Aim: How should we remember the Age of Absolutism? Do Now: If you were a king or a queen, and you could have absolute power, would you want it? If yes, what would you do with it?

I What was the Age of Absolutism? A) European monarchs in the 16th and 17th centuries sought to have absolute, or unlimited power. B) Absolute monarchs claimed divine right: that they received their power directly from god. Recall that Thomas Hobbes, an enlightenment philosophe, believed that due to man’s selfish nature, absolute monarchs are necessary.

Who Were the Absolute Monarchs? King Philip II of Spain Queen Elizabeth I of England King Charles I of England

Who Were the Absolute Monarchs? King Louis XIV “The Sun King” of France Peter the Great of Russia Catherine the Great of Russia Ivan IV “The Terrible” of Russia

II Absolute Monarchs Showed Their Power SpainEngland The Netherlands and Belgium (mostly Protestant) wanted independence from Catholic Spain. In retaliation for England helping the Netherlands, a fleet of war ships (the Spanish Armada) sailed from Spain to England in July 1588 to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth I defeated the Spanish Armada in This led to England having the strongest navy in the world. In 1642 King Charles I refused to allow the British Parliament (law making body) to meet for 11 years! This went against the Magna Carta (1215) which had limited the rights of Kings. His actions led to the English Civil War.

Defeat of the Spanish Armada

Absolute Monarchs Showed Their Power Continued… FranceRussia 1667 – 1713 King Louis XIV went to war with the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and England over land disputes. The wars ended in 1713 with the Treaty of Utrecht. Louis’ grandson would become the next king of Spain, but France and Spain agreed to never unite under one government – to help maintain their sovereignty. France gave Britain part of eastern Canada explorer Cavelier de La Salle claimed and named the basin of the Mississippi River “Louisiana”, named for King Louis XIV. In 1547 Ivan the Terrible proclaimed himself czar (after Julius Caesar). He conquered Mongol land, expanding Russian territory. He created the Oprichniki, the first secret Russian police force. Peter the Great built St. Petersburg to be Russia’s “Window on the West”. Catherine the Great defeated the Ottoman Turks for access to the Black Sea, so now Russia had a warm water port allowing for a year round navy!

1682 explorer Cavelier de La Salle claimed and named the basin of the Mississippi River “Louisiana”, named for King Louis XIV.

III Absolute Monarchs And Money SpainEnglandFranceRussia King Philip II built his palace El Escorial (1563 – 1584). In November 1640, King Charles I was forced into letting the Parliament meet, so he could ask them for money to finance a war with the Scots. King Louis XIV built his palace at Versailles near Paris. It was so expensive that it drained the French economy. Czar Ivan the Terrible built St. Basil’s Cathedral (a Russian Orthodox Church) in Moscow. Czarina Catherine the Great built her palace modeled on Versailles.

El Escorial, Spain

Versailles, France

The Hall of Mirrors, Versailles, France

The Gardens at Versailles, France

St. Basil’s Cathedral

St. Basil’s Cathedral Interior

Amsterdam, the Netherlands St. Petersburg, Russia Peter the Great traveled to Amsterdam disguised as a “normal” person to learn ship building techniques. He deliberately designed St. Petersburg to look like Amsterdam!

Catherine the Great’s Palace

IV Absolute Monarchs Forced Reforms England Unlike her father Henry VIII (who founded the Anglican Church), Elizabeth I allowed tolerance of Catholics. France Louis XIV revoked the Treaty of Nantes, which had granted religious freedom to Protestants. As a result, almost 1,000,000 Huguenots (French Protestants) fled France.

Absolute Monarchs Forced Reforms Continued… Russia 1697 Peter the Great traveled to Western Europe to gain ideas that would advance Russian society. He built Russia’s first navy, and schools specializing in math, engineering, medicine and science. He forced boyars (Russian nobles) to cut their beards in the style of Western Europe. Catherine the Great encouraged the boyars to speak French and adopt French culture. In return, she gave the boyars more control over their serfs. (At this time, serfdom was mostly a thing of the past in Western Europe!) Peter the Great forcing Russian boyars (nobles) to trim their beards

Summary Questions 1. List an absolute monarch for England, Spain, France, and Russia. List an achievement for each AND an abuse of power for each. 2. Which absolute monarch do you believe abused their power the most? Explain. 3. Which absolute monarch do you believe used their power in a positive way? Explain. 4. Do you think an absolute monarchy would be a good type of government today? Why or why not?

Key Vocabulary Absolute monarch Boyars Catherine the Great Charles I Czar Divine Right El Escorial Elizabeth I English Civil War Ivan the Terrible Louis XIV “The Sun King” Peter the Great Philip II Spanish Armada Sovereignty St. Basil’s Cathedral St. Petersburg Treaty of Utrecht Versailles