E.D is a difficult term to define The fundamental difference between them and absolutists like Louis XIV was they were ‘enlightened’ They didn’t believe in divine right They justified their authority by usefulness to society ‘servants of the state’ vs ‘I am the state’
E. D. Was secular – claimed no mandate from heaven It was also rational and reformist Reconstruct the state by use of reason
They were very suspicious of custom, which didn’t change anything They wanted results, and acted quickly
Louis XV- a failure Ran into difficulty raising revenue Taille – paid mainly by the peasants – nobility exempted Church land exempt from taxes French government chronically poor
The taxes that Louis XIV had created were widely evaded No class wanted to pay direct taxes – elitist attitude 1740s- new tax created – called vingtieme 5% tax on property Paid by nobles and bourgeiosie
Government tried to raise them, but resisted by French parlement – cited Montesquieu, unconsitutional Louis dropped the issue
1768 France strapped after 7 Years War Louis pushed the issue again He called Maupeou to Chancellorship Got rid of old parlements Limited the rights of members to reject bills This move was the opposite of enlightened depotism
Louis died in 1774, next in line was his grandson Louis XVI Not a good leader – didn’t want to offend anyone Abolished Maupeou parlement, restored the old one
Louis XVI sought to pacify the privilidged classes He did appoint Turgot as head of his ministry and he was good Best idea was replacing the corvee, which required peasants to work on public roads, with a tax on all classes But the parlements opposed him – he resigns
The Parlement of Paris would prevent Louis from making any significant changes in France This would ultimately lead to revolution and Louis losing his head
Best enlightened despot “I must enlighten my people, cultivate their manners and morals, and make them as happy as human beings can be.” He simplified and codified many laws, made law courts cheaper, protected religious freedom, elementary education for all children
His main flaw, he wouldn’t consult with anyone – didn’t entrust anything to anyone less capable than himself “if Newton had to consult with Descartes he would have never discover the Universal law of gravitation” He didn’t train a successor, and by 1806, Prussia was basically destroyed by Napoleon
Peter the Great ( ) Tsar, wanted to Westernize Russia Prior to him, serfdom in Russia very strict Strict laws against fugitive serfs (15 years) If a peasant is killed, just give him another Peasants couldn’t move Like slavery
Social revolution Built a huge army – taxed many things Hats, leather, cellars, coffins, right to marry, wear a beard Encouraged mercantilism Required all gentry to put thier sons in school Sent many abroad to study First newspaper Book of etiuette Don’t spit on floor, take off hat, outlawed beards
Catherine the Great 1762 She was a reformer Legal codification, restrictions on the use of torture, She wouldn’t budge on issue of serfdom
Lives still harsh – punished, sold, families broken up, exiling them to Siberia 1773-Rebellion by Emelian Pugachev He announced himself as true tsar, now returned from travels Set up his own imperial family, courtiers He declared serfdom, taxes, and military conscription illegal
Many serfs flocked to his banner It spread, priests, landlords killed Pugachev, betrayed by his men, was brought to Moscow in an iron cage, executed by drawing and quatering
Consequence: one of the most violent uprisings in Euro history Catherine’s response: gave more power to landlords Serfdom became more rigid, not much different from American slavery
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In each case, they all had limitations After enlightened Despotism, monarchy became backward looking