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Carter Socha
Mrs. McArthur
AP European History
9 October 2011
Study Guide
Keith
1640 - Catalan rebellion
1647 - revolution in Palermo
1649 - execution of Charles I
1652 - end of the Fronde
1688 - Glorious Revolution in England
1709 - Russia wins battle of Poltava
Matt Tahey
John Locke (1632-1704): Enlightenment thinker, theorist of the Revolution of 1689. Heir to
resistance ideology, he developed a contract theory of government and the idea that people had
certain natural rights. Individuals entered political society freely and the contract between rulers
and subjects was an agreement for the protection of natural rights. His theories advocated a
constitutional monarchy, such as the one in England after the Revolution of 1689.
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679): English theorist and advocate of constitutional monarchy.
Believed mankind was basically evil, and only a strong government could escape that state of
nature. In Leviathan (1651) he argued that people formed government for self-preservation.
Peter the Great (1682-1725): tsar who travelled to the West and upon returning attempted to
Westernize Russia. He instituted a beard tax and regulated the clothing that was worn. However
his greatest reforms were military in nature. He introduced a system of conscription that resulted
in the creation of a standing army, unified command, established promotion based on merit and
created military schools for training officers. In 1709 after the battle of Poltava, Russia replaced
Sweden as the dominant military power in the Baltic and Russia finally acquired Western
seaports on the Baltic. He also secularized the Russian Orthodox Church, putting it under his
control, and he broke the military service class, which had attempted a coup in the 1690s.
Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683): Louis XIV’s chief minister of finance, he built the French
navy, reformed legal codes and established national academies of culture. By both raising taxes
and increasing their efficiency he transformed France’s debt of 22 million into a 29 million
surplus in under 6 years.
Louis XIV (1643-1715): relied on professional administrators to supervise main departments of
state, separating the courtiers/nobility and officeholders. His experience of the aristocratic
rebellion when he was a child created distrust for the nobles, and he created the lavish court at
Versailles so he could watch over them and ensure they were not plotting against him. Under his
rule France became the cultural center of Europe, a commercial powerhouse, and the strongest
naval and military power. However, his foreign policy ultimately bankrupted the crown, and he
revoked the Edict of Nantes, dispelling the French Huguenots, basically expelling a large portion
of his own middle class, which would later prove to be disastrous.
Making Connections 1
The “divine right of kings” was a political theory that enhanced the importance of monarchs,
stating that the institution of monarchy was created by God and the monarch functioned as God’s
representative on Earth. The idea of the divine origin of the monarchy was widely accepted as
part of the Great Chain of Being. Also, as a result of the religious and dynastic wars of the early
17th century, power was centralized and people realized they needed a strong government to
prevent that from happening again. It was a widely held view among French political theorists,
and Jean Bodin called the king “God’s image on Earth.” Although this seemingly gave monarchs
reason for arbitrary rule, it also placed expectations on the ruler that restrained their conduct, at
least politically
Your answer is narrowly correct; provide some historic context. Who was Bodin - why this
development?
Spencer Kiniry
James 1 of England-capable, astute and generous king of England who followed Elizabeth the
first and was also Scottish. He inherited a weak economy leaning towards bankruptcy. He
endeared himself with the English gentry, and also showered favor equally on his own
countrymen. A strong strain of ethnic prejudice combined with the disappointed hopes of English
courtiers to generate immediate hostility to the new regime. James was soon plunged into
financial and political difficulties.
Favorite-intimate companion of a ruler or other important person; especially a phenomenon of
the 16th and 17th centuries, when government had become too complex for many hereditary
rulers with no great interest or talent for it, and political constitutions were still evolving. Most
monarchs chose a single individual to act as a funnel for private and public business, that person
was the favorite. Their role often combined varying proportions of best-friend, right-hand man,
and hired gun.
Duke of Buckingham (George Villiers 1592-1628)-originally not a member of the English
nobility, he was educated as a gentlemen and rose to prominence when he was recommended by
the Queen Anne, James I’s wife, for a minor office with frequent access to the king. Well liked,
he went from commoner to duke in less than seven years. He also acquired political power and
assumed a large number of royal offices, such as Admiral of the Navy. He also placed his
relatives and dependents in many other important positions. He also became a favorite and chief
minister of Charles I. His accumulation of power and patronage proceeded unabated, as did the
enmity he aroused, but Charles I stood firmly behind him until the duke of Buckingham was
assassinated.
Assizes-Periodical sessions of the superior courts in English counties for trial of civil and
criminal cases
Ship Money-an English tax on port towns to hire a merchant ship and fit it out for war. The
largest part of the English fleet during the Armada crisis was made up of these ships.
What were the origins of the royal crises of the 17th century? What theories were elaborated that
permitted resistance to the monarchy?
The expansion of the functions, duties, and powers of the state in the early seventeenth century
was not universally welcomed in European societies. There was an increase in the types of
taxation and taxation in general. There was also an increase in social and economic regulation,
which meant an increase in laws. The European economy was in a stage of decline, as a result of
a reduction in the length of growing seasons, which led to a reduction in the size of crops and an
increase in bad harvests, which led to disease and starvation. Wars also continued essentially
unabated throughout the 17th century. Europeans lived more precariously in the seventeenth
century than in any period since the Black Death. There was population decline, and a stagnation
or decline of all sectors of the European economy. All of these factors led to large and often
popular uprisings.
Resistance theory evolved from Luther and Calvin’s preaching of the doctrine of passive
resistance. They said that magistrates ruled by divine will and had to be obeyed in all things.
However, they recognized that lesser magistrates had the right to resist their superiors if divine
law was violated. During the French civil wars, Huguenot writers defended themselves with the
argument that accepted the divine rights of kings but limited royal power. They claimed that
kings were placed on earth by God to uphold piety and justice. When they failed to do so, the
lesser magistrates were obliged to resist them. Any king who violated divine law through tyranny
could be punished, because God would not institute tyranny. Both Huguenot and Dutch
Protestant writers placed strict limits on the right to resist. However, a Jesuit professor, Juan de
Mariana postulated that is it was the duty of lesser magistrates to resist monarchical tyranny, than
it should be the duty of all citizens to do so. He argued that magistrates were first legitimized by
the people, and then legitimized by God. English poet John Milton defended the English
Revolution by expanding upon the conventional idea that society was formed by a covenant
between ruler and ruled. The king in his coronation oath promised to uphold the laws of the land
and rule for the benefit of his subjects while the subjects promised to obey. Failure by either side
to meet obligations broke the contract.
Excellent answer.
Robert Rust
William Shakespeare- playwright who began career as an actor and producer of theatre. He soon
began to write as well as direct his plays, and his company received royal patronage. His
tragedies and comedies helped him to become considered one of the greatest playwrights ever,
and he helped to unite all social classes in the viewing of his plays.
Jean Bodin- a French jurist and political philosopher, member of the Parliament of Paris and
professor of law in Toulouse. He is best known for his theory of sovereignty; he was also an
influential writer on demonology. He wrote against the background of religious conflict in
France (from last chapter) and was critical of papal authority over governments, favouring the
strong central control of a national monarchy as an antidote to factional strife.
Count-Duke Olivares- prime minister of Spain from 1621 to 1643 who committed Spain to the
Thirty Years War and caused revolts due to increased wartime taxation. He started out as a
courtier with a title, a large fortune, and a university education, but his policies for governmental
consolidation and aggressive foreign policy failed.
Justices of the peace- another term for Magistrates, they ruled over judicial proceedings.
Magistrates- justices who were argued to rule by divine will and had to be obeyed in all things.
They were officers of the state and are referred to in modern days as judges.
Map Exercise 1
Most of the states with limited or constitutional monarchies shared the common geographical
feature of oceans. Oceans influenced the nature of government. For instance, Britain was isolated
from other countries by the sea. It was also, however, connected to the rest of the world by its
bustling seaports and booming sea trade. This helped the exchange of ideas and the development
of a substantial merchant class. Merchants would have been more liberal and more influential in
politics than would have been peasants. (Why? You have to support such a generalization.
Geography is important but I don’t think you can argue that Britain had a better geographic
situation than say Portugal – the leader of early exploration and exploitation. Consider the role of
towns. How had they and their power evolved since the middle ages vis a vis the monarch?
England and Holland had political – and increasingly economic systems that were more flexible
and more evolved - by the latter part of this era Holland has an elaborate banking and joint stock
companies and in both countries there is active engagement of the merchant class in decision
making. The tightly centralized control of absolutism with its mercantilist policies such as royal
monopolies and tolls and tariffs restricting trade etc. were rigid and restrictive.) Therefore, they
would have argued for more liberal policies and policies that more benefitted trade.
Frank Krol
Philippe du Plessis-Mornay (1549-1623): Mornay was a noted French Protestant and Huguenot
seigneur who served as a political advisor for Henry IV of France. He served in many military
campaigns for Henry IV and was Henry’s ambassador in England and later in the Netherlands. In
1593 he left his political career after Henry IV renounced Protestantism in order to receive the
throne of France.
The Fronde: The Fronde was a French civil rebellion that was led by aristocrats and peasants
who were greatly dismayed by the increase of taxes as a result of the Franco-Spanish War. It
occurred during the regency rule of Louis XIV’s (1643-1715) reign by his mother, Anne of
Austria (1601-1666), along with the aid of the Italian Cardinal Mazarin (1602-1661). The Fronde
allowed officeholders, Parisian landowners, and the nobility to form bonds to oppose the
government. The rebellion caused little effective change for either social class, but it
demonstrated the ineffectual nature of the French monarchy.
Puritans: Puritans were various Protestants who believed that the Anglican Church was overly
Catholic in nature and that it ought to be ‘purified’ of such continental Papal influence. The
English monarchy didn’t support puritanism in that it believed that an attack on the Anglican
Church was an attack on the monarchy. However, their message of simplifying religious services
as a result of perceived ostentationusness was well received by many English citizens and
nobles. Many Puritans served the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War.
Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658): Cromwell was a one of the leaders of the English Civil War, and
has since been recognized as one of the most significant leaders in British history. He was
responsible for the execution of Charles I (1600-1649), whose acts were treacherous during the
Civil War. Cromwell instituted the Commonwealth in 1649 after Charles I’s execution, which
abolished the monarchy and the House of Lords. He restructured the government to include a
freely elected Parliament and an executive Council of State that held administrative powers. He
served as the Commonwealth’s first Lord Protector.
Lord Protector: The Lord Protector was the chief administrative leader of the English
Commonwealth following the ineffective rule of the Council of State. Cromwell established the
role in 1653, and it allowed him to have monarchial and supreme authoritative power. Upon his
death in 1658, his son Richard took the post until 1660 when the English monarchy was restored
under Charles II (1630-1685)
Map Exercise 2
Prussia in the late 17th century was experiencing massive consolidation and centralization of
power under the Hohenzollern dynasty. It was rapidly becoming the dominant state of the Holy
Roman Empire and as a result it became a rival of the Austrian Habsburgs. The Hohenzollern
family significantly expanded the power of the state government, particularly in maintaining a
very strong regional military. Since Prussia was located relatively far from Habsburg influence
and included many prosperous towns and access to the Baltic Sea, the Hohenzollern family could
easily consolidate power within their own borders.
Russia was controlled by the Romanov dynasty in the late 17th century. The Romanov dynasty
attempted to consolidate power in a country that was still very rural in nature and was viewed as
backwards by the rest of Europe. Serfdom was still widely used, and regional nobles and boyars
retained power throughout the stardom, making it hard for the tsar to centralize his authority.
This is largely due to the large size of Russia and the lack of infrastructure that the government
could use to spread its authority and/or maintain control.
Eni Kruja
John Milton- (1608-1674) English poet who built a resistance theory stating that kings were
instituted by the people to uphold justice and piety, but since they could be resisted by lesser
magistrates, they could also be resisted by regular people since the magistrates were the people’s
elected representatives. An unjust king forfeited his divine right to the throne and could be
judged and punished by ordinary people. In The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates he expanded
on the idea that the social contract between the ruled and the ruler could be broken if either side
failed to keep their promises.
Cardinal Mazarin- (1602-1661) Anne of Austria’s adviser who practically ruled the land until
her son Louis was old enough to rule alone. They aggravated the situation in France by initiating
new taxes on landowners, office holders and nobility in a time of war, agricultural crisis and
financial stringency. This caused barricades in Paris, an aristocratic revolt against the king’s
advisors and severe emotional trauma on little Louis XIV.
Archbishop William Laud-(1573-1645) rose to power in English church by espousing Calvinistic
ideas, even though once in power he preached of the beauty of holiness and reintroduced church
decoration and formalities. He established a divine service in England and Scotland. His attempt
to enforce the common new prayer book to the Scots resulted in the beginning of English revolts.
Rump Parliament- (1649-1653) The name of the Parliament made up of the remaining members
after the army regiments purged the two houses of those who opposed bringing Charles II to
justice for treachery. It ordered the execution of the king, made England a commonwealth and
was forcibly dissolved by Cromwell when he got the title Lord Protector.
Glorious Revolution-(1689) Bloodless revolution which removed James II from power and gave
the crown to his sister Mary and her husband William of Orange. Before getting the crown the
new monarchs had to sign the Declaration of Rights, reasserting the constitutional principles of
the monarchy. It gave John Locke the idea of the social contract.
Making Connections 5
What factors account for the rebellions in England? What was their result? How did the
Glorious Revolution lead to the development of Locke’s idea of the social contract?
The English rebellions haunted the Stuart family since their initial possession of the crown.
You have a narrative here but you force your reader to infer what you consider to be causative
factors. For example, identify such things as James’ writings arguing divine right theory of
monarchy - Stuart’s attempts to break traditions of consultation between King and Parliament,
Stuart’s getting mired in religious conflict with Scots, financial problems when faced with war
with Scots, Stuart kings (exception: Charles II) poor social skills and PR.
James I faced financial and political difficulties. As a Scotsman, he was not well liked among his
English subjects and had to constantly clash with Parliament for grants. The tax base of the
English monarch was undervalued. His son, Charles I had to deal with challenging religious
problems posed by Puritans. The Puritans wanted to remove the episcopal leadership of the
church and substitute it with a Presbyterian system. Since this would undermine the king’s
position over the church, Charles strongly opposed them. The attempt to enforce Archbishop
Laud’s prayer books in Scotland caused dangerous riots in the area and by 1640 the Scottish had
invaded England. Charles might have been more successful in fighting the Scots had Parliament
cooperated with him instead of the rebels. The Long Parliament, called to grant the King funds
for his army, used the opportunity to force the king to give up some of his powers and authority
while negotiating with the Scots in order to maintain their pressure on the King. The constant
competition for power of the monarch against parliament led to a three year civil war during
Charles I reign. The war concluded with a debt troubled Parliament, a dangerous unpaid army,
and more religious tension between the Presbyterians and the Independents. Charles tried to
resume power militarily in 1647, but was defeated and decapitated publicly. England became a
commonwealth, but the army was still prone to show of force when displeased by the
government. Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector and established a Puritan England, but after his
death the monarchy was reestablished with another Stuart, Charles II. He ruled as a constitutional
monarch and in his time Parliament was in charge of suppressing religious revolts. His son
though lost the throne when he tried to elevate Catholics to leading posts and curtailing
Parliament’s power.
His sister and her husband came to power in what was called the Glorious Revolution. William
of Orange and Mary Stuart signed the Declaration of Rights, reasserting the constitutional
principles of the monarchy, in 1689 before getting the crown. Locke’s idea of a social contract
stated that political society was a compact that individuals entered freely for their own wellbeing and that a government’s duty was to protect individual’s natural rights. Since the Glorious
Revolution was practically bloodless it reinforced Lock’s idea that the human being is naturally
good and therefore a small government is possible and preferable. Also because the new
monarchs were singed into power, Lock got the idea that every monarch should accept that
he/she was granted power by the people and therefore had to answer to the people
Julia Janka
Ben Jonson- (1572-1637) began as a bricklayer, fought in Flanders against the Spanish, and then
began writing and acting; his skills brought him to court where he wrote and staged masques,
light entertainment with music, dance, pantomime, and acting. His masques were lavish
productions, and had exotic costumes and inventive set designs. They were staged at
Christmastime and sometimes starred members of the court using the grandeur of England and
its rulers for themes
True Law of Free Monarchies- (1598) James I of England reasoned that God had placed kings on
earth to rule and that God would judge them in heaven for their transgressions; based on the
political theory of the divine right of kings which held that the monarchy had been created by
God and the monarch was God’s representative on earth
Cardinal Richelieu- (1585-1642) born into a French noble family of minor importance; trained
for law and then for the position his family owned in the Church; he became cardinal in 1622;
Following the Estates General of 1614 he received a court post and became Louis XIII’s advisor,
who hated ruling. He was favored by the king, as he became a duke and amassed the largest
fortune in France, but he relied heavily on his managerial skills to get him through; he spent his
last years suppressing plots against his power and life.
Paulette- tax on office holding in France to gain more revenues to afford royal expenditure; often
offices were bought as a investment and treated as personal property, while a payment of 1/60 of
the value of the office allowed the holder to sell/bequeath it further. It became an important
source of royal revenue and source of aristocratic and legal complaint throughout its
implementation. Furthermore, the sale of offices came to 1/3 of the crown’s income
Intendants- central officials used by Cardinal Richelieu to limit the power of local officials in
order to examine their conduct and to reform their administration
Nu-pieds- French “barefooted” Norman patriots motivated to rebel because of hatred for taxes;
began in Avranches and spread through lower Normandy; it was headed by Jean the Barefooted
who had mainly urban lower class and peasant followers; popular outbreak preceding the Fronde
and echoed throughout French provinces which alarmed the Richelieu government, which sent
troops to punish the rebels
6. What was the nature of royal absolutism in Western Europe?
Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher, argued in Leviathan that prior to civil society being
formed human lived as savages without law or morality, and people came together for the single
purpose of self-preservation. This provided an escape from the life as poor, nasty savages by
consolidating all power in one ruler who subject obeyed. (Although this is true, absolutism might
better be explained in France by means of the politiques and Bodin.) While 17th Century revolts
and rebellions erupted all over Europe, absolute monarchy became a necessity and an ideal in
Western Europe. (What about the Wars of Religion?) It was an expression of control rather than
power, (???) and the monarch ruled in the interests of his people. (The latter statement is highly
subjective - How did Bossuet craft an argument for French absolutism?) The basic goal was to
extend royal control, as Louis XIV is supposed to have said, “L’état, c’est moi” or “I am the
state”. He is known as the most powerful of the 17th Century monarchs, and marked the zenith
of absolutism in Western Europe. By increasing the monarch’s power, the competitors shrank,
and nobles were herded together at court under the king who ruled instead of reigned. He
managed state affairs, and representative institutions, such as those claiming control over
taxation, were weakened or cast aside. Standing armies and permanent forces were needed as
well, to expand the army and make the military an integral part of the government machine. The
success of absolutism depended on the monarch’s strength and his will to be able to create unity
within the state and the ability to suppress revolts.
Emma Krass
Catalan rebellion: the provence of Catalonia revolted against the Spanish monarchy in 1640 in
hope of becoming independent. The leaders of Barcelona declared that Phillip IV had violated
their fundamental laws and that they no longer were allied with the crown. They turned to France
who sent them troops to repel the Spaniards attempts to repress their rebellion. After 12 years,
Spain finally retook Barcelona and the rebellion ended.
Petition of Right: a major English constitutional document that sets out specific liberties of the
subject upon which the king cannot infringe.
Long Parliament: an English Parliament that officially met from 1640 to 1653. It forced reforms
under Charles I, defeated the royal armies during the English Civil War, and tried and executed
the king.
Instrument of Government: after Cromwell’s Parliament failed, this first written constitution in
1653 established a new polity. Crowell was Lord Protector and he ruled along with a freely
elected Parliament and the Council of State, an administrative body.
Declaration of Rights: the achievements of the Glorious Revolution recorded in 1689, which
were presented to William and Mary before they took the throne. It reasserted the fundamental
principles of constitutional monarchy. It guranteed security of property, and regularity of
Parliaments.
Chen Qian
Toleration Act: was the act of English Parliament, granted religious freedom to nearly all groups
of Protestants. The Act allowed freedom of worship to Nonconformists who had pledged to the
oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and rejected transubstantiation. Nonconformists were
allowed their own places of worship and their own teachers, if they accepted certain oaths of
allegiance.
Absolutism: a pure form of royal government which developed in most states in Europe. It is
unrestrained by all other institutions, such as churches, legislatures, or social elites. Absolute
monarchy revived the divine right theories of kingship and added to them a cult of the
personality of the ruler. Absolutism was practiced in states as dissimilar as Denmark,
Brandenburg-Prussia, and Russia.
Junker: member of the landed nobility of Prussia and eastern Germany. The nobility enjoyed
immunity from almost all forms of direct taxation, and the towns had no obligation to furnish
either men or supplies for military operations beyond their walls.
Raison d’état: Richelieu preached a doctrine of raison d’état-reason of states-in which he placed
the needs of the nation above the privileges of its most important groups. It is a country’s goals
and ambitions whether economic, military, or cultural.
Versailles: a country village, remained a large gulf between the promulgation of policy at
Versailles and its enforcement in the provinces, it was now a gulf that could be measured and
ultimately bridged. When the court and king moved there permanently in 1682, Versailles
became the envy of the Continent. It was the Centre of political power in France. It is a symbol
of the system of absolute monarchy.
Parlements: regional legislative bodies of France; developed out of the previous council of the
king, and consequently had ancient and customary rights of consultation and deliberation.
Parliament of Pairs, the highest court in the land, in which new decrees of taxation had to be
registered.
Connection 7
The absolutism reached its zenith in France under Louis XIV, the most powerful of the
seventeenth-century monarchs. (What circumstances brought this form of rule? What is the
source of legitimacy of this idea?) As in the early seventeenth century, the person of the monarch
was revered. Courts grew larger and more lavish in an effort to enhance the glory of the
monarchy, and thereby of the state. Royal reforms of administrative policy were balanced by a
greater willingness on the part of the regional elites to cooperate with the central government. To
avoid internecine strife, men gave up their rights to rulers. (Are you alluding to Hobbes? This
doesn’t apply to France.) It depended on a capable ruler, the absence of religious diversity, and
the will of the governed to support the government. Louis XIV built Versailles and made it
become the façade for statecraft. French culture was widely emulated elsewhere in the capitals of
kings. Louis bankrupted France through an aggressive foreign policy. The king renewed the
persecution of Protestants and asked them to become catholic. The absolutism made the country
together, and made it easy to control. Also the economic grow well during this period, so as art
and culture. But it made more gaps between rich and poor, so there were so many wars.
This answer forces the reader to infer answers to the questions posed; it does not address them
directly:
1. What was the basis for French absolutism?
2. How did Louis XIV complete the creation of the absolutist French state?
3. How successful was it?
There is a big difference between the Western European and Russia in concept of the state. The
difference between Western European and Russia is that Russia was absolutism controls the
states by the king, and Western European was divine kings to control the states, means the power
of the king was given by the God. God actually control everything, and king was just the image
of God on the earth. Also it means, church was higher than king in western European. But in
Russia, church was one part of King’s authority. In Western European, right of king was divined.
They believed that the authority of the king was given by the God. King was the representative
of the God on the earth. The religious and dynastic wars had a profound impact upon the western
European states. As war become both a product of the European state system and a cause of its
continued development. Defense became government’s most important function. Power was
absorbed by the monarch and his chief advisers; traditional privileges of aristocracy and towns
were eroded. King and his court were the center of the states. Also as tax collectors and military
recruiters in the province. At the Russia side, rule under Peter I. His greatest reforms were
military. Peter introduced a system of conscription that resulted in the creation of a standing
army. He established promotion based on merit. His greatest absolutism was uniquely his own.
His power was unlimited. He secularized the Russian Orthodox Church, subjecting it to the
control of state power and confiscating much of its wealth in the process. He broke the old
military service class, which attempted a coup d’état when Peter was abroad in the 1690s. By the
end of his reign, the Russian monarchy was among the strongest in Europe. Peter knows that
Russia was way behind, so he wanted to rebirth the empire. He tried to learn more as he could;
encouraged people learn the technology from Europe. He wanted the country more close to
Europe. In the social system, his revolution was to build up the absolutism in order to improve
the working quantity. Also, he took away the authority from the Duma which led by rich people
and land owners. Instead of that, he built the senate. In religion, he used a church instead of a
person, and the church was under his control. In the Western Europe, monarchs treated their
states and their subjects as personal property. The monarchy had been transformed into an office
of state. Thus, as rulers lost direct personal control over their patrimony, they gained indirect
symbolic control over their nation. The political theory is called divine right of kings. In the
social system in Western European, cases should be proved by the court and King. But in Russia,
Peter could do whatever he wants. The same is that both two social systems had classes. Also
they had big tax on the citizens. Both of them caused wars. With the two different systems, both
of them developing well and become two of the powerful area in the world at that time.
Carter Socha
Contract Theory of Government – Men gave up their rights to the government and in return they
expected protection from the state and the guarantee of individual rights.
Frederick William – Leader of the new state Brandenburg – Prussia he used the excise tax to
create a large and strong national army that would help seize power from the Junkers or nobles
and bring it to the monarchy.
Battle of Poltava – The turning point in the Great Northern War between Russia and Sweden
which was won by the Russians led by Peter 1 of Russia. This defeat led to the decline of
Sweden as a great power and the rise of Imperial Russia and its status as the dominant northern
power in Europe.
Marquis de Louvois – French Secretary of State for War during the reign of Louis XIV and he
would increase the army to 400,000 strong and over see four different wars.
Divine rights of kings – The foundation of absolutist monarchies in which the Kings claimed
their right to rule came directly from God himself and that ruling is what they were made for.
Making Connections 3
Warfare in most cases strengthened the absolute monarchies in Europe. Russia used the Great
Northern War to solidify its status as a northern power and Peter I used it to strengthen his hold
over Russia. These wars gave the monarchs a chance to significantly increase the size of their
armies and emphasized the noble group of the robe and not the sword. This strengthened their
control over their countries and they justified the leader taking more powers away from the
nobles.
Not so fast, although your analysis with regard to Russia is valid, reconsider….
France: Yes, it brought “glory” and expanded territory, but war put enormous pressure on
finances which caused monarchs to turn to other remedies such as various forms of taxation. In
France the king was constrained by both traditional limits on taxation on nobles as well as his
own decisions to control nobles by holding out incentives that precluded various forms of
taxation. This put greater pressure on the Third Estate. France under Louis XIV faced bankruptcy
as a result.
In Britain, warfare destabilized monarchy (of course the underlying tensions are certainly as
serious) - it is the invasion of the Scots that finally forces Charles I to call Parliament which has
the direct opposite effect of your thesis.
Sweden: Although the military successes of Gustavus Adolphus enhanced royal power, Sweden
did not ultimately have the resources to maintain a military and continue warfare as an
instrument of state policy (see your comment above on Great Northern War.)
Putting larger concepts together 1
In what ways did the concept of statehood change in Europe during the seventeenth century?
What were the elements of the new state as it emerged under Louis XIV? Was the concept of
royal absolutism accepted everywhere in Europe?
While the royal ruler retained power the concept of statehood changed dramatically. Power
shifted away from the old hereditary class of nobles into a rising class of nobles given positions
based on merit and who owed everything to the king. The ruler in most places gained absolute
authority and the basis of that was the idea of divine right. But while so much power shifted to
the government by this point the government was seen by many people as a protector of the
common people and in return they gave up some of their natural rights. The basis of this
government was the bureaucracy (new nobles) that answered only to the king while the old
nobles lavished away in palaces (Versailles) as they gradually lost powers. The concept of royal
absolutism did not take hold everywhere particularly in England, The Holy Roman Empire, and
in Poland.
Your last sentence is key; specify that the 17th century presented several models of statehood –
French Absolutism, English Constitutional Monarchy (Holland, Sweden), Russian Service State
(Prussia) HRE/Polish Weak (elective) Monarchy.
Keith
How did the Western European concept of the state differ from that of Russia? What are
the similarities and differences in the concept of administration, for example?
Your answer is largely narrative description (bracketed portion is useful corroborating
info, but only put in an analytical context); it does not address the question.
Ivan III and Ivan IV both worked on expanding the boundaries of Russia and controlling
the government. the Peter the first or Peter the Great (What about the Time of Troubles
that greatly weakened the state and then the careers of the first 2 Romanovs.) brought
great change to Russia’s government. Peter brought autocracy (no; consider Russia’s
long ties to Byzantium) to Russia and got Russia more involved in European affairs.
Peter reorganized his government on the latest Western models, molding Russia into an
absolutist state. He replaced the old boyar nobles with a nine-member senate, in effect
a supreme council of state. The countryside was also divided into new provinces and
districts. The senates main mission was to collect taxes from these new provinces.
Administrative Collegia were established in St. Petersburg, to replace the old
departments. In 1722 Peter started his famous Table of ranks. The orthodox church
became a tool of the government the highest ranking bishop or patriarchate was
replaced by the Holy Synod led by a government official. This differed from the absolute
monarchs of the 17th century. While people in Russia could move up in status through
the table of ranks in the rest of Europe the great chain of being was still being followed.
Russia included a wide range of lay people and nobles in its government. A difference
in Russia’s nobles is that they had to be loyal to the Tzar and the state and could not be
against any of his actions.
During this period, you would have to specify a comparison of say French absolutism with that
of Peter’s Russia. In that case a good way to craft a thesis would be to use quotes by Louis XIV
(L’état, c’est moi – I am the state – with “I am the first servant of the state.”) and Peter. Thus
ruler’s view of sovereignty varies.
Consider next the status of the nobility – French nobles are sidelined by Louis and Peter forces
Russian nobles into obligatory state service.
Status of peasants: although serfdom has atrophied in France, it is made stronger by Peter’s time.
Status of Church: Although both states’ monarchs have brought church under state control. Louis
coops church as an active instrument of legitimacy and power (e.g revokes Edict of Nantes with
One king, One law, one faith) Peter goes much further and makes the church a dept. of state with
a lay official overseeing a committee answerable to the Tsar (Holy Synod) and doing away with
the office of Patriarch.
Role of foreigners: Louis sees himself as the epicenter of civilized world and sees as supplicants
all visitors to his court. Peter, recognizing Russia’s backwardness actively seeks foreign help and
advice.
Similarity: Both states use military as instruments of power through expanding borders.