1. AP EURO Unit #1 – Renaissance and Reformation Lesson #5 Northern Monarchies during Renaissance (Politics &the State in Western Europe)

2. Essential Questions
What were the four major power of N. Europe during the Renaissance?
How did the nobles challenge the power of the monarchies during this era?
What did Bodin and Boussuet say about monarchs?

3. History of Europe European history is a history of struggle
Struggle for dominance, recognition and power…
… and money!
What are some examples so far?
Crusades
Hundred Years War
Huss and Wycliffe
Italian Wars

4. Hundred Years War

5. Something to notice: Power shifts move in cycles, like a pendulum
It’s like our American political fickleness
Example: Hundred Years War:
King has enormous power
Hundred Years War: King needs support of nobles – gives them land, $$, influence in return for support…
King’s power diminishes, Noble’s power increases
After war, King’s use position to pass laws, force marriages, cause destruction of powerful nobles
How are kings Machiavellian?

6. Inconsistency is the norm
Peasants will also gain, lose, then gain power again
Chaos and war will be the norm, interrupted by brief periods of stability…
… usually at the expense of liberty for the masses, and in favor of power to a monarch

7. Leaders assert power Leaders are found in “common” man
Nobles are not common – they are born with title, rank, privilege and hierarchy
Nobles need the king, but also assert power over him whenever given the chance
Common man learns to use them against each other… in time, they will become the masters

8. Nobles organize Form organizations to: SPAIN: Cortes
Challenge King’s power, and
Remain superior to peasants
SPAIN: Cortes
FRANCE: Estates General and Parlements
ENGLAND: Parliament (Magna Carta)
HRE (Holy Roman Empire): the Elector System (Golden Bull)
Most land – given to nobles to treat like their own little kingdoms – tax peasants

9. Monarchs establish supremacy
Insist their position is religious in nature
All monarchs are ordained
All monarchs are offspring of monarchs
Emphasized majesty and mystery
John Bodin (essay on THE SOVERIGN)
Bishop Jacques Boussuet (essay on MONARCH = GOD)
Controlled all land and taxes
Attempted to appoint Bishops in their cities
Incorporated towns

10. People “are wrong to support the idea that the [Estates General] is more important than the prince. Such ideas make obedient subjects revolt when they should obey their sovereign prince… These notions are absurd.”
( Six Books of the Commonwealth)
John Bodin

11. Bishop Jacques Benign Bossuet
“Something indescribably divine is attached to the prince and inspires fear in the people. …you are gods, that is, you have in your authority and you carry on your forehead a divine quality.”
(1680s)
Divine Right of Kings

12. Ultimate goal of Monarchs
Create Stability
Avoid wars
Avoid challenge to their power
(reduce power of greedy nobles)
(befriend the masses)
Promote harmony and appearance of unity
Promote the arts
… gives the appearance of stability and harmony and unity
Expand Kingdom, when possible
Find weakness in the enemy, and ATTACK
Repeat #2 – by whatever means necessary

13. France Charles VII (r. 1422-1461) Louis XI (r. 1461-1483)
Crowned at Reims
Defeated English in Hundred Years War
Joan of Arc
Louis XI (r )
“the Spider”
Used standing army against nobles
Ruthless
Machiavellian
Eliminated Burgundy
Had been poised to swallow HRE and France

14. Questions to ponder…
Why would the masses unite around a nasty and brutish ruler?
Why would a ruler rule in such a brutish manner?
What excuse could he possibly give for such behavior?

15. Holy Roman Empire (HRE)
Established 12/25/800 by Charlemagne as the “new” Roman Empire (united with The Church)
The Golden Bull (1356) – HRE forced to get approval from 7 “Electors”
Electors negotiated power in each election (they did NOT “vote”)
Hapsburg family

16. Holy Roman Empire (HRE)
Mainz
Trier
Cologne
Saxony
Brandenburg
Palatinate
Bohemia
CONTENDERS: Frederick of Saxony
Francis I of France
Henry VIII of England

17. Questions to ponder…
No other monarchy had weakness at this level. Why would this matter for the Reformation?
What does it say about the power of the Emperor?

18. England Wars of the Roses (1455-1471) Richard III of York, vs.
Rival “Houses” (branches of royal family)
Each: Rose on family Crest
York: White Rose
Lancaster: Red Rose
Richard II of York vs.
Henry IV of Lancaster
Richard III of York, vs.
Princes of the Tower
Henry VII of Lancaster
Court of the Star Chamber

19. York vs. Lancaster

20. Questions to ponder…
Why would a king go to Parliament to confirm laws?
How would this increase his power?
How would this DECREASE his power?
Why would nobles demand all taxes go through them… that they be used to collect taxes? (think power AND money!)

21. Spain United by leaders of Castile and Aragon (1492)
Ferdinand and Isabella
Reconquista (1492)
Moors
Granada
Grandson, Charles V
Ruler of Spain, Naples, Burgundy, Netherlands, HRE and the Americas

22. Empire of Charles V

23. Family Tree of Charles V
(Grandfather:
(Philip’s father) Maximilian, HRE)

24. Questions to ponder…
Why would Ferdinand and Isabella want their daughter to marry Henry VII of England?
Why would it be good for her to then marry Henry VIII?
What motivates the disunified Spanish to unite in 1490s?