Response to Crisis: Absolutism Chapter 14 Section 3 Response to Crisis: Absolutism

Objectives: Define Absolutism Describe the absolute monarch Explain the basis for absolute monarch’s power in France and Eastern Europe

France under Louis XIV One response to the crises of the seventeenth century was to seek stability by increasing the monarchy’s power. The response is to this was absolutism. Absolutism is a system in which the ruler has total power. Absolutism also includes the divine right of kings.

Absolute monarchs could 1. Make Laws 2. Levy taxes 3. Administer Justice 4. Control the state’s officials 5. Determine foreign policy Best example: The reign of Louis XIV of France. His power and courts culture spread throughout Europe, and other courts imitated his.

Richelieu and Mazarin Louis XIII and Louis XIV were only boys when they came to power, so a royal minister held power for them, preserving the monarchy. Cardinal Richelieu, acting for Louis XIII. Richelieu took power and military rights from the Huguenots, and set up spies so he could execute traitors. Louis XIV came to the throne in 1643 at the age of 4. Cardinal Mazarin took control of the government.

During Mazarin’s rule, nobles rebelled against the throne, but their efforts were crushed. Many French people believed that their best chance for stability was with a monarch.

Richelieu

Mazarin

Louis Comes to Power Louis XIV (the Sun King) took power in 1661 at the age of 23. He wanted to be the sole ruler of France. All were to report to him for orders or approval of orders. He fostered the myth of himself as the Sun King- the source of light for his people

Louis XIV

Government and Religion The royal court Louis established at Versailles served three purposes: 1. King’s household 2. Location of the chief offices of the state 3. A place where the powerful could find favors and offices for themselves. From Versailles, Louis controlled the central policy- making machinery of the government.

Versailles

Government ministers were to obey his every wish. Louis deposed nobles and princes from the royal council and invited them to Versailles, where he hoped court life would distract them from politics. Often worked. Government ministers were to obey his every wish. He ruled with absolute authority over foreign policy, the Church, and taxes.

Louis had an anti-Huguenot policy, wanting them to convert to Catholicism. Destroyed Huguenot churches and closed schools. 200,000 Protestants fled France.

The Economy and War Mercantilist policies of Jean-Baptiste Colbert helped Louis with the money he needed for maintaining his court and pursuing wars. Louis developed a standing army of about 4,000 in hopes of having the Bourbon dynasty dominate Europe. To achieve this goal, he waged war between 1667 and 1713, causing many nations to form alliances against him. Added some lands to France and set up a dynasty on Spain’s throne.

Legacy of Louis XIV The Sun King died in a state of remorse in 1715, and France was debt-ridden and surrounded by enemies. Told his great-grandson “Soon you will be king of a great kingdom…try to remain at peace with your neighbors. I loved war too much. Do not follow me in that, or in overspending. Lighten your peoples burden as soon as possible, and do what I have had the misfortune not to do myself.”

Absolutism in Central and Eastern Europe After the Thirty Years’ War, Prussia and Austria emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries as great powers. Frederick William the Great Elector laid the basis for the Prussian state by building a standing army of 40,000 men. Fourth largest in Europe.

The Emergence of Prussia Set up the General War Commissariat to oversee the army, which became a bureaucratic machine for the government. Many members were landed aristocracy known as Junkers, who also served in the army. Frederick William’s son became King Frederick I in 1701.

The New Austrian Empire The Austrian Hapsburgs had long been Holy Roman Emperors, and after the Thirty Years’ War, they created a new empire in eastern and southeastern Europe. Its core was in present-day Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. After the defeat of the Turks in 1687, Austria took control of Transylvania, Croatia, and Slavonia.

The Austrian monarchy never was a centralized, absolute state. Made up of many national groups. Empire was a set of territories, held together by the Hapsburg emperor, who was archduke of Austria, king of Bohemia, and king of Hungary. Each area had its own laws and political life.

Russia under Peter the Great In the 16th century, Ivan IV (the terrible) became the first Russian ruler to take the title of czar, Russian for Caesar. Called Ivan the Terrible for his ruthlessness, he expanded Russia eastward and crushed the powers of the Russian boyars (nobility) The end of Ivan’s rule in 1598 was followed by a period of anarchy called the Time of Troubles. It ended when the national assembly chose Michael Romanov as czar in 1613. The Romanov dynasty would last until 1917.

Ivan the Terrible

Peter the Great

The most prominent member of the Romanov dynasty was Peter the Great. Absolutist, believed in the divine right of kings. Became czar in 1689. Made a trip to the West, and was determined to Europeanize Russia through technology. Died in 1725, Russia was an important state.

Military and Governmental Changes To create his army, Peter drafted peasants for 25 year stints. Formed a navy. Divided Russia into provinces. Wanted to create a “police state”, by which he meant a well ordered community governed by law.

Cultural Changes Peter introduced Western customs and etiquette. In court, Russian beards had to be shaved and coats shortened. Peter insisted upper class women remove their veils. Held gathering for conversation and dancing, which mixed genders.

St. Petersburg Peter’s goal was to make Russia a great power, with an important part being a port with access to Europe through the Baltic Sea. At this time, Sweden controlled the Baltic. Peter warred with Sweden, and he acquired the lands he needed. On the Baltic in 1703 he constructed a new city, St. Petersburg. It was the Russian capital until 1918.

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