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CHAPTER 15
STATE BUILDING AND THE SEARCH FOR ORDER IN
THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
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CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Social Crises, War, and Rebellions
A. Economic recession, expanded population/declining population, Second Little Ice Age
B. The Witchcraft Craze; early Witchcraft, church reactions
1. The Spread of Witchcraft, accusations, crimes confessed, reasons for the frenzy,
victims, justification of accusing women
2. Decline; end of religious wars, stabilizing governments, education
C. The Thirty Years’ War
1. Background to the War; Religious and secular considerations (Bourbon / Habsburg)
Issues with the Peace of Augsburg, Elector Palatine Frederick IV and the Protestant
Union, Duke Maximilian of Bavaria and the Catholic league of catholic German States,
Liberties of German Princes V. Power of the Habsburg emperors, Help from Spain and
France?
2. The Bohemian Phase; Archduke Ferdinand and the catholicizing of Bohemia,
defenestration of Prague, Elector Frederick V, Battle of White Mountain, Spanish
invasion, Changes in Bavaria, renewed Spanish attach on the Dutch United Provinces
3. The Danish Phase; King Christian IV’s invasion, alliance with England and United
Provinces, Generals Wallenstein and Tilly, Edict of restitution, reaction of the German
Princes
4. The Swedish Phase; Gustavas Adolphus, early gains, battle of Lutzen, assassination of
Wallenstein, annulling the Edict of restitution, German desire for peace, French and
Swedish desire for war
5. The Franco-Swedish Phase; loss of religious motives, Battle of Rocroi, Peace of
Westphalia, French supremacy of Spain
6. Outcomes of the War; Freedom to determine religion, French territorial gains, Position
of the Holy Roman Emperor, division of politics and religion
C. A Military Revolution? Renaissance changes, squadrons/battalions, conscripted, standing
armies, requirements of the changes in warfare, military changes between 1560 – 1650, economic
and bureaucratic considerations
D. Rebellions; reasons for rebellions, widespread nature
II. The Practice of Absolutism: Western Europe; Politics Drawn from the Very Words of the Holy
Scripture, God and Absolutism
A. Absolute Monarchy in France; France’s effect on Europe
1. Foundations of French Absolutism: Cardinal Richelieu, Huguenots, dangerous nobles,
intendants / provincial gov’ts, money struggles
2. Cardinal Mazarin, The Fronde, The Parliament of Paris,
B. The Reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715); difficulties at the beginning
1. Administration of the Government; purposes of court at Versailles, nobles and the
Royal Council, Louis’ areas of power, Problems with internal administration
2. Religious Policy; Edict of Fontainebleau and effects on the economy
3. Financial Issues; Colbert and the steps he took to implement mercantilism, success of
Colbert?
4. Daily Life at the Court of Versailles, excluding nobles from power, daily routine,
effects on the nobles, power of etiquette
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5. The Wars of Louis XIV, professional army, invasion of the Spanish Netherlands,
Invasion of the Dutch, The War of the League of Augsburg, The war of Spanish
succession, Peace of Utrecht and Rastatt
C. The Decline of Spain; problems in Spain, Phillip III
1. Reign of Philip IV, attempts at curtailing the power of the nobility, internal rebellions,
failure in war
III. Absolutism in Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe
A. The German States; rise of new powers
1. The Rise of Brandenburg-Prussia; Hohenzollern dynasty, geography, Frederick
William the Great Elector, Standing army, Commissariat, Junkers, deal with the nobles –
price for the peasants, mercantilism his way, King Frederick I
2. The Emergence of Austria, Geography, defeating the Ottomans, Possessions from
Spain, problems of a multi-national empire,
B. Italy: From Spanish to Austrian Rule; Phillip II, Spanish and Papal Power, Austrian gains
C. Russia: From Fledgling Principality to Major Power; Ivan the Terrible, boyars, Muscovite
Society, problems in Russia
1. The Reign of Peter the Great (1689-1725), westernizing, creation of a navy,
reorganization of the central government, service of landed nobility, Table of Ranks,
mercantilism, Holy Synod, cultural reforms, women
2. Russia as a Military Power; a port on the Baltic, initial attack on Sweden, acquisitions
on the Baltic Sea, St. Petersburg, problems with westernization and militarization
D. The Great Northern States; rivalry
1. Denmark; electing monarchs, losses in war, bloodless revolution
2. Sweden; Gustavas Adolphus, Charles XI and Charles XII, losses in war
E. The Ottoman Empire; Suleiman the magnificent, extent of Ottoman gains, Battle of Lepanto,
bureaucracy and civil servants, “Sleeping Giant”
F. The Limits of Absolutism; power of local gov’ts, specific areas of power for nobility
IV. Limited Monarchy and Republics
A. The Weakness of the Polish Monarchy; Jagiello dynasty, elected kings, offering the crown to
outsiders, The Sejm, reasons for frequent invasions
B. The Golden Age of the Dutch Republic; Stagholders and the States General, republican vs.
monarchical aims, importance of economic prosperity
1. Life in Seventeenth-Century Amsterdam, expansion of the city, shipping and industry,
Dutch lifestyle
C. England and the Emergence of Constitutional Monarchy
1. King James I and Parliament; Divine right of kings, religious policy, social background
and political power of Puritans,
2. Charles I and the Move toward Revolution; Petition of Right, personal rule, clever
ways of collecting taxes, Henrietta Maria, Scottish rebellion, Long Parliament, arresting
radicals
3. Civil War in England; New Model Army, King’s flight, Rump Parliament, beheading
of the king
4. Cromwell and New Governments; abolishment of the monarchy and the House of
Lords, English commonwealth, Levellers, dismissal of parliament, Instrument of
Government, Lord Protector, Cromwell’s military state
5. Restoration of the Monarchy; Charles II, power of parliament, Catholic leanings,
Declaration of Indulgence, Test act of 1673, (Hello hard working student! I’m glad
you’re reading this.) Whigs, Torries, French Subsides, James II, New Declaration of
Indulgence, birth of a son
6. A Glorious Revolution; William and Mary, invasion, Revolution settlement, Bill of
Rights, Constitutional monarchy, Toleration Act, “King by Grace of Parliament”
7. Responses to Revolution; Hobbes, The Leviathan, Locke, Two Treatises of
Government
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V. The Flourishing of European Culture
A. The Changing Faces of Art
1. Mannerism; El Greco
2. The Baroque Period; connection to Catholicism, role of emotion and power, Rubens,
Bernini, Gentileschi
3. French Classicism; France as cultural leader, Poussin
4. Dutch Realism; Burgher society, Leyster, Rembrandt
B. A Wondrous Age of Theater
1. William Shakespeare; role in codifying language
2. Spain’s Golden Century; Touring companies, Lope de Vega
3. French Drama; Audience and Royal Patronage, Racine, Moliere
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THE PRIMARY SOURCES (BOXED
DOCUMENTS)
1. “A Witchcraft Trial in France”: What does this document tell us about the spread of witchcraft
persecutions in the seventeenth century? What does this document tell you about the legal procedures
involved in the trial of witches and how might these procedures have worked to condemn the innocent?
What do these passages tell you about early modern European conceptions of justice? What does the trial
record suggest about the status of women in the seventeenth century? (page 412)
2. “The Face of War in the Seventeenth Century”: What does this document reveal about the effect of
war on ordinary Europeans? Compare this description to the descriptions of the treatment of civilians in
other wars, even in the twenty-first century. Does Grimmelshausen exaggerate or does this description
agree with the other descriptions? Are there elements of satire in Grimmelshausen’s description? If so,
what are they? (page 416)
3. “Louis XIV: Kingly Advice”: What general principles did Louis XIV enunciate for the guidance of his
son and heir? How does Louis justify destroying and punishing some of his subjects? What does Louis
perceive to be his own weaknesses? To what extent did Louis follow his advice to his heir during Louis’s
long reign? (page 419)
4. “Travels with the King”: What does this document tell you about the demeanor and mentality of Louis
XIV? If Louis was as perceptive as Saint-Simon alleges, why did Louis so willingly ignore the various
needs of the persons, particularly the women, who traveled with him? Was he merely thoughtless? Cruel?
Was it an aspect of his power? (page 422)
5. “Peter the Great Deals with a Rebellion”: How did Peter deal with the revolt of the Streltsy? What does
his approach to this problem tell us about the tsar? Was Peter’s bloody punishment of the rebels typical of
seventeenth century rulers? Why or why not? How might Louis XIV have responded to a similar
incident? (page 428)
6. “The Bill of Rights”: The author states that the “Bill of Rights” laid the foundation for a constitutional
monarchy? How? What key aspects of this document testify to the exceptional nature of English state
politics in the seventeenth century? Why was there no “bill of rights” in France or Russia in the late
seventeenth century? Was England unique, and if so, why? (page 439)
7. “William Shakespeare: In Praise of England”: Beside patriotism, what other motives may Shakespeare have had
in writing this tribute to England? What are the elements in this excerpt from Richard II that makes it one of the
most famous evocations of England ever written? (page 444)
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CHAPTER SUMMARY
The seventeenth century experienced economic recession and population decline as well as
continued religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. The breakdown of community and the
growth of a more individualistic ethic resulted in a world of greater uncertainty. One reflection of
anxieties was an epidemic of witchcraft accusations, usually against women.
Protestant and Catholic animosities remained a prime cause for war, notably the Thirty Years
War (1618-1648). There were also national and dynastic rivalries such as those between the Bourbon
kings of France and the Habsburgs of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. By the end, religious
convictions had become secondary to secular political ambitions in public affairs. The Peace of
Westphalia gave the German princes the right to determine the religion of their domains, France gained
territory, Spanish power declined, and the Habsburg authority as German emperors was diminished.
Conscript standing infantry armies became the norm.
The century is known as the age of absolutism or the age of Louis XIV, although no seventeenth
century ruler had the power of modern totalitarian dictators. Monarchs justified their absolutist claims by
divine right–God had chosen kings to rule. Louis XIV (r.1643-1715), the Sun King, was the model for
other rulers. His palace of Versailles symbolized his authority, where the aristocracy was entertained and
controlled by ceremony and etiquette. Louis revoked his grandfather’s Edict of Nantes, and he fought
four costly wars, mainly to acquire lands on France’s eastern borders. The Hohenzollern rulers of
Brandenburg-Prussia became kings. Austrian power waned in the empire but it gained lands in the east
and in Italy. Russia’s Peter the Great (r.1689-1725) attempted to westernize Russia, especially militarily,
and built a new capital, St. Petersburg, to be his window on the west. The last major invasion by the
Ottoman Empire into central of Europe resulted in its defeat in 1683.
In Poland, the Sejm, or parliament, dominated by nobles and large landholders, controlled the
state, but within the Sejm, a single negative vote vetoed the wishes of the majority, a prescription for
continual chaos. Conversely, the oligarchic Dutch republic was a success. The States General was
controlled by wealthy merchants, many from Amsterdam with its population of 200,000. During wars,
the military leader, or stadholder, gained power.
The Stuart kings of Scotland, advocates of divine right absolution, became the rulers of England
in 1603. Religious disputes occurred within Protestantism, between the Church of England and Puritan
reformers. Civil war between Charles I (r.1625-1649) and Parliament led to the creation of a republic, the
Commonwealth. The monarchy was restored under Charles II (r.1660-1685). Parliament’s Test Act
required worship in the Church of England to hold office. James II (r.1685-1688), a Catholic, suspended
the law, and his Protestant daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, the Dutch stadholder,
invaded. Before ascending the throne they accepted the Bill of Rights, limiting royal power. John Locke
(d.1704) justified the Glorious Revolution, claiming that government is created by a social contract to
protect the natural rights of life, liberty, and property, and if it fails to do so, there is a right of revolution.
In art, Mannerism, with its emotional and religious content, was followed by the Baroque, which
used dramatic effects to convey religious and royal power, which in turn gave way to French Classicism.
Rembrandt (d.1669) made it the golden age of Dutch painting. It was also a golden age of theater with
England’s Shakespeare (d.1616), Spain’s Lope de Vega (d.1635), and France’s Racine (d.1699) and
Moliere (d.1673).
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RELEVANT WORLD-WIDE WEB SITES/RESOURCES
1. French Royal Absolutism: The Path to Absolutism
(at the Library of Congress):
http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/bnf/bnf0004.html
(A site offering beautiful images and documents in translation on the origins and development of the
French monarchy over the period 1448-1661.)
2. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Dutch Collection:
http://www.museum.cornell.edu/hfj/permcoll/euro/euro_du.html
(Beautiful online images of Dutch seventeenth-century art.)
3. North Carolina Museum of Art, Dutch Collection:
http://www2.ncsu.edu/NCMA/collections/european/dutch/indexlow.html
(A fine site with several beautiful Dutch masterworks online.)
4. Jan Steen Gallery (at Rice University):
http://spacsun.rice.edu/~rss/jsteen.html
(A superb art site with many of Jan Steen's finest genre scenes online, showing popular culture and urban
folkways in the early modern Dutch Republic.)
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