The Absolute Monarchs

Review from yesterday What is absolutism again? Absolutism= total control of country in every way So what is an absolute ruler? What is divine right? Divine right= idea that the absolute ruler was chosen by God to rule and therefore is legitimate What does legitimate mean?

Lesson in Legit Legitimate ruler= implies that the ruler has real power. To be “the leader” people need to believe that you are “the leader” Many ways to be legit Respect Fear Divine Right

Hapsburg Empire What is this all about? Well…the Hapsburgs are a family that dominated the Holy Roman Empire Divided into two areas. (Map) Areas directly controlled by Holy Roman Empire Areas indirectly controlled by Holy Roman Empire

Hapsburg Empire

So lets get this straight Hapsburg’s are a family They control the Holy Roman Empire They also control Spain and Austria as well as Southern Italy As we enter this unit, Charles V is the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

Now to the Monarchs Philip II- Spain Louis XIV- France Peter the Great- Russia Catherine the Great- Russia

Philip II of Spain Charles V took over the Holy Roman Empire and Spanish Empire. This was too much so he split it up between his sons He gave the Spanish Empire to his son Philip

Philip II Goals Philip II believes he rules by divine right Expand Spanish Influence Strengthen the Catholic Church Make his power absolute Philip II believes he rules by divine right Believed himself to be the protector of the church = he persecuted Protestants in his lands

Philip II Philip II = Catholic Protestant = enemy for Philip II England, Netherlands both Protestant Therefore, England and the Netherlands are enemies of Philip II Netherlands rebellions Spanish Armada

Philip II and the Spanish Armada

Philip II Fails with his Armada The Armada sails for England with the intent to attack The Spanish Armada was the greatest naval force ever created. When they arrived to put the hurt on the English, the weather turned and they were scattered and destroyed. Eventually they realized they had to return home. This signaled the end for Spanish expansion and the beginning of the downfall of their power

Moving on to France Religious wars have torn France apart. France was primarily Catholic however, had Protestant sects known as Huguenots Henry IV, a Huguenot ruler inherited the French throne. He became Catholic to avoid issues His goal: reduce power of nobles, become an absolute leader

Henry IV His royal administration granted Huguenots more religious toleration Centralized the Government. What does centralizing government mean? Henry wished to reduce the need of nobles by doing everything for the people. What would this do for Henry’s power?

Cardinal Richelieu Everyone dies…Henry IV was no different His son Louis XIII, 9 years old, takes power. He couldn’t possibly rule France so he appointed Cardinal Armand Richelieu as his chief minister.

Richelieu’s France Richelieu’s goal Eliminate all those who did not bow to royal authority; extend royal power Nobles: tied them to the King by giving them high posts Huguenots: weakened the Protestant cities but allowed them to continue practicing religion Louis XIII rules with the assistance of Richelieu until they both passed where their successors continued extending royal power

Louis XIV Took over for Louis XIII and greatly expanded power. With the person next to you, read the section on p. 427-28 “From Boy King to Sun King” Consider the characteristics of absolutism Divine Right No check on power Strong military Growth of the economy

Show of Royal Power Palace of Versailles

Russia Russia was still in Medieval era What does that mean? Why might the Renaissance not have reached Russia? Finally, a young Peter takes control. He hears about all this advancement in Europe and wants to update Russia.

Peter the Great Autocratic ruler (absolutism) Tried to Modernized Russia Serfdom Nobles serve the state Expansion Build Military Warm Water Port Expand to frontier

Catherine the Great Peter’s successors were ineffective. Catherine takes hold of Russia and reinstates the absolute rule of Peter Also embraced European ideas like Peter

Catherine the Great Kept serfdom and strengthened rights of nobles to repress them. Continued Peter’s Expansion Poland; no war

Absolutism Review: Who are the Absolute monarchs? What are characteristics of absolute rulers? What tends to be problems for absolute rulers?