 System of government King or Queen has complete control over government & its people  Autocracy  Centralized Government  Nation states

Monarchs based their claim on Divine Right  Authority comes from God  Similar to “Mandate of Heaven” Monarchs are “Above the Law” Common features- Strong armies,limited representative bodies, high taxes

 Breakdown of Feudalism/ Rise of Nation states  Continuous Warfare  Need for money  Exploration  Declining influence of the church

 Regulation of Religion & society  Loss of power by nobility & legislatures  New government Bureaucracies  Huge building projects

 The Hapsburg Monarchy  1556 Holy Roman Emperor Charles V divides empire  Son Phillip II rules Spain, Netherlands & Italy

 Promoted “Golden age of Spain” Wealth from colonies helped buildup military Defender of Catholicism  1588-Spanish Armada defeated by England (Elizabeth I)  1600’s Spain power declines  Financial problems

 The Bourbon Monarchy Henry IV increases power of Govt. & decreases power of nobility Louis the XIII strengthens & builds up military  Cardinal Richelieu subdues nobles & Huguenots

 Known as “The Sun King”  Ruled for 72 years Mercantilist policies Built the strongest army in Europe Expanded bureaucracy Never called the Estates General Persecuted the Huguenots  French Protestants

Built Lavish Versailles  “Gilded Cage” for nobility  His successors inherited enormous debts (costly Wars & extravagance)

Palace of Versailles

Versailles Grande Gallerie Daily routines at Versailles were exploited by Louis XIV The nobility competed against each other to perform menial tasks for the king

 1215 King John forced to sign Magna Carta  Limited King’s powers  1295 Edward I establishes Model Parliament  Lawmaking body  House of Lords & House of Commons

 Parliament successfully blocked attempted shifts to absolute rule  The Tudor Monarchs( ) generally worked well w/ Parliament  Ex. Henry VIII & Elizabeth I Henry VII Henry VII Henry VIII Henry VIII Edward VI Edward VI

 Had absolutist tendencies (Strong belief in Divine Right)  James I & son Charles I Consistently clashed with Parliament over finance & foreign policy  Angered Puritans Mary I Mary I Elizabeth I Elizabeth I James IJames I

 England became a Republic called the Commonwealth  At first Cromwell & Parliament share power 1653 Cromwell assumes Title of Lord Protector & rules as a dictator  Cromwell brutally put down revolts in Ireland & Scotland (Genocide)

Upon Cromwell’s death, Parliament restores Stuart Monarchy to throne Charles II & James II became unpopular due to absolutist policies Parliament fears return of Catholicism(James II) Parliament overthrows James II & asks William & Mary to assume throne (Glorious Revolution )

 1688-William & Mary forced to sign English Bill of Rights is signed  Guarantees Parliament’s superiority over the Monarchy  England becomes a Limited Monarchy (Remains today)

 1480 Russian rulers drive Mongols out Early Czars Ivan III & Ivan IV (Terrible) used harsh methods to unify Russia & strengthen Monarchy 1613 Michael Romanov begins Romanov Dynasty

Grand Embassy tour  Toured Europe learning new technologies Westernization/Modernization Introduced western ideas Laws, technology, culture

Built largest army in Europe  Won territory along the Baltic Sea  St. Petersburg becomes “Window to the West”  Major trading port & new capital

 Centralized power  Reduced power of the nobility  Brought Orthodox Church under his control