ABSOLUTISM 17 TH CENTURY

THE BIG CHANGE…  Feudal monarchy had been a balance between king and nobles  Kings stopped convening medieval parliaments  Attacked castles of nobles who opposed  Became known as absolute monarchs

DEFINITION OF ABSOLUTISM Divine right theory  king was God’s representative on earth  obedience to king = obedience to God  King could do no wrong

CHARACTERISTICS OF ABSOLUTISM  Title was inherited  Decisions of king were final  King controlled lawmaking body  King controlled all foreign affairs  People had no voice

TIMELINE OF REIGNS  Spanish King Phillip II ~ 42 years ~  English Queen Elizabeth ~ 45 years ~  English King James I ~ 22 years ~  French King Louis XIV ~ 72 years ~ became King at age 5  Austria and Prussia’s King Ferdinand ~ 19 years ~

THREE EXAMPLES  Phillip II of Spain  Louis XIV of France  Elizabeth I of England

SPAIN- PHILIP II  Son of Charles V  Believed in Divine Rights of Kings  Strengthened Catholic power

Emergence of the nation state All territory under a common (dominant) language united. Territory becomes a single country rather than dozens of locally controlled areas. Centralized power under a strong monarchy. The king or queen rules the entire country from one location – usually the city that became the capital. Powerful armies loyal to the monarch enforce against nobles who might challenge. P4 17/12

SOCIETY  Lived very simply, his palace doubled as church, house, tomb  Devoted his life to government work  Married Mary (Bloody Mary)

FRANCE

ECONOMICS  War drained wealth  Neglected farming and trade in own country- occupied with silver in Americas (lead to inflation)  Gov.- taxed middle class- no support for royal power  Got rid of Muslims and Jews from Spain- artists and merchants

WAR: RELIGION AND LAND Spanish Armada – powerful navy Spain & Italy beat Ottoman fleet at Battle of Lepanto 1571 (Off coast of Greece)- huge victory

ARTS: GOLDEN CENTURY  Phillip II- patron of arts and founded schools for science and math  Theatre, writing blossomed

RELIGION  Kicked Muslims and Jews from Spain.  1560s riots against the Spanish Inquisition.  Netherlands gained independence  Defended the Catholic Reformation Enforced religious unity

QUEEN ELIZABETH England

ELIZABETH I  The red-haired daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn,

GOVERNMENT  Rule Became Queen at age 25 after Her father Henry VIII Brother Edward VI Sister Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary) Believed it was her Divine right to rule Last Tudor to Rule  How she maintained control: refusing to marry anyone playing one noble against another – many hoping to marry the Queen.

ECONOMICS  Sir Francis Drake – Best Sea Dog (privateer)  Explored West Indies  Poor Laws – to aid the poor  Issues a new currency – standard amount of metal  Promoted trade  East India Company (spices etc from Asia)

DOMESTIC/ RELIGIOUS CONNECTIONS  Before she ruled – Religious Strife  Protestant (Church of England)Act of Supremacy – stated that she was the head of the church  Act of Uniformity – attendance to church was required by all, book of common prayers created and penalties were enforced.  She organized public debates on religion

 Poor Helpless Poor, Able-Bodied Poor, Vagabonds & Rogues Compassion towards poor Poor Laws (1570s) collected tax to distribute to the poor, people expected to provide work for the poor SOCIETY  Nobles Land owning=power Titles inherited Ruffles showed status Supposed to aid the monarch in governing Peasants take their problems to their lord

WAR  Hated war  1588 – Spanish Armada  Rivalry between Phillip II and Elizabeth  England was involved in military campaigns in Netherlands France Ireland

ARTS/EDUCATION  Elizabethan Age – Amazing literature – Faire Queen  Elizabeth had a good education  Could speak French, Italian, and English. She could write in Greek and Latin  William Shakespeare began his career during this time.

FRANCE- LOUIS XIV  Most powerful ruler in French history  Philip II’s Great Grandson  “L’etat, c’est moi”- (lay tah se mwah)- “I am the state”  Sun King  Economic, political and cultural advances  Mercantilism- gov. control over agriculture  CONTROL  1643 – ruled for 72 years !

VERSAILLES

TYPES OF GOVERNMENT  What types of government can you think of?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of each type of political system?  What is the best system for war? For peace, for the economy, for social order and for international power.  What classes benefit the most from each system? And which system will cause the most suffering?