Louis XIV & Peter the Great

 Warm Up Review  Vocab.  Notes/Discussion over Absolutism  Videos  Absolutism and English Civil War test Oct. 21/22  Project due Thursday/Friday

 Identify the characteristics of Absolutism  Analyze the cause and effects of absolutism  Identify Louis XIV and Peter the Great

 During this time in Europe, rulers wanted to be absolute monarchs  Absolute monarchs believe that ALL power within their state’s boundaries rests in THEIR hands  They justified this power through the divine right, or the idea that God created the monarchy and the monarch is God’s representative on Earth  Absolute monarchs only answer to God, not subjects

 During the Middle Ages, the nobility had gained power but now these factors led to an increase in the monarch’s power:  Decline of feudalism  Rise of cities  Growth of national kingdom (centralized authority)  Growing middle class supported monarchs because it stabilized business  Breakdown of Church authority

 1600s were a period of turmoil: religious wars & territorial conflicts  Increase in taxes to fund armies  Civil Unrest  Monarchs increase power to stabilize kingdom: religion, social events, increased court size, new bureaucracies

“L’etat, c’est moi” “The State; It is I” or “I am the State”

 Henry IV – Edict of Nantes – Religious Toleration  devoted reign to stabilizing France  Louis XIII (Henry’s son) – very weak, but appointed Cardinal Richelieu as minister  Cardinal became virtual ruler  Moved against the Huguenots, weakened nobles, got involved in Thirty Years’ War to help weaken the Hapsburgs

 Became King at 5 – Cardinal Mazarin ruled until he was old enough and helped end the Thirty Years War  Mazarin was not well liked because he increased taxes and centralized power  Eventually people rebelled against him, but it was unsuccessful  Cardinal Mazarin dies in 1661

 At 23, Louis takes throne  Weakened nobles by excluding them from councils  Created government agents called intendants who collected taxes and administered justice  Appointed a financial minister – Jean Baptiste Colbert- helped business in France  1685 cancelled the Edict of Nantes  many Huguenots fleeing France

 Spent a lot of $ to surround himself in luxury  Every meal was a feast  Had many servants to keep the palace running  Controlled nobility through pointless rituals and forcing them to live at court

 Palace 11 miles southwest of Paris  Palace stretched for 500 yards  Was like a royal city  Louis was a huge patron of the arts

 Palace of Versailles video

 1660 – 20 million people in France (4x England, 10x Dutch)  Army had 400,000 during wartime  1672 Louis invades Spanish Netherlands- ended by 1678 with France gaining a few towns  Tried to start a few other wars, but alliances had formed to stop France

 Charles II of Spain died promising his kingdom to Louis XIV’s grandson Philip of Anjou  1701: England, Austria, Dutch republic, Portugal, and several German and Italian states united against France and Spain  War went until 1713 – Treaty of Utrecht: Philip was allowed to continue to rule Spain as long as the two never united

 Died in bed in 1715  France was powerful  Also left a lot of debt  Resentment for abuse of power – will affect his descendants

Bringing Russia to the West

 Ivan III (claimed Russia was 3 rd Rome)  Increased Russian territory  Centralized power  Ivan IV “The Terrible”  Struggled with boyars (nobles)- blamed them for killing his wife  1 st Tsar to call himself one  Organized own police force  Executed the boyars  His son was incapable of ruling

 Romanovs restored power to Russia  Created a law code  Put down rebellions  Peter I shared throne with half brother, but eventually gained sole power

 Land of Boyars (nobles) and serfs  Unfamiliar with western Europe  Religiously different from Europe since they adopted Eastern Orthodox

 1697 “Grand Embassy” Tour of Europe  Brought 200 servants and 55 boyars  Kept identity secret  Goal: To learn as much about European culture as possible

 New Goal: WESTERNIZATION  Many disagreed with policy  Brought Church under his control- abolished office of the patriarch  Reduced power of the boyars  Put low ranking families in power by granting them land – owed EVERYTHING to him  Hired European officers  Soldiers were now committed for life  Imposed heavy taxes to pay for everything

 Introduced potatoes – a staple of the Russian diet  Beards must be cut or pay a tax  Started and edited Russia’s first newspaper  Invited women to social gatherings to raise their status in society  Ordered the nobles wear western fashions

 Wanted a seaport with easy access to the West  Chose a place on the Baltic Sea “Window to the Sea”  Forced serfs to build the city  25, ,000 died because of bad working conditions

 Reformed culture and government in Russia forever  Now a power to be reckoned with in Europe

 Peter the Great Video