Download Unit 5 Absolutism to Revolution

Absolutism &
Constitutionalism
1589 - 1715
Chapter 16
Absolute Monarchies in
Europe
• Overview
• Between 1589 and 1715, European
governments were either absolute monarchies
or constitutional states.
• Absolutism
• 1500s/1600s saw monarchies bringing an end to the
independence of cities and feudal estates.
• Loyalties were to be directed to the king/queen--the
absolute ruler.
• What is absolutism?
• A form of government with unlimited power held by one
individual or group.
Absolute Monarchies in
Europe
• Absolutism (cont’d.)
• Premise for this form of government?
• Springs from the theory of the divine
right of kings. Meaning?
• King/Queen derived complete authority
to govern directly from God; responsible
only to God for actions.
• Central rule seen as a unifying force.
Absolutism in France:
Laying the Foundation
• Background
• Henry of Navarre became Henry IV in 1589.
– Bourbon dynasty ruled France off and on ‘til the
1800s.
• Factors making France a worthy rival of the
Spanish?
– Few distant colonies to burden French affairs.
– Geographically more compact.
• Ultimately, however, the French were
thwarted in attempts to reach a dominant
position.
Absolutism in France:
Laying the Foundation
• Setting the Stage:
Henry IV (r. 15891610)
• Huguenot prince,
survived the St.
Bartholomew’s Day
Massacre that marked
the height of France’s
religious wars.
• Took the throne,
converted to Catholicism
to appease his
opponents.
Absolutism in France:
Laying the Foundation
• Achievements:
• 1. Saved France from all out religious war by
issuing the Edict of Nantes (1598).
Provisions?
– Allowed Protestant worship to continue in areas
where the Protestants were a majority.
– Barred Protestant worship in Paris and other Catholic
strongholds.
• 2. Began economic rebuilding.
– Ably assisted by…..
Absolutism in France:
Laying the Foundation
• The Duke of Sully (1560-1641)
•
•
•
•
•
Henry’s finance minister
Deserves the credit for much of the king’s success.
Sound accounting practices
Eliminated financial inefficiency and corruption.
But did not attempt any fundamental financial reforms,
such as ending the tax-exempt status of the nobility or
clergy.
• Trade policies promoted the prosperity of the French
economy and the political/financial strength of the
monarchy.
Absolutism in France:
Laying the Foundation
• Henry’s and Sully’s actions,
including ignoring the EstatesGeneral, led to the foundation of
the absolute rule of later
Bourbons.
• Henry was assassinated by a
Catholic religious fanatic in 1610.
Absolutism in France:
Continuing the Growth of
Absolutism
• Cardinal Richelieu
(1624-1643)
• 9 year old Louis XIII
succeeded Henry IV in
1610. Mother, Marie de
Medici, acted as regent
until 1617.
• Cardinal Richelieu
appointed chief minister
in 1624.
• Richelieu became the de
facto ruler of France.
Absolutism in France
• Richelieu’s Goal?
• Absolute monarchy. Military superpower status.
• His Plan?
• 1. Attack the sources of noble power and wealth in the
provinces.
– Richelieu ordered destruction of their fortified castles
and ended their administrative functions.
– Local authority was vested in intendants, agents of
the crown.
• 2. Attack the fortifications of the Huguenots. No walls
around Protestant cities.
• 3. To limit Hapsburg power in Germany & Spain, get
involved in the Thirty Years’ War.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• The Culmination:
• Louis XIV (r.
1661-1733)
• 72 year reign (longest in
modern European
history).
• Roi Soleil, the “Sun
King.”
• Built Versailles.
• Superhuman powers?
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• Grew up during the Fronde, a series of riots
between 1648 and 1653 that shook the
foundations of the monarchy.
– Regency advised by Cardinal Mazarin tried to impose
taxes on provincial nobles to pay for the Thirty Years’
War.
– Cemented Louis’ view that law and order most
important.
• Tied the nobility to the service of the king and
state.
– Housed court at Versailles.
• No central legislature.
• No religious tolerance.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• Understood the 3 levers of power:
• 1. Organized a huge, servile bureaucracy.
– A major expense.
• 2. Organized a large, standing army.
– A major expense.
• 3. Organized a vast, central treasury.
– Where ‘s the money going to come from?? TAXES.
• Tax Problems:
– “Tax farmers”
– Tax –free noblility
– Who shoulders the tax burden??
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• Assisted by Jean Baptiste Colbert
(1619-1683), his minister of finance.
– Mercantilist
• High tariffs to prevent competition with French
goods.
– Sell goods abroad. Buy nothing back.
• Subsidize industries.
• Encourage immigration of skilled craftsmen.
• Build roads and canals.
– Claimed North American territories for
France
• Quebec stocked with French peasants.
• Chartered the expeditions of Robert LaSalle—
”Louisiana”
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• French became the language of polite
society and the vehicle of diplomatic
exchange.
– Gradually replaced Latin as the language of
international scholarship.
• Uniform and centralized
administration imposed on the
country.
– 1685: France was the strongest and most
highly centralized state in Europe.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• Revocation of the Edict of Nantes – 1685
– New law ordered the destruction of churches, closing
of schools, and the baptism of Huguenots.
– Why revoked?
• French monarchy never intended religious toleration to
be permanent.
• Religious unity was considered politically necessary for
“one king, one law, one faith.”
• Edict of Nantes was not a popular policy.
– Widespread praise for Louis for revoking it.
– Impact on France?
• Only minor and scattered effects on French economic
development—loss of Huguenot businessmen.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• French Classicism
– The art and literature of the age of Louis XIV
– Imitated the subject matter and style of
classical antiquity.
• Possessed discipline, balance, restraint.
– The official style of Louis’ court.
– Under Louis XIV, the principles of absolutism
molded the ideals of French classicism.
• Individualism was not allowed.
• Artists’ efforts were directed to the glorification of the
state as personified by the king.
The Rape of the Sabines
• Nicholas
Poussin
(1584-1665)
• The finest example
of French classicism.
• “Rape” in this
context means
kidnapping.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• For territorial expansion, Louis waged a series
of wars.
– At war for 33 of the 54 years of his personal rule.
– Francois le Tellier (Sec. of State for War)
• Created a professional army for France.
• Methods of recruiting:
–
–
–
–
Dragooning
Conscription (enlistment)
Lottery
Foreign mercenaries
• Jean Martinet
– A byword for absolute adherence to the rules
– Turned soldiers into a tough, obedient military
machine.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
– Ambulance corps created to care for the
wounded.
– Uniforms and weapons were standardized.
– Rational system of training and promotion
imposed.
• Upshot: a military machine was created.
– France had the power to dominate affairs on the
continent for the first time in European history.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• How did the other European powers
view Louis and his actions??
• As a threat.
– Upshot = the League of Augsburg
• Alliance of other European monarchs.
• Balance of power.
• England, Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Sweden, and
misc. German electors.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• War of Spanish Succession (170113):
• Charles II of Spain (Hapsburg)
– Mentally defective and sexually impotent,
died childless in 1700.
• 1698 treaty of division.
– Euro powers (incl. France) agreed to parcel
out the Spanish empire between the king of
France and the HRE, who was Charles II’s
brother-in-law.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• War of Spanish Succession (170113):
• Charles, however, left a will, transferring the
throne of Spain to Philip of Anjou, the
grandson of Louis XIV.
• Louis accepted the will, and Philip became
Philip V, King of Spain.
• Dutch and English cried “foul”! Why?
• 2 greatest powers of Europe ruled by the
Bourbons would upset the balance of power.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• Grand Alliance (1701)
– England, the Dutch Netherlands, Austria,
and Prussia allied against France and Spain.
– Goal =
• prevent France from becoming too strong in
Europe.
• Check France’s expanding commercial power in
North America, Asia, and Africa.
• Could be called a “world war.” Why?
• Fought in Germany, the Netherlands,
Italy, Spain, in the colonies, and at sea.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• Settled by the
Treaty of Utrecht
(1713):
• 1. England & the
Netherlands agreed to
recognize Philip as the
King of Spain.
• 2. France and Spain
agreed not to unite under
one crown.
• 3. French surrender Nova
Scotia, Newfoundland, &
Hudson Bay territory to
England.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• 4. Spain was forced to
give up Gibraltar to
England.
• 5. Spain forced to give up
the asiento—control of
the African slave trade—
to England.
• Significance:
– Completed the decline of
Spain as a great power.
– Vastly expanded the
British Empire.
– Marked the end of
French expansionist
policy.
France’s Ultimate Monarch
• Assessment of Louis XIV (died 9/1/1715):
• Versailles was not the real France.
• Tax avoidance was common.
• Foreign wars brought more debt and humiliation than
solid gains.
• With treasury drained, opposition to Louis’ rule was
created.
• Serfs worked on the verge of starvation with no relief in
sight.
• Middle class struggled with the burdens of state
regulation.
• Scandalous exemptions for the nobility continued.
• The stage was set for class conflict and revolution.
Spain: Demise of an
Empire
• Spain’s Empire
• Spain passed from grandeur to decline in little more
than a century.
• Mid 1500s, Spain was the greatest power on earth
and the master of Europe.
• Hapsburg dynasty was the leading power of
western Europe, originating in France, and coming
to power in Spain through marriages.
• Under Philip II, Spain was at the height of its
political and cultural power.
Spain: Demise of an
Empire
• Spain’s Decline
• Lacked a strong middle class
– The result of the expulsion of the Jews and Moors.
• Agricultural crisis and population decline.
• Failure to invest in productive enterprises.
– Public opinion condemned moneymaking.
• Dutch and English began to trade with Spanish
colonies
– 1610-1650, Spanish trade with her colonies fell 60%.
• Royal expenditures constantly exceeded
income.
Spain: Demise of an
Empire
• Spain’s Decline
• Coinage was devalued, bankruptcy was declared,
and the national debt was cancelled on several
occasions (1596, 1607, 1627, 1647, and 1680).
• Flood of gold and silver produced inflation that
made Spanish textiles too expensive on the intl.
market.
• Continued weakening of the Hapsburg line.
– Excessive inbreeding.
– Spanish leaders lacked the will for reform.
– Pessimism and fatalism permeated national life.
• Ignored new mercantile ideas and scientific
methods that came from England and Holland
because they were heretical nations.
Spain: Demise of an
Empire
• Spain’s Decline
• Involvement in the Thirty Years’ War.
• Defeat by the French in the French-Spanish wars.
– Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659)
• Ended French-Spanish wars.
• Spain compelled to surrender
extensive territories to France.
• Marked the end of Spain as a great
power.
– By 1715, Spain was a 2nd rate
power.