Absolute Monarchs in Europe Chapter 21 Section 1

Absolute Monarchs in Europe Chapter 21

Section 1 -Spain’s Empire and European Absolutism

A Powerful Spanish Empire • Philip II– Son of Charles V – Inherited Spain, the Spanish Netherlands and Spain’s American colonies – Philip was shy, serious, deeply religious, and aggressive for the sake of his empire

A Powerful Spanish Empire • Philip II’s Empire– Controlled Portugal’s holdings, strongholds in Africa, India, and the East Indies – Received 1/4 th to 1/5 th of each ships treasure – Supported an army of 50, 000 – Defended and supported Catholicism against Muslims

Golden Age of Spanish Literature • During the 16 th and 17 th century Spain experienced a golden age in arts • El Greco– Means “the Greek” – Paintings represented the deep Catholic faith of Spain – Were often hard to understand • Diego Velazquez– His paintings reflected the pride of the Spanish monarchy

Golden Age of Spanish Literature • Don Quixote. Published in 1605 – Called the birth of the modern European novel – Written by Miguel de Cervantes – Story surrounds a poor man who read to many novels about kings, than went crazy

The Spanish Empire Weakens • Inflation and Taxes – Inflation-The decline in the value of money – Causes of Spanish inflation • Population had increased and due to the increased need for goods merchants raised prices • The value of the silver bullion had decreased

The Spanish Empire Weakens • Making Spain’s Enemies Rich – Spain bought most of their products from France, England the Netherlands – To finance their wars they borrowed money from German and Italian bankers

The Independent Dutch Prosper • The Netherlands won their independence from Spain in 1579 • They had the best banks and the best artists in Europe during the 1600’s • Rembrandt van Rijn– Painted wealthy middle-class merchants and groups • Famous works also included The Night Watch and a series of paintings about Jesus

The Independent Dutch Prosper • Dutch Trading Empire – Had the largest fleet of ships in the world • 4, 800 ships – Dutch East Indian Company • Dominated the spice trade and the Indian Ocean trade

Absolutism in Europe • Absolute Monarchs– Kings or Queens held all the power within their states boundaries • Divine Right– The belief that God created the monarch and monarchy to act as representatives of God

Section 2 -The Reign of Louis XIV

Religious Wars and Power Struggles • Henry IV– In 1589 became the 1 st king of the Bourbon dynasty in France – He was decisive, fearless in battle and a clever politician – Converted to Catholicism to make the people of France happy

Religious Wars and Power Struggles • Edict of Nantes– Declaration of religious tolerance that allowed the Huguenots to set up their own place of worship

Religious Wars and Power Struggles • Cardinal Richelieu– A strong minister appointed by Louis XIII to compensate for his weakness – Took two steps to increase the power of the Bourbon monarchy • Moved against the Huguenots – Felt Protestantism was an excuse for conspiracies against the Catholic Church • Sought to weaken the power of nobles

Writers Turn Towards Skepticism • Skepticism– The idea that nothing can ever be known for certain • To doubt was viewed as the first step to discovering the truth

Louis XIV Comes to Power • Louis XIV– Most powerful ruler in French History – Viewed the state and himself as one and the same – His goal was to become so strong that the nobles could never threaten him

Louis XIV Comes to Power • Intendants-Government agents who collected taxes and administered justice in France under Louis XIV • Jean Baptiste Colbert-Minister of France who believed they should be self sufficient – Fan of mercantilism – Gave tax breaks to French companies – Recognized how vital France’s colonies were in terms of receiving raw materials

Louis Fights Disastrous Wars • By 1660 France had a population of 20 million people • France’s army was superior to the other European Countries in: – The size of their army – Their training – Their weaponry

Louis Fights Disastrous Wars • The War of Spanish Succession– Lasted from 1701 to 1714 – Charles II of Spain had promised the throne to France’s Philip of Anjou – England, Austria, Dutch Republic, Portugal and several German and Italian states joined forces to prevent the union of the France and Spain thrones

Louis Fights Disastrous Wars • The War of Spanish Succession – Treaty of Utrecht-Stated that Philip could remain king of Spain as long as both thrones remained separate – England emerges as the big winner • They captured the fort at Gibraltar • Received permission to send slaves to Spain’s American colonies • England also received Nova Scotia and Newfoundland (In modern day Canada)

Louis Fights Disastrous Wars • Louis’ Death and His Legacy – Positive Effects: • France ranked as the best European country in terms of art, literature, and statesmanship • Strongest military power in Europe – Negative Effects: • The Palace of Versailles plunged France into debt • There was resentment over high taxes and Louis’ abuse of power

Section 3 -Central European Monarchs Clash

The Thirty Years’ War • The Thirty Years’ War – A conflict over religion, territory, and power among European ruling families that lasted from 1618 to 1648. • It can be broken down into two main phases: – The Hapsburg Triumphs – The Hapsburg Defeats

The Thirty Years’ War • The Hapsburg Triumphs – Hapsburg armies from Austria and Spain crushed Protestant forces in Germany and those hired by princes as well as the Czech uprising – Ferdinand II paid his 125, 000 man army by allowing them to loot the areas they attacked

The Thirty Years’ War • The Hapsburg Defeats– 1630 Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and his 23, 000 man army drove the Hapsburg army out of Germany – 1635 Cardinal Richelieu sent French troops to help German and Swedish protestants fighting the Hapsburgs

The Thirty Years’ War • Peace of Westphalia-1648 – Weakened the Hapsburg states of Austria and Germany – Awarded France German territory – Made German princes independent of the Holy Roman Empire – Ended religious wars in Europe – Created a method of negotiations for reaching peace

States Form in Central Europe • Economic Contrasts in the West – Serfs in the west moved to towns and gained economic power through capitalism – The aristocracy in Central Europe passed laws to restrict the serfs ability to gain freedom • The Ottoman Empire and Holy Roman Empire had been severely weakened by the 1600’s

Persia Challenges Austria • Frederick “The Great”– Loved music, philosophy and poetry – His father feared he wasn’t militarily savvy enough to rule – When he and his friend ran away his punishment was to watch his friends beheading – He encouraged religious tolerance, legal reform and felt a king should act like a father to his people

Persia Challenges Austria • The Seven Years’ War– 1756 Frederick attacked Saxony as a result all major European powers were now at war • Britain and Persia on one side • Austria, France, and Russia on the other • The war was fought in Europe, India and North America • The War ended in 1763 with no major territorial changes