1. The Age of Absolutism & Enlightenment! Chapter 7

2. What was the “Enlightenment”? Time period when many in Europe began to develop ideas about government and how countries should be ruled. (“enlightened”) However, during this time, there were many wars in Europe regarding religion. Several rulers were overthrown & countries were in crisis.

3. What’s this Period About? After this upheaval, many powerful rulers took over & controlled Europe. Some were ruthless and absolute rulers, while others shared power. All had definite ideas about ruling power that had an impact on the futures of their nations.

4. Types of Power 1. A MONARCHY is rule by a king or queen. 2. An ABSOLUTE MONARCHY is rule only by a king or queen, with unlimited power. 3. In a LIMITED MONARCHY, a ruler shares some power with Parliament.

5. Types of Power (cont’d) DIVINE RIGHT is the belief by many monarchs that their authority to rule was given to them by God. * (Yes, many actually believed God chose them to rule!)

6. What about Democracy? Many European scholars thought that the Greek system of democracy--rule by the common people-would be better than a monarchy, especially since so many monarchs of the time were greedy, corrupt, and doing little to help those they ruled. Some pushed for a direct democracy, where everyone votes on everything!

7. European Viewpoints on the Ideal Form of Government We now are going to meet a few Europeans, who will give us an idea of the views that many people held about government during the Age of Absolutism.