Absolutism & Constitutionalism 1589 - 1715 Chapter 16

Absolute Monarchies in Europe

• Overview • Between 1589 and 1715, European

governments were either absolute monarchies or constitutional states.

• Absolutism • 1500s/1600s saw monarchies bringing an end to the

independence of cities and feudal estates.

• Loyalties were to be directed to the king/queen--the

absolute ruler.

• What is

absolutism ?

• A form of government with unlimited power held by one

individual or group.

Absolute Monarchies in Europe

• Absolutism (cont’d.)

• Premise for this form of government? • Springs from the theory of the

divine right of kings . Meaning?

• King/Queen derived complete authority

to govern directly from God; responsible only to God for actions.

• Central rule seen as a unifying force.

Absolutism in France: Laying the Foundation

• Background • Henry of Navarre became Henry IV in 1589. –

Bourbon dynasty ruled France off and on ‘til the 1800s.

• Factors making France a worthy rival of the

Spanish?

– Few distant colonies to burden French affairs. – Geographically more compact. • Ultimately, however, the French were

thwarted in attempts to reach a dominant position.

Absolutism in France: Laying the Foundation

• Setting the Stage:

Henry IV (r. 1589 1610)

• Huguenot

prince, survived the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre that marked the height of France’s religious wars.

• Took the throne,

converted to Catholicism to appease his opponents.

Absolutism in France: Laying the Foundation

• Achievements: • 1. Saved France from all out religious war by

issuing the Edict of Nantes (1598). Provisions?

– Allowed Protestant worship to continue in areas

where the Protestants were a majority.

– Barred Protestant worship in Paris and other Catholic

strongholds.

• 2. Began economic rebuilding. – Ably assisted by…..

Absolutism in France: Laying the Foundation

• The Duke of Sully (1560-1641) • Henry’s finance minister • Deserves the credit for much of the king’s success. • Sound accounting practices • Eliminated financial inefficiency and corruption. • But did not attempt any fundamental financial reforms,

such as ending the tax-exempt status of the nobility or clergy.

• Trade policies promoted the prosperity of the French

economy and the political/financial strength of the monarchy.

Absolutism in France: Laying the Foundation

• Henry’s and Sully’s actions,

including ignoring the Estates General , led to the foundation of the absolute rule of later Bourbons.

• Henry was assassinated by a

Catholic religious fanatic in 1610.

Absolutism in France: Continuing the Growth of Absolutism

• Cardinal Richelieu

(1624-1643)

• 9 year old Louis XIII

succeeded Henry IV in 1610. Mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent until 1617.

• Cardinal Richelieu

appointed chief minister in 1624.

• Richelieu became the de

facto ruler of France.

Absolutism in France

• Richelieu’s Goal? • Absolute monarchy. Military superpower status. • His Plan? • 1. Attack the sources of noble power and wealth in the

provinces.

– Richelieu ordered destruction of their fortified castles

and ended their administrative functions.

– Local authority was vested in

the crown.

intendants , agents of

• 2. Attack the fortifications of the Huguenots. No walls

around Protestant cities.

• 3. To limit Hapsburg power in Germany & Spain, get

involved in the Thirty Years’ War.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• The Culmination: • Louis XIV

(r. 1661-1733)

• 72 year reign (longest in

modern European history).

•

Roi Soleil , the “ Sun King .”

• Built

Versailles .

• Superhuman powers?

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• Grew up during the

Fronde , a series of riots between 1648 and 1653 that shook the foundations of the monarchy.

– Regency advised by Cardinal Mazarin tried to impose

taxes on provincial nobles to pay for the Thirty Years’ War.

– Cemented Louis’ view that law and order most

important.

• Tied the nobility to the service of the king and

state.

– Housed court at Versailles. • No central legislature. • No religious tolerance.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• Understood the

3 levers of power

:

• 1. Organized a huge, servile bureaucracy. – A major expense. • 2. Organized a large, standing army. – A major expense. • 3. Organized a vast, central treasury. – Where ‘s the money going to come from?? TAXES. • Tax Problems: – “Tax farmers” – Tax –free noblility – Who shoulders the tax burden??

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• Assisted by – Mercantilist

goods.

Jean Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683), his minister of finance.

• High tariffs to prevent competition with French – Sell goods abroad. Buy nothing back. • Subsidize industries. • Encourage immigration of skilled craftsmen. • Build roads and canals. – Claimed North American territories for

France

• Quebec stocked with French peasants. • Chartered the expeditions of Robert LaSalle—

”Louisiana”

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• French became the language of polite

society and the vehicle of diplomatic exchange.

– Gradually replaced Latin as the language of

international scholarship.

• Uniform and centralized

administration imposed on the country.

– 1685: France was the strongest and most

highly centralized state in Europe.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• Revocation of the Edict of Nantes – 1685 – New law ordered the destruction of churches, closing

of schools, and the baptism of Huguenots.

– Why revoked? • French monarchy never intended religious toleration to

be permanent.

• Religious unity was considered politically necessary for

“one king, one law, one faith.”

• Edict of Nantes was not a popular policy. – Widespread praise for Louis for revoking it. – Impact on France? • Only minor and scattered effects on French economic

development—loss of Huguenot businessmen.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• French Classicism – The art and literature of the age of Louis XIV – Imitated the subject matter and style of

classical antiquity.

• Possessed discipline, balance, restraint. – The official style of Louis’ court. – Under Louis XIV, the principles of absolutism

molded the ideals of French classicism.

• Individualism was not allowed. • Artists’ efforts were directed to the glorification of the

state as personified by the king.

The Rape of the Sabines

• Nicholas

Poussin (1584-1665)

• The finest example

of French classicism.

• “Rape” in this

context means kidnapping.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• For territorial expansion, Louis waged a series

of wars.

– At war for 33 of the 54 years of his personal rule. – Francois le Tellier

(Sec. of State for War)

• Created a professional army for France. • Methods of recruiting: – Dragooning – Conscription (enlistment) – Lottery – Foreign mercenaries • Jean Martinet – A byword for absolute adherence to the rules – Turned soldiers into a tough, obedient military

machine.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

– Ambulance corps created to care for the

wounded.

– Uniforms and weapons were standardized. – Rational system of training and promotion

imposed.

• Upshot: a military machine was created. – France had the power to dominate affairs on the

continent for the first time in European history.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• How did the other European powers

view Louis and his actions??

• As a threat. – Upshot = the

League of Augsburg

• Alliance of other European monarchs. • Balance of power. • England, Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Sweden, and

misc. German electors.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• War of Spanish Succession (1701-

13):

• Charles II of Spain (Hapsburg) – Mentally defective and sexually impotent,

died childless in 1700.

• 1698 treaty of division. – Euro powers (incl. France) agreed to parcel

out the Spanish empire between the king of France and the HRE, who was Charles II’s brother-in-law.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• War of Spanish Succession (1701-

13):

• Charles, however, left a will, transferring the

throne of Spain to Philip of Anjou , the grandson of Louis XIV.

• Louis accepted the will, and Philip became

Philip V, King of Spain.

• Dutch and English cried “foul”! Why? • 2 greatest powers of Europe ruled by the

Bourbons would upset the balance of power.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• Grand Alliance

(1701)

– England, the Dutch Netherlands, Austria,

and Prussia allied against France and Spain.

– Goal = • prevent France from becoming too strong in

Europe.

• Check France’s expanding commercial power in

North America, Asia, and Africa.

• Could be called a “world war.” Why? • Fought in Germany, the Netherlands,

Italy, Spain, in the colonies, and at sea.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• Settled by the

Treaty of Utrecht (1713):

• 1. England & the

Netherlands agreed to recognize Philip as the King of Spain.

• 2. France and Spain

agreed not to unite under one crown.

• 3. French surrender Nova

Scotia, Newfoundland, & Hudson Bay territory to England.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• 4. Spain was forced to

give up Gibraltar to England.

• 5. Spain forced to give up

the asiento the African slave trade— to England.

—control of

• Significance: – Completed the decline of

Spain as a great power.

– Vastly expanded the

British Empire.

– Marked the end of

French expansionist policy.

France’s Ultimate Monarch

• Assessment of Louis XIV (died 9/1/1715): • Versailles was not the real France. • Tax avoidance was common. • Foreign wars brought more debt and humiliation than

solid gains.

• With treasury drained, opposition to Louis’ rule was

created.

• Serfs worked on the verge of starvation with no relief in

sight.

• Middle class struggled with the burdens of state

regulation.

• Scandalous exemptions for the nobility continued. • The stage was set for class conflict and revolution.

Spain: Demise of an Empire

• Spain’s Empire • Spain passed from grandeur to decline in little more than a century.

• Mid 1500s, Spain was the greatest power on earth and the master of Europe.

• Hapsburg dynasty was the leading power of western Europe, originating in France, and coming to power in Spain through marriages.

• Under Philip II, Spain was at the height of its political and cultural power.

Spain: Demise of an Empire

• Spain’s Decline • Lacked a strong middle class – The result of the expulsion of the Jews and Moors.

• Agricultural crisis and population decline.

• Failure to invest in productive enterprises.

– Public opinion condemned moneymaking.

• Dutch and English began to trade with Spanish colonies – 1610-1650, Spanish trade with her colonies fell 60%.

• Royal expenditures constantly exceeded income.

Spain: Demise of an Empire

• Spain’s Decline • Coinage was devalued, bankruptcy was declared, and the national debt was cancelled on several occasions (1596, 1607, 1627, 1647, and 1680).

• Flood of gold and silver produced inflation that made Spanish textiles too expensive on the intl. market.

• Continued weakening of the Hapsburg line.

– Excessive inbreeding.

– Spanish leaders lacked the will for reform.

– Pessimism and fatalism permeated national life.

• Ignored new mercantile ideas and scientific methods that came from England and Holland because they were heretical nations.

Spain: Demise of an Empire

• Spain’s Decline • Involvement in the Thirty Years’ War.

• Defeat by the French in the French-Spanish wars.

– Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659) • Ended French-Spanish wars.

• Spain compelled to surrender extensive territories to France.

• Marked the end of Spain as a great power.

– By 1715, Spain was a 2 nd power.

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