Absolute Monarchs In
Europe
1500-1800
Power and Authority
Monarchs acted to establish absolute
power!
Monarchs used the divine right theory to
justify power.
Parliament and the Puritans in England
resisted absolutism.
– A limited monarchy was established in
England.
In the 1500s and 1600s, monarchs in
Europe and Asia sought to centralize their
power. This led to absolutism.
Absolutism – autocratic rulers have
COMPLETE authority over government and
the lives of the people.
Absolutism in Spain
In the 1500s, Spain
was very powerful.
Wealth from its
colonies in the
Americas helped
Spain’s power to
grow.
Absolutism in Spain
Charles V
From 1519 to 1556, Charles V, the
grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, was
king of Spain.
Absolutism in Spain
Philip II
Son of Charles V
Ruling from 1556 to 1598, he
expanded his own power as well
as the influence of the Catholic
Church and the Spanish empire.
He wanted to control all aspects
of government, believing that he
ruled by divine right.
Ferdinand and Isabella
Took over Spain from the Moors and made
Spain into a Catholic country.
SPANISH INQUISITION: Church court
sentenced to non-Catholic people who did
not believe in Catholic Church.
Thousands of Jews were sentenced to
death or driven out of Spain. This means
that they were forced to leave.
Absolutism in France
By the late 1600s, France had replaced
Spain as the most powerful European
nation. Absolute monarchs, too, ruled it.
Absolutism in France
The Sun-King –
Inheriting the throne in
1643 as a five-year old
child, Louis XIV ruled
France for 72 years.
He continued to
strengthen, taking the
sun as the symbol of his
power and commanding
complete loyalty from his
subjects.
Absolutism in France
During his reign, Louis:
1. Expanded the bureaucracy, appointing officials to
collect taxes, recruit soldiers, and carry out his rule
in the provinces.
2. Build the lavish, immense Palace of Versailles
outside of Paris.
3. Organized a highly disciplined army, the strongest
in Europe.
4. Persecuted the Protestants, depriving the nation of
many of its most hard-working and prosperous
citizens.
~King Louis’ Legacy~
Under Louis XIV, France was a wealthy,
powerful state with great cultural
influence.
However,
Louis’ extravagant parties at Versailles and
his costly wars, left France in debt.
Versailles
Why did Louis XIV consider himself the
“Sun-King”? How is that naming an
example of his belief in absolutism?
Absolutism in Russia
“Absolutism” in England
In 1215, the barons, who were wealthy
Landowners, forced the King to sign an
agreement that would guarantee them
certain rights. This agreement was called the
Magna Carta. This was the first written
document that limited the power of the King.
The Magna Carta made the King:
Discuss new laws and taxes
Allow a person to have a jury trial
The Magna Carta was an important step
toward a more just government in
England.
The First Parliament
In 1295, the first Parliament met. A
Parliament is a law-making body made up of
nobles, clergy, knights, and townspeople.
During this time in England, therefore, the
King shared power with Parliament.
During the early part of the Reformation,
England remained Catholic. Then, King
Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic
Church because he wanted a divorce.
When the Pope refused to end Henry’s
marriage, King Henry VIII broke away
from the Catholic Church and began the
Church of England, also known as the
Anglican Church.
King Henry VIII gained much wealth and
power and made England even stronger.
Eventually, Henry’s daughter, Elizabeth
becames Queen
England under Elizabeth I
Elizabeth ruled from 1558-1603 and is considered
to be one of England’s greatest monarchs. Some
of her accomplishments were:
Building up England’s navy to protect England
and its shipping routes.
Increasing its trade with other countries making
England a wealthy nation.
Speaking several languages and knowing how to
deal with foreign rulers.
Absolutism in England
While other nations turned to absolutism
in the 1500s and 1600s, England moved in
a different direction. England’s Parliament
managed to resist successfully the
consolidation of royal power.
Absolutism in England
Puritans – were a certain group of the
English, who were seeking to “purify” the
Church of England by eliminating Catholic
power
Charles I – inherited the throne in 1625.
He created problems during his reign by:
Putting his enemies in prison without trials
Imposing high taxes
Angering the Puritans
Dissolves Parliament
Absolutism in England
English Civil War – was an important
turning point in the history on
Constitutional government in England. The
ideas of the Puritans also shaped the
development of the colonies that became
the United States in the 1700s.
Absolutism in England
Oliver Cromwell was the military
commander who led the Puritans, country
landowners, and town-based
manufacturers against the Cavaliers who
supported King Charles I.
What do you think Oliver Cromwell did to
King Charles???
King Charles was captured in
1647;Parliament put Charles I on trial and
beheaded him in 1649.
Absolutism in England
Parliament’s House of Commons
abolished the monarch. England became a
republic, called the Commonwealth, with
Oliver Cromwell as its leader. In 1653,
Cromwell took the title of Lord Protector,
and ruled through the army.
Absolutism in England
In 1660, Parliament invited Charles II, the
son of Charles I, to become king of
England.
In 1685, his brother James II, inherited
the throne. James quickly became
unpopular because of his Catholicism and
his absolutist policies.
The Glorious Revolution
Parliament overthrows James II.
Parliament asks James’s daughter, Mary, and her
husband William, to take the English throne.
Mary and William, both Protestants, arrived in
England as James II fled to France, completing a
bloodless transfer of power. This time period is
called the Restoration – bring back the
monarchs!
The English Bill of Rights
William and Mary were forced to accept
the English Bill of Rights, a set of acts
passed by Parliament to ensure its
superiority over the monarchy.
The Bill of Rights:
– Stated the King must work regularly with Parliament
– Stated the king must give the House of Commons
financial control
– Abolished excessive fines & cruel and unusual
punishment
– Affirmed habeas corpus, meaning that no person
could be held in jail without first being charged with a
crime.
With this Bill of Rights, England became a
limited monarchy, a government in which a
legislative body limits the monarch’s powers.
HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM THE
MONARCHIES OF SPAIN AND FRANCE??
Causes of Absolutism
LONG TERM CAUSES
Feudalism ends
Rise of Cities/Middle Class
Growth of countries
Church power weakened
Causes of Absolutism
IMMEDIATE CAUSES
Religious Wars
Build Up of Armies
Increased Need for Taxes
Crush Peasant Revolts
Causes of Absolutism
All this resulted in…
Absolute Monarchies!
