1. run by a king or a queen who possesses absolute, or total control
Absolutism
Absolute Monarchy- a government
run by a king or a queen who
possesses absolute, or total control
Age of Absolutism- time period when absolute monarchs can be found all over (from 1500s to late 1700s)

2. Positives and Strengths of Absolute Monarchies
1. Efficient- decisions are made quickly and decisively. - Only one person decides policy for the whole country. There is no debating. 2. Stability- The ruler stays the same, until he dies. There is a great deal of continuity. -Louis XIV was king for almost 80 years. -The heir is usually the eldest son. 3. Wealth one leader with little resistance is able to gain a very large empire with a huge treasury. -With this money he is able to build an army -They often supported the arts - many were called patrons of the arts.

3. Weaknesses of absolute Monarchies
1. Very undemocratic- Only one person gets a say
2. Limited individual rights people were forced to agree with the Monarch
3. Too much stability- poor leaders can do great damage to a country because they are in control for so long?

4. Divine Right Theory
The belief that God himself handpicked the king/queen to serve as His lieutenant on Earth -Leader answers to God -Does not answer to his people

5. Causes to the Age of Absolutism
Decline of feudalism in the Middle Ages
-As the feudal lords lost power, the kings
gained it.
2. Decline of the Catholic Church - As the Church’s influence weakened, kings consolidated their power.
-Excommunication was no longer a threat. As a result of the Protestant Reformation- kings now had the option of converting to different religions
3. Growth of the middle class- As merchants became a larger class, they pushed for the economic stability that an absolute monarch offered.

6. Ways that the monarchs increased power
1. Taxes increased their overall wealth and power
2. Strong armies victories often led to riches
- Spanish Conquests of the New World
Europeans defeated the Maya, Aztecs,
and the Inca great wealth and new
colonies
3. They also tried to influence or control the church.

7. Examples of Absolutism: SPAIN
Spain Phillip II 1. His wealth came from the Columbian Exchange -Chocolate (Spanish monarchy had a monopoly) 2. Very Catholic fought religious wars such as when the Pope sent the Spanish Armada to punish Elizabeth for establishing the Anglican Church in England 3. Supported the arts 4. Spain went downhill after his reign spent too much money on war.

8. Examples of Absolutism: RUSSIA
1. Influence of the Byzantine Empire
- The Eastern Orthodox Church
- The Cyrillic Alphabet
- Pointed Dome architecture
2. Effect of the Mongols on Russia
1. Kept Russia isolated from Europe.
2. Created a tradition of harsh/authoritarian and absolute rule
-The two most famous Mongol rulers were Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan
XI. Absolute Monarchs of Russia
1. Czar Ivan the Terrible ( )
-Extremely crazy and paranoid
-Had a Secret Police to enforce order
-Weakened the nobles
-Centralizedcontrol of Russia
2. Czar Peter the Great
1. Increased his power by making himself the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church
2. Weakened the nobles more
3. Ended IsolationDue to the Mongols, Russia had not had a
Renaissance, an Age of Exploration, nor had they been exposed to European
advances.
4. Peter the Great’s Westernization-
-traveled to Europe disguised as a carpenter and returned with ideas to
modernize Russia and make it stronger
1. He hired Europeans to strengthen the military
2. Introduced the potato this improved the Russian diet
3. Created a “Window on the Sea” St. Petersburg
XII. St. Petersburg
1. Russia was in desperate need of a warm water port because of their climate.
-Many of their ports were iced over for 6 months out of the year.
2. Peter literally built this city up from nothing. It used to be a swamp.

9. Exception to Absolutism
-England was not an absolute monarchy because they had the Magna Carta and they also had a Parliament that limited the ruler
-The Magna Carta forced the king to get the people’s approval before passing laws
-The Glorious Revolution of 1688 further reduced the monarch’s power. England became a Constitutional Monarchy in which the monarch could not rule without the consent of parliament, and parliament could not rule without the consent of the monarchy