ABSOLUTISM (1600-1770)

INTRODUCTION In the Middle Ages, the power of kings had been limited by nobles, parliaments, and the Catholic Church The decline of feudalism, the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the Commercial Revolution all helped enrich European society and increase the power of European monarchs (hereditary rulers)

THE BIG QUESTION: How did Europe’s rulers achieve absolute power?

WARS OF RELIGION During the Reformation, most kings took control of religion within their own borders Religious wars provided kings with an opportunity to build large standing armies Introduced new government officials Allowed tax increases (resistance was put down by the king’s army)

CHANGING ROLES OF THE NOBILITY In the Middle Ages, nobles had been independent sources of power In the 1600s, rulers began to “tame” the nobility by keeping watch over them. Nobles kept wealth and privileges, but had to obey the king’s command The growing urban middle classes often allied themselves with kings against the nobility

JUSTIFICATIONS FOR ROYAL POWER “Reason of state” – justified doing whatever was necessary for the survival of the state Some thought that without a strong central authority to keep order, society would break down, so kings were justified in seizing absolute power in order to maintain order in society Divine right of kings – the king was God’s deputy on earth, and royal commands expressed God’s wishes

ACTIVITY Complete the chart of absolute rulers. Include the years the monarch ruled, the country the monarch ruled, and key legislations or policies.

LEFT SIDE ACTIVITY Choose one of the justifications for royal power and create a cartoon describing or illustrating it.

ABSOLUTISM IN RUSSIA By the end of the 15th century, rulers around Moscow declared independence from Mongol rule (adopted the system of royal absolutism on a grand scale) Conquered neighboring lands The majority of population were serfs (just when serfdom was declining in Western Europe, it was increasing in Eastern Europe) Russian nobility pledged absolute loyalty to the Tsar in return for their power over serfs

ACTIVITY Add Peter the Great (1682-1725) and Catherine the Great (1762-1796) to your chart

Left Side Activity Create a chart comparing absolutism in France and Russia. Include both similarities and differences

LIMITED MONARCHY IN ENGLAND English monarchs were never able to establish absolute rule as those in France, Spain and Russia did Checks had been placed on the English king’s power Magna Carta (1215) guaranteed that Englishmen could not be fined or imprisoned without process of law and new taxes had to be approved by the king’s barons Parliament: established as a legislative body made up of nobles and elected representatives

ENGLAND’S ROAD TO LIMITED MONARCHY Create a flow chart describing the events leading to England’s Limited Monarchy: Tudor Monarchs: Henry VIII and Elizabeth I Early Stuart Monarchs: James I and Charles I English Civil War (1642-1649): Oliver Cromwell The Restoration: Charles II The Glorious Revolution: William and Mary and the English Bill of Rights

POLITICAL THINKERS IN THE AGE OF ABSOLUTISM Thomas Hobbes – Man was not naturally good and was incapable of maintaining social order, therefore absolute rule was necessary John Locke – believed rulers obtained power from the people, not God. Promoted the “social contract”. The purpose of government was to protect natural rights (life, liberty, property) Sir William Blackstone – explained English common law (judges following precedents of other courts) and England’s “mixed monarchy” where power was shared by king and Parliament.

EUROPEAN SOCIETY IN THE 18TH CENTURY Social Order – The “Old Regime” Society was aristocratic – people of noble birth were a race apart (superior to everyone else) Nobles owned the most land, served as army officers, became Church bishops, and held the highest government positions