King or Queen has complete control over government & its people The Age of Absolutism 16th & 17th Centuries 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 Absolutism 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

Absolute Monarchs of Europe A quick guide

Philip II r. 1556-1598 Spain Hapsburg Family Catholic Attempted invasion of England Spanish Armada Defeated

King James I

James I and the clash with Parliament James I wanted absolute power when he inherited the throne from Queen Elizabeth Elizabeth wanted absolute power too, but was better at flattering parliament to get her way Always conflict between the royalty and parliament over $ - royalty wants $ for royal court and foreign wars

James I continued Also annoyed people b/c he refused to make Puritan reforms (get rid of Catholic practices). Hated when anyone told him what to do Known for the King James bible – the Puritan translation of the old bible

Charles I 1625, James I dies and his son, Charles I, gets the throne Always needed $ for war The people hated the taxes (obviously) Doesn’t he look like a pompous jerk?

More of Charles I When parliament denied $ requests, he dissolved parliament 1628, parliament gets back together and asks Charles to sign the Petition of Right

Petition of Right No imprisonment without due cause No taxation without parliament’s consent No putting soldiers in private homes No martial law during peacetime Charles I signed the petition and then ignored it – even dissolved parliament again and levied mad taxes on the people

English Civil War Since Charles I ruled over Scotland AND England, there were several religions Charles I wanted ONE religion – ended up in Civil War when the Scots rebelled War cost $, so Charles needed Parliament. Parliament hated him and wanted to limit his power Supporters of Charles I = Royalists (Cavaliers) The opposition supports Parliament = Roundheads

More Civil War Under leadership of Oliver Cromwell, the puritan roundheads finally won (1646) Took Charles I hostage, tried him in front of the public and executed him The decapitation -

Oliver Cromwell 1649 he got rid of the monarchy and established a republican form of government Sent most of the Parliamentary members home and eventually established a military dictatorship (he tore up the first constitution that his associate produced) Since Ireland was under English rule, the Irish revolted against Cromwell and failed – 616,000 Irish were killed by war, plague and famine

Puritan Morality Cromwell and the Puritans wanted to improve England’s morality Abolished all “sinful” things – like theater Cromwell was tolerant of other religions despite his deep Puritan beliefs (EXCEPT CATHOLICS)

Restoration and Revolution English get sick of military rule and after Cromwell dies, they ask the older son of Charles I (Charles II) to rule England Restoration of monarch = restoration Allowed the return of theater and sports Passed important guarantee of freedom: Habeas Corpus “to have the body” People need to know why they’re arrested Could not be held indefinitely without trial

James II and the Glorious Revolution James II got the throne after Charles II died Everyone hated James b/c he was flamboyantly Catholic and gave his Catholic friends good jobs James was eventually peacefully overthrown by his own daughter and her husband (Protestants) William and Mary then ruled England

Political Changes First Constitutional Monarchy where laws limited the ruler’s power Bill of Rights: No suspension of Parliament’s laws No taxes w/o Parliament’s consent Freedom of speech in Parliament No penalty for complaining about the King

Political Changes Continued Established a Cabinet Cabinet was a link b/w the majority party in Parliament and the King Became center of power and policymaking Still exists today Leader of Cabinet = Prime Minister Who is the Prime Minister of England today???

Louis XIII & Cardinal Richelieu France Bourbon Dynasty Louis not a capable leader Richelieu basically ruled for him Richelieu’s goals for France Make king an absolute monarch Make France most powerful nation in Europe

Louis XIV r. 1643-1715 France Bourbon Dynasty “I am the state” Versailles Symbol of wealth and power Catholic Repealed Edict of Nantes

Ivan IV a.k.a Ivan the Terrible Russia First “czar” Distrusted nobles Established a secret police Killed own son

Peter I a.k.a. Peter the Great Russia Romanov Dynasty Westernization of Russia Wanted Western European Technology Taxed beards and other Eastern influences St. Petersburg Easier access to the west

Catherine II a.k.a. Catherine the Great Russia Romanov Dynasty Doubled size of Russia Warm water sea port Sided with nobles and made life bad for serfs

Maria Theresa r.1740-1780 Austria Hapsburgs Catholic Peasant reforms War of Austrian Succession Had to give up Silesia to Prussia Seven Years War world wide conflict Austrian side lost

Frederick II a.k.a. Frederick the Great Hohenzollern dynasty Prussia An atheist Believed in religious toleration Brilliant military leader War of Austrian Succession, on winning side of 7 Years’ War Treated subjects as if he were their father

Elizabeth I r. 1558-1603 England Last Tudor monarch Patron of the arts Defeated Spanish Armada Brits had dominant naval power until WWII