ABSOLUTISM (1600-1770)

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ABSOLUTISM (1600-1770)
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INTRODUCTION

• In the Middle Ages, the power of kings had been
  limited by nobles, parliaments, and the Catholic
  Church
• The decline of feudalism, the Renaissance, the
  Protestant Reformation, and the Commercial
  Revolution all helped enrich European society and
  increase the power of European monarchs
  (hereditary rulers)

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THE BIG QUESTION

• How did Europes rulers achieve absolute power?

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WARS OF RELIGION

• During the Reformation, most kings took control
  of religion within their own borders
• Religious wars provided kings with an opportunity
  to build large standing armies
• Introduced new government officials
• Allowed tax increases (resistance was put down by
  the kings army)

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CHANGING ROLES OF THE NOBILITY

• In the Middle Ages, nobles had been independent
  sources of power
• In the 1600s, rulers began to tame the nobility
  by keeping watch over them.
• Nobles kept wealth and privileges, but had to
  obey the kings command
• The growing urban middle classes often allied
  themselves with kings against the nobility

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JUSTIFICATIONS FOR ROYAL POWER

• Reason of state justified doing whatever was
  necessary for the survival of the state
• Some thought that without a strong central
  authority to keep order, society would break
  down, so kings were justified in seizing absolute
  power in order to maintain order in society
• Divine right of kings the king was Gods deputy
  on earth, and royal commands expressed Gods
  wishes

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ACTIVITY

• Complete the chart of absolute rulers. Include
  the years the monarch ruled, the country the
  monarch ruled, and key legislations or policies.

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LEFT SIDE ACTIVITY

• Choose one of the justifications for royal power
  and create a cartoon describing or illustrating
  it.

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ABSOLUTISM IN RUSSIA

• By the end of the 15th century, rulers around
  Moscow declared independence from Mongol rule
  (adopted the system of royal absolutism on a
  grand scale)
• Conquered neighboring lands
• The majority of population were serfs (just when
  serfdom was declining in Western Europe, it was
  increasing in Eastern Europe)
• Russian nobility pledged absolute loyalty to the
  Tsar in return for their power over serfs

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ACTIVITY

• Add Peter the Great (1682-1725) and Catherine the
  Great (1762-1796) to your chart

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Left Side Activity

• Create a chart comparing absolutism in France and
  Russia. Include both similarities and differences

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LIMITED MONARCHY IN ENGLAND

• English monarchs were never able to establish
  absolute rule as those in France, Spain and
  Russia did
• Checks had been placed on the English kings
  power
• Magna Carta (1215) guaranteed that Englishmen
  could not be fined or imprisoned without process
  of law and new taxes had to be approved by the
  kings barons
• Parliament established as a legislative body
  made up of nobles and elected representatives

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ENGLANDS ROAD TO LIMITED MONARCHY

• Create a flow chart describing the events leading
  to Englands Limited Monarchy
• Tudor Monarchs Henry VIII and Elizabeth I
• Early Stuart Monarchs James I and Charles I
• English Civil War (1642-1649) Oliver Cromwell
• The Restoration Charles II
• The Glorious Revolution William and Mary and the
  English Bill of Rights

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POLITICAL THINKERS IN THE AGE OF ABSOLUTISM

• Thomas Hobbes Man was not naturally good and
  was incapable of maintaining social order,
  therefore absolute rule was necessary
• John Locke believed rulers obtained power from
  the people, not God. Promoted the social
  contract. The purpose of government was to
  protect natural rights (life, liberty, property)
• Sir William Blackstone explained English common
  law (judges following precedents of other courts)
  and Englands mixed monarchy where power was
  shared by king and Parliament.

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EUROPEAN SOCIETY IN THE 18TH CENTURY

• Social Order The Old Regime
• Society was aristocratic people of noble birth
  were a race apart (superior to everyone else)
• Nobles owned the most land, served as army
  officers, became Church bishops, and held the
  highest government positions