Transcript Absolutism in Western Europe - Phillipsburg School District

ABSOLUTISM IN
WESTERN EUROPE
Absolutism
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Absolutism
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Conscious attempt by state sovereigns to extend their legal and
administrative power over their subjects & over the vested interests of
the social and economic institutions w/i their coun.
Age of Absolutism—1660-1789 (Height of it, but since 1500 rulers had
been trying to make the state more powerful)
Difference between absolutism and totalitarianism
 Difference between absolutism and despotism
 Administrative monarchy –concept of public service and
private property
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Difference from medieval traditions
Monarch as embodiment of the state
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L’état, c’est moi –Louis XIV
Appeal of Absolutism
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Wanted an end to the turbulence of French religious
wars & 30 Years War
Only strong central gov’t could provide domestic
order and prosperity.
Rulers insisted it was their duty to teach subjects how
to order their domestic affairs, even against their
will
Theory of Absolutism
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Jean Bodin
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Late 16th century Political theorist
Bishop Jacques Bossuet
Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Scripture
 Divine-right theory
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Thomas Hobbes
The Leviathan
 Defended absolutism without using religious justifications,
based solely on reason
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5 Goals of Absolutist Rulers
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1. Control & enlarge the armed forces
2. Control the administration of the legal system
3. Control the collection and distribution of taxes
4. Create an efficient bureaucracy whose allegiance was to
the monarchy, not to other social or economic interests within the
country
5. Create a set of institutions strong enough to withstand, if not
destroy the private interests that had hindered royal power in
the past
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The Church
The Nobility
Semi-autonomous regions
Independent representative bodies
These were all obstacles to achieving a strong centralized monarchical
gov’t
French Absolutism
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Henry IV –administrative reforms
Edict of Nantes
 Taille—direct land tax levied on French peasantry & nonnobles
 Purchase of offices permitted
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Richelieu –Fr. Cardinal
Chief minister for Louis XIII
 Intendants
 Eliminated the political and military power of Huguenots
 Created spy network to crush noble plots
 Foreign policy –supported enemies of the Hapsburgs
 Developed the French Academy, to standardize and promote
Parisian French as the official dialect of French
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French Absolutism
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Richelieu –“Where the interests of the state are
concerned, God absolves actions which, if privately
committed, would be a crime.”
Richelieu is succeeded by Mazarin, another cardinal,
trained by Richelieu in statecraft
Intriguing –churchmen are more responsible for
influencing state policy and absolutism than kings
Louis XIII succeeded by his son, Louis XIV at the age of
4
What was the Fronde?
 How did it affect Louis XIV?
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Absolute Monarch –Louis XIV
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“The Sun King”, what is the significance of that
image?
God established rulers on earth –what political
conclusions are inevitable from that position?
Ascended the throne at age 4, tutored by Mazarin,
takes no chief advisor upon Mazarin’s death, rules
until age 76, his death.
Louis XIV’s Efforts to Make Himself Absolute
Ruler
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Divided France into 36 administrative units
Diminished the power of the regional parlements
Expanded and overhauled the army
Diminished power of private interests
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Revoked Edict of Nantes
Didn’t call Estates General
Used Versailles to emasculate nobility
Threatened parlements with exile
Outer provinces had their provincial estates crippled
Collected taxes
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Taille
Capitation tax
Gabelle
Aide
Center of Absolutism -Versailles
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Privileged nobles were encouraged to live at
Versailles with their family
Other monarchs sought to imitate Versailles –
leading in part to French becoming new language
of polite society and diplomacy
Versailles
Wars of Louis XIV
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Le Tellier developed a professional army of
100,000 in peace & 400,000 in war
Louis wanted:
Parts of the HRE—extend French boundaries to the Rhine
 To decrease Dutch commercial prosperity
 Spanish Netherlands
 To dominate European affairs
 Prestige and military glory that suited the Sun King
 Fought 4 Wars
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The War of Devolution (1667-68)
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France invaded Spanish Netherlands & FranchComte
Triple Alliance of England, Holland, and Sweden
intervened & forced Louis to withdraw
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668) gave France
several towns along border of the Spanish
Netherlands
The Dutch War (1672-78)
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Louis broke up Triple Alliance by signing a treaty
with King of England
Louis invaded Holland in 1672
William defended country by opening the dikes and
gaining support of HRE, Brandenburg, & Spain
Peace of Nijmegen (1678-79)—France gained
Franche-Comte and more towns along border of
Spanish Netherlands
War of the League of Augsburg
(1688-97)
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Aka as the Nine Years’ War
Louis tried to push France’s frontier to the northeast
into territory along the Rhine R.
William of Orange (became King of England in
1689) formed a new alliance against France
Treaty of Ryswick—France lost most of its gains, but
kept Alsace.
War of the Spanish Succession (170114)
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King Charles II of Spain died in 1700 & left crown
to Philip of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV
Leopold, the HRE, challenged the succession for his
son Charles
High stakes b/c not just Spain, but also its colonial
empire
European powers couldn’t let a Bourbon gain Spain
and France
War of the Spanish Succession (170114)
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England, Holland, & HRE vs. French
Peace of Utrecht (1713) & Rastatt (1714) ended the
fighting
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Recognized Philip of Anjou as King Philip V of Spain, but the 2 thrones
would remain separate
Austrian Hapsburgs gained Spanish Netherlands, Naples, Sardinia, &
Milan
French lost colonies—Newfoundland, Novia Scotia, and the Hudson Bay
area
English gained Gibraltar, Minorca, and the Asiento
Elector of Brandenburg was recognized as King of Prussia
French Financial Policy -Mercantilism
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Jean-BaptisteColbert –Louis XIV’s chief financial
advisor
 Maximized
exports, limited imports, and built up
France’s supply of gold & silver
 Encouraged industry, reduced domestic customs barriers,
& tried to eliminate the nobility’s ability to interfere with
trade.
 Expanded gov’t’s role in the economy
 Promoted the building of canals and roads & expanded
France’s merchant fleet
State Finances Under Louis XIV
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Haphazard financial system
Nobility & clergy were exempt from most direct
taxes & middle class evaded many
Main tax burden fell on peasants & lower middle
class
 Tax
collectors paid for the privilege of collecting the
taxes=much corruption and waste
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Colbert instituted mercantilist policies
Louis XIV’s Religious Policy
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Defended idea that the king exercised administrative control
over the church in France while recognizing the pope’s authority
over faith and morals
Huguenots made up 10% of population by 1660s
Louis probably believed they undermined his political authority
1685—Edict of Fontainebleau—revoked the Edict of Nantes &
approved the destruction of Huguenot churches & closing of
schools
200,000 Huguenots fled to England, Holland & Germany
Weakened the French economy b/c many were skilled artisans
The Decline of Spain
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Contrast the success of France with the Failure of
Spain:
Financial problems
 Philip
II went bankrupt in 1596 & so did Philip III in
1607
 Army was out of date
 Gov’t inefficient
 Commercial class was weak
 Peasantry were suppressed
 Nobility loved luxury
 Overabundance of priests and monks
Decline of Spain
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Reign of Philip IV
 De
Guzman, count of Olivares—chief minister
 Tried to limit power of Church & landed aristocracy
 Tried to centralize gov’t
 Failed
b/c the number & power of nobles was too strong
 Undermined
their own efforts through costly wars that
led to internal revolts
Decline of Spain
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Foreign wars and expulsion of Moors and Jews
stripped Spain of creative and middle class (few
people saw money-making jobs as useful)
Inflation and taxes fell heavily on poor
Spanish kings constantly overran budgets and weren’t
considered good credit risks by most European
bankers
Inbreeding among the Hapsburgs resulted in an
impotent and inept heir in Charles II (see following
pictures)
Philip III
Philip IV
Charles II