1. Monarchs of the 16th and 17th centuries
CRISIS AND ABSOLUTISM
Monarchs of the 16th and 17th centuries

2. Absolutism = a system in which the ruler has total power, a ruler whose power was not limited
Divine Right of Kings = idea that kings received their power from God and were responsible only to God

3. PHILIP II Became king of Spain after the death of his father Charles V
Philip was a devout Catholic and his goal was to make all his territories and Europe Catholic
Known as the “Most Catholic King”
Philip had many problems with England, especially with its queen, Elizabeth I
He viewed her as a heretic queen since she was a Protestant, she refused to marry him after her sister died, she had aided the Dutch rebels, and she was allowing English ship captains to raid Spanish ships
These English “sea dogs” took much wealth away from Spain
Philip decided to invade England and return the country to Catholicism

4. In 1588 the Spanish Armada sailed towards England
- It totaled 130 ships and 20,000 soldiers and also carried the Inquisition
- Elizabeth rallied her troops to fight the Spanish
Due to English using fire ships and a storm that sank many ships, the Spanish Armada was destroyed and Philip failed in his goal to invade England
Philip spent a lot of money on warfare that bankrupted Spain and caused it to gradually decline as a major power

5. ELIZABETH I
Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, became Queen of England in 1558
During her reign, England became the leader of Protestant nations and she laid the foundations for a world empire
She used her marriageable status as a way to make alliances, although Elizabeth never married – she refused to share or limit her power
Elizabeth worked to resolve religious conflicts
In foreign affairs, Elizabeth played a balancing act with France and Spain, supporting one and then the other to make sure neither became too powerful
Since she never married, her heir was her cousin, Mary Stuart, the Queen of Scotland
Mary was Catholic & plotted w/ Philip II to overthrow Elizabeth
For this treason she was beheaded
When Elizabeth died in 1603, Mary’s son James became the new king of England

6. THE STUART KINGS
James I of England and was also James the VI of Scotland
Believed greatly in the divine right of kings, didn’t get along with Parliament
Had problems with English Calvinists called Puritans, who demanded that the Church of England be reformed
They felt it was still too Catholic with elaborate ceremonies and the hierarchy
James refused most of the reforms, but he did agree to the publication of an English version of the Bible, called the King James Bible
Charles I became king on the death of his father
He too believed in divine rights of kings and had problems with Parliament
Thousands of Puritans went to America rather than live under his religious policies
Had numerous conflicts w/ Parliament which led to a civil war

7. English Civil War
Conflict between Parliament and the king to determine the power of each in governing England
Civil War breaks out in 1642 between supporters of the king (called Royalists) and supporters of Parliament (called Roundheads)
Parliament wins, mainly due to the New Model Army and its leader, Oliver Cromwell
His army was made up of extreme Puritans who believed they were doing battle for God
In 1646 the king surrenders
Cromwell then puts the Charles on trial for treason and in Charles I is publicly beheaded
This horrified much of Europe – regicide
He was the first European monarch to be formally tried and executed by a court of law

8. Parliament abolished the monarchy and declared that England was a commonwealth = a republican gov’t based on the common good of all the people
Cromwell soon dismisses Parliament and sets up a military dictatorship, ruling ruthlessly until his death in 1658
RESTORATION
Many people were unhappy under Cromwell’s rule and after his death, Parliament voted to restore the monarchy in 1660
They invited Charles II, son of the slain monarch, to take the throne
Parliament got to keep much of the power it had gained
The Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 – guaranteed those accused of a crime the right to appear in court.

9. Glorious Revolution
James II, brother of Charles II, is next to sit on the throne in 1685
Problem arises in that James has become a devout Catholic who names many Catholics to positions of power
People aren’t too worried because James has two adult daughters who are Protestant who are next in line for the throne
Then James marries a Catholic princess who gives birth to a son – prospect of a Catholic dynasty
A group of nobles invites James’ daughter Mary and her husband, the Dutch leader William of Orange, to invade England in 1689
It is a “Glorious Revolution”, with almost no violence and James II flees to France

10. English Political Thought
Both William and Mary accept the throne, along with a Bill of Rights, which gave Parliament the right to make laws and levy taxes
The Bill of Rights was central to England’s growth as a constitutional monarchy
Act of Succession – only Protestants could be monarchs and disinherited the Catholic branch of the Stuart line
English Political Thought
Thomas Hobbes – wrote Leviathan
Described humans as selfish and fearful and life in nature as “nasty, brutish, and short”
Stated that to save people from destroying each other, people must form a state by agreeing to be governed by an absolute ruler
Need a powerful monarch to tell them how to live

11. John Locke – wrote Two Treatises of Government in which he argued against absolute rule of one person
He believed that before the development of society and politics people lived in a state of freedom and equality, not violence and war
Believed people were born with natural rights and that people establish gov’ts to protect these rights (need a constitution to protect your rights)
If the govt does not, then the people have a right to overthrow the govt and establish new govt
LOUIS XIV
Most absolute monarch, led France during a time of great power, glory, and prosperity
As a young boy, Louis had to flee Paris due to noble rebellions called the Fronde
Louis never again trusted the nobility

12. At age 18 Louis declared he would run the govt himself
“L’etat, c’est moi” = “I am the state”
Chose the sun as his symbol, implying that France revolved around him and he was known as the Sun King
Louis made all the military, political, and economic decisions
Louis built the enormous palace of Versailles 12 miles outside of Paris and moved the govt there
Required his nobles to either live there or visit regularly
Nobles became more concerned with rituals and ceremonies rather than fighting the monarchy
Life at Versailles was expensive, nobles had less money to raise armies
Modernized and enlarged the army – had the largest in Europe
Louis dies in 1715, leaving a 5 year old great-grandson as King Louis XV

13. IVAN IV (Ivan the Terrible)
First to claim the title czar (caesar) and got rid of foreign rule
Numerous reforms during the “good period”:
Created a new legal code & promoted military officers based on experience and reduced the power of land-owning nobles
Then his wife Anastasia died & Ivan becomes unstable & violent
Sends away his closest advisors, takes away land from 1200 boyars, and destroys whole towns because he thought they were plotting against him

14. Peter the Great
Main goal was to transform Russia into a modern state
Wanted to make Russia more like Western Europe
Process of Westernization
Reforms
Built Russia’s first navy and modernized the army
Brought the church under state control and started the first Russian newspaper
Built St. Petersburg as his new capital, was modeled after western cities

15. THIRTY YEARS’ WAR
Began as a religious dispute since the Peace of Augsburg did not recognize Calvinism
Starts when new emperor Ferdinand tries to force Catholicism on the Protestants in Prague
In response they throw his two Catholic advisors out a window
They survive because they land in a dung/garbage heap – known as the Defenestration of Prague
The two sides
Catholic = Holy Roman Empire and Spain (Hapsburgs)
Protestant = Denmark, Sweden, Protestant German princes, and France (Richelieu wants to weaken the Hapsburgs)
England does not join the war

16. The Peace of Westphalia ended the war in 1648, with France emerging as the dominant nation in Europe
Reinstated the Peace of Augsburg, now includes Calvinism
The German princes become sovereign and independent – HRE lost its power
The Thirty Years’ War was the most destructive war yet due to the musket and increased use of guns
The battles took place on German soil, causing much destruction
Millions of Germans died, either in battle or starved to death