died at 23 she had 5
pregnancies, only
two daughters lived.
• It appears Philip
actually kind of
liked her.
Philip’s last marriage
• Married his niece Anna
of Austria.
– They popped out 5
children, four being
sons before dying at
31 of a “contagion.”
Philip’s “my bads”
• No one could tell a king
“this isn’t a good idea,
dude.”
• Philip didn’t learn from
his father about going
to war to force people
to believe a certain
way.
Philip tried to force Protestants to
switch religions.
• The Netherlands,
Luxembourg, Belgium
didn’t like Spain’s
absolute ruling, high
taxes.
• When the Inquisition
arrived in the 1560s –
the Dutch attacked and
war lasted for twenty
years.
– Drained Spanish
resources.
Philip’s DISASTER: The Spanish
Armada
Philip had had troubles with
his former sister-in-law
Elizabeth Tudor since she
became Queen of England.
 She was Protestant
 She encouraged English
pirates to attack Spanish
ships.
 She had dared to
execute Mary, Queen of
Scots in 1586.
 ELIZABETH HAD TO
GO!
Philip sets out to take out Queen
Elizabeth
• Sent an incredible
ARMADA (fleet) of
ships to invade
England.
– 130 ships
– 20,000 men
– 2,400 pieces of
artillery.
– England only had 34
serviceable ships.
The Spanish Armada
• Many ships got
separated due to the
winds and the waves of
the English Channel
area.
• They weren’t ready for
Elizabeth’s more
maneuverable ships
and the new technique
of battle - the
BROADSIDE attack.
Armada losses:
• Less than a thousand
men returned home.
• It was a
CATASTROPHIC loss.
– Spain would never
be the same again.
King Philip’s Response? It wasn’t
his fault!
• "I sent the Armada
against men, not God's
winds and waves."
Decline of Spanish Power
• After Philip II, his
successors weren’t as
smart or as willing to
work at ruling.
– But they wouldn’t
share the power.
Decline of Spanish Power
• Costly wars were draining
Spain of needed money.
• Treasure from the
Americas made most
Spaniards abandon
farming and manufacturing.
• The king taxed the middle
class – not the nobles.
• Expulsion of the Jews and
Muslims took away a
skilled artisan class.
• Spanish ships were easy
prey for English, Dutch,
French, etc. pirates.
The last Spanish Hapsburg
• Too much inbreeding
had left the Hapsburgs
having stillbirths,
mental issues, and
physical disabilities.
• Charles II (the last
Hapsburg) descended
from Joanna the Mad
14 times.
• The family ceased to
exist by 1700.
The Hapsburgs in Spain
• What lessons about
what a leader should
do can we learn from
Philip II?
• What should a king
NOT do?
There can be some good things that
come from an absolute monarch.
• Sponsors of the arts.
• No one can tell them to
put a cap on spending!
– The earrings date
back to the 1600s
and are still worn by
the Spanish queen
today.
Spanish Art in the Golden Age
• El Greco (1541 – 1618)
– The Greek
– Art that inspired
artists in the 20th
century.
El Greco – The Disrobing of Christ
and View from Toledo
Views from the Escorial (Es-kohryal)
Spain’s Golden Age: Literature
• Miguel de Cervantes
– Tried to be a soldier.
– Captured by Muslim
pirates and held for 5
years.
– Got a job to get supplies
for the Spanish Armada
– got arrested and jailed
for EMBEZZLMENT.
– Had written 30 plays
that had never sold.
– A life of hardship and
adventure – and
poverty.
Wrote Don Quixote
• Don Quixote has read
too many tales of
chivalry, and imagining
himself a Medieval
knight in the 1600s
takes off across the
Spanish countryside
with his practical
servant Sancho Panza
to prove himself a
brave knight.
Don Quixote
• First modern novel.
• Considered the equal
of Shakespeare.
• The musical Man from
La Mancha is based
on the book.
Sometimes we say someone has a
quixotic personality.
• Someone that pursues
foolish or unrealistic
romantic ideals.
France in the Age of Absolutism
Remember:
• Often the worst type of
wars are CIVIL WARS.
– Shatter lands and
families.
– People are desperate
for peace and order.
– They tend to turn to
whoever offers them
that hope.
• They might surrender
their rights to feel
safe.
– Afghanistan?
Remember:
• Why else did the
English agree to let a
king return to their
country and let him
have absolute power
again in 1660?
France had the same problem in the
1500s.
• Specifically religious wars
between Catholics and
Huguenots (French
Protestants) tore the
country apart 1560s –
1590s.
– 1572: St. Bartholomew’s
Massacre.
• 3,000 killed.
– Huguenots and
Catholics had
gathered for a
wedding to stop the
violence.
» The Catholics
attacked.
Henry of Navarre
• A Huguenot prince – he
inherited the throne.
• The majority of the nobility
refused to allow a
Protestant to rule them.
• “Paris is worth a mass.”
– He became Catholic.
– Issued the Edict of
Nantes, granting
religious toleration and
other freedoms.
Henry IV of France
• Set out to repair France.
• Used his absolute powers
to make his rules felt
throughout the land.
– Repaired roads, built
bridges, revived
agriculture so people
could live, brought
justice.
– GOAL: “A chicken in
every pot.”
Henry IV
• While he was doing all
that, he also had quite
a few mistresses along
the way!
• His Catholic queen was
a political arrangement
and he didn’t really
worry about her
feelings.
Henry IV - Assassinated!
• Much loved by his
people.
• But some Catholics still
thought he gave too
much to the
Huguenots.
• He was stabbed to
death as he was going
to visit a mistress in
1610.
Henry IV’s son is only 9 years old!
• The Nobles saw a
chance to get back
their powers.
• The Catholics and
Huguenots were fearful
of the future.
Louis XIII
• Very troubled upbringing
for a future absolute
monarch.
• Nobles tried to kidnap him.
• His mother was
bankrupting the country
with her frivolous
entertainments and making
him anti-Protestant.
– Picture supposed to be “The
Birth of Louis XIII.”
Louis XIII gets an advisor
• Cardinal Richelieu
(1585 – 1642)
• Helped Louis rule
France.
– Had more cunning
and capability than
Louis.
– Absolute loyalty for
18 years.
Richelieu strengthens Royal
Authority
• Had to destroy the powers
of the nobles and the
Huguenots.
– Huguenots were
allowed to keep their
religion, but couldn’t
have walled cities or
their own armies.
• Destroyed the walls.
– Destroyed the fortified
castles of the nobles
and their personal
armies.
• Gave them positions
at Court or jobs in the
King’s army.
Louis XIII was content to let
Richelieu do the work.
• He liked hunting more.
• Liked art.
• Didn’t like his wife
Anne of Austria at all.
• They had married
when they were both
14 in 1615.
• No children until …
1637:
• Louis XIII and Anne
found themselves with
their court in a small
hunting lodge for the
night, taking shelter
from a terrible
rainstorm.
• There weren’t enough
bedrooms for
everyone.
• Louis and Anne had to
share a room.
Nine Months Later
• Louis XIV is born!
• A “miracle” child
Louis XIV becomes king
• 1643 and only 5 years old.
• Again a rebellion of nobles,
merchants, and peasants
wanting less royal control
happens.
– They called themselves
The Fronde.
– Forced the little boy to
hide from them when
they invaded his palace
trying to kidnap him.
Louis XIV has REGENTS to rule for
him until he grows up.
• His mother, Anne of
Austria.
• Cardinal Mazarin
– Handpicked by
Richelieu before he
died.
• Working together,
they kept Louis safe
and stabilized
France.
– Also became
lovers.
Louis XIV grows up:
• Didn’t trust the nobles
or the people.
• Didn’t particularly trust
advisors the way his
mother or father had.
• At 23 declared “I am
the state.”
Louis XIV “The Sun King”
• No checks on royal
power from 1614 –
1789.
• He believed the sun
stood at the center of
the solar system, so
the Sun King stands at
the center of the
nation.
Louis: Solidifying his power
• Worked hard to run his
government.
• Appointed intendants –
royal officials – to
collect taxes, recruit
soldiers, and carry out
his policies in the
provinces.
• Most positions like this
went to the middle
class, not the nobles or
the Church.
Louis: Solidifying his power
• Built an army that was
the strongest in
Europe.
– 300,000 men.
– Used this trained
and equipped army
to force his policies
at home and abroad.
Louis spends the wealth of France
• Army and wars
• The Palace of
Versailles.
– Symbol of Royal
Power
– A prison for the
nobles
Versailles
Versailles
• The best of everything
French was on display.
– Finest art and
furniture
– Best food and wine
– Millions of flowers
and gardens.
Louis’ greatest achievement
• Convincing the nobles
that there was greater
“honor” in serving him
at Versailles than
remaining at their
feudal homes.
The Nobles
• Competed to have the
privilege of holding the
wash basin while the
king washed his hands.
• Competed to have the
privilege to put on or off
his shoes.
• Competed to have the
privilege to wake him
up in the morning.
– And more …
The Nobles were completely cut off from their
homes and ancestral duties
• To serve the King at
Versailles was more
important.
• Their wives showed up
too.
– Competing to be
servants to the
queen.
– Competing to be the
King’s mistress.
A touch of art that Louis XIV
fostered • Ballet was created
during his reign.
– Dancing to tell a
story.
Louis XIV
• Ruled for 72 years.
– Got France into some
costly foreign wars over
who should be the king
of Spain.
– Outlawed the
Huguenots, causing
hundreds of thousands
to immigrate to other
countries and America.
– Outlived both his sons
and three wives.
• Some grandsons too.
Louis XV
• Became king at 5 years of
age.
• Much more interested in
“pleasures” than ruling.
– But to say “no” to a king
was to say “no” to God.
• Forced a lot of
people to do things
they might not have
wanted to do.
– Particularly
women.
Gave a great deal of power to his
mistresses
• Madame Pompadour
was an unusually
intelligent woman for
that time.
– Actually did a decent
job ruling France for
the King.
– Even though the
affair lasted 1742 –
1750, she wielded
power until her death
in 1764.
The taxes were being collected for a
rich lifestyle for 1% of the people.
• Madame du Barry,
another of the King’s
mistresses.
– NOT a smart
woman.
90% of the people were starving in
France
• There was no money
for their needs.
• No nobility around to
try to create a better life
for the peasants.
Words from this time:
• Frivolous
• Folly
Could the king continue to ignore
the people?
• THAT will be learned in
the future!
• TIME was running out
for absolutism in
France.
Those that don’t remember history
are condemned to repeat it: