The Who’s Who of European Absolute Monarchs

What is Absolutism? Absolutism means that the ultimate authority in the state [nation] is rested in the hands of a king who claims to rule by divine right. It is a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator and has complete and unrestricted power in government…

Power granted “from up high” Divine Right Divine Right of Kings The power of a monarch comes directly from God. To disobey the monarch would be like denying the authority of God Mandate of Heaven Assumes a close relationship between Heaven and the Emperor. Emperor will rule as long as he rules in the best interests of the people.

Philip II (Spain) Seized Portugal and ruled over an empire that included lands in Europe, Africa, India, and the East Indies Claimed 25% of all the gold and silver mined as his own Created standing army of 50,000 soldiers Believed it was his duty to defend Catholicism against Muslims of Ottoman Empire and Protestants of Europe Wanted to crush Protestantism in the Netherlands Sent in an army to punish the rebels Resulted in 1,500 Protestants being killed

Henry IV (France) Used Edict of Nantes to promote religious tolerance and heal wounds between Protestants and Catholics Wanted to rebuild France Pushed for peace Worked with nobles in government – shared his power But executed nobles if he believed they were a threat to the monarchy Taxed the poor heavily and the rich paid nearly no taxes

Ferdinand II (Germany) Closed Protestant churches and caused a revolt This spark led to the start of the Thirty Years’ War Wanted to force subjects to convert to Catholicism Paid army by allowing them to rob German villages

Frederick II (the Great) (Prussia) Maintained militaristic state that had been created by his father Required very high levels of taxation Encouraged religious toleration and reform to the legal system Believed that a ruler should be like a father to his people Also believed that the most important job of a ruler was to expand the territory of the empire

Peter the Great (Russia) Primary goal of “westernizing” Russia Controlled Russian Orthodox Church Reduced power of landowners Imposed heavy taxes to pay for army Emphasized education – forced many people to leave Russia to study other places Went to war vs. Sweden to gain a port on the Baltic Sea (St. Petersburg)

Charles I (England) Eliminated the Parliament once they refused to give him money Forced to reinstate the Parliament because he needed money again, Charles was forced to sign Petition of Right. Gave rights to citizens After signing the petition, Charles simply ignored it and later eliminated the Parliament again To get money, he raised taxes to extremely high levels Drove England to the English Civil War Supporters of Charles I (Royalists) defeated Charles I tried for treason and executed