King Henry VIII and his heirs constantly consulted with Parliament, making their reigns successful in the eyes of the people and the Parliament.
- During Queen Elizabeth's reign, she constantly quarreled with the treasury because they didn't have enough funds to pay for her expenses. When she died, she left a huge debt for her successor to deal with.
- Since Elizabeth died childless, her heir was her cousin, James Stuart the king of Scotland, starting the Stuart monarch...
Russia
Following Ivan's death in 1584, power in Russia fluctuated between members of the landed elite - the Boyars - and the Romanov royal family.
- 3. Russians call this period "The Time of Troubles". Stability and modernization took shape in Russia following the ascension of Peter I, known as "Peter the Great", who worked to make Russian power an equal of the most powerful monarchies in Western Europe.
Chapter 21, Sec 1 & 2: Things to Know
1. What is defined as The principle or the exercise of complete & unrestricted power in government?
2. Which monarch ruled Spain and set the stage for absolute monarchy in Europe?
3. Which Spanish king built the Spanish Armada?
4. What is a king or queen who held all of the power within their states' boundaries called?
5. What is the idea that God created the monarchy and that the monarch acted as God's representative on Earth called?
6. One in ___ Frenchmen were Huguenots, or French Protestants.
7. Approximately how many Hugenots were killed in the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre?
8. The __ __ __ granted the Huguenots religious toleration and other freedoms.
9. Who became history's best example of an absolute monarch?
10. Louis revoked the __ __ __ and outlawed Protestantism in France.
1. The principle or the exercise of complete & unrestricted power in government.
The monarch holds executive, legislative & judicial powers.
Monarchs also believed in the "Divine Right Rule" Because monarchs received their power from God, they could not be challenged
Absolute Monarchs
The English Civil War - Things to Know
1. The Long Parliament was created in ___ and lasted ___ years.
2. Who was England's Civil War between?
3. Why was Charles I put on trial and executed?
4. Who was invited back to England to rule after Cromwell died?
5. What was the bloodless overthrow of England called?
6. List the four traditional rights set forth by the English Bill of Rights.
7. Name the three things created by the Glorious Revolution.
Europe
Peter the great brought the Russian Orthodox Church under his control, abolishing the head of the Church and introduced a Holy Synod to run the church under his direction.
- Next, Peter reduced the power of landowners. He recruited men from lower-ranking families and promoted them to positions of authority and gave them land.
- 5. To modernize his army, he hired European officers to drill his soldiers in European tactics. Being a soldier was a lifetime job. By the time of his death, the Russian army numbered 200,000 men which were payed for with heavy taxes.
Westernizing Russia
- As part of his attempts to westernize Russia, Peter undertook the following:
- He introduced potatoes, which became a staple of the Russian diet
- He started Russia's first newspaper and edited it's first issue himself
- He raised women's status by having them attend social gatherings
- He ordered the nobles to give up their traditional clothes for Western fashions
- He advanced education by opening a school of navigation and introducing schools for the arts and sciences
- Peter believed that education was a key to Russia's progress. In former times, subjects were forbidden under pain of death to study the sciences in foreign lands.
- Now subjects were not only permitted to leave the county, many were forced to do it.
Chapter 21, Section 3 - Things to Know
1. What allowed each ruler to be able to choose what religion he would have in his kingdom?
2. Who did the Protestants in Bohemia not trust because he was a foreigner and Catholic?
3. How did Ferdinand pay his soldiers?
4. What introduced a new method of peace negotiation where all participants meet to settle the problems of war and decide the terms of peace?
5. What central family ruled the Prussians?
6. How did King Frederick William punish his son for running away with a friend?
7. Who would ally together to fight Prussia and France?
8. Who emerged as the real victors of the Seven Years' War?
Peter the Great of Russia, r. 1682-1725
To help promote education, he needed a seaport that would make it easier to travel West.
- In 1700, he took a piece of land forcefully from Sweden in which he could build a city to compete with the Western world. It would be called St. Petersburg, after his patron saint.
- This land was very swampy and not suitable for building. In order to make it better, every summer Peter forced thousands of serfs to leave home and work on building St. Petersburg.
- An estimated 25,000 to 100,000 people died from the terrible working conditions and disease.
- When it was finished, Peter ordered many Russian nobles to leave Moscow for St. Petersburg, his new capital.
- 6. For better or for worse, Peter the Great had tried to westernize and reform the culture and government of Russia. To an amazing extent he had succeeded. By the time of his death in 1725, Russia was a power to be reckoned with in Europe.
Romanov Imperial Coat of Arms
7. The Glorious Revolution created a limited monarchy in England, in which a constitution limits the monarch's power.
- In the century following the Glorious Revolution, Britain evolved into a constitutional government, a government whose power is defined and limited by law.
- The Prime Minister became the chief official of the English government.
James II, brother of Charles II, was next at the throne.
- James soon offended people by displaying his Catholicism (England was largely Protestant) and violating English law by appointing several Catholics to high office.
- When Parliament protested, James dissolved it (again).
- In 1688, James's wife gave birth to a son, making the people terrified at the prospect of a line of Catholic kings.
- Luckily for the English people, James II would be dethroned by his Protestant daughter, Mary, and her husband William of Oragne, a prince of the Netherlands.
- Seven members of Parliament invited William and Mary to overthrow James for the sake of Protestantism. William and Mary landed on the island with their army in 1688, forcing James to flee, heading for France.
- 5. This bloodless overthrow became known as the Glorious Revolution.
At their coronation, William and Mary vowed to recognize Parliament as their partner in governing. England had become not an absolute monarchy but a constitutional monarchy, where laws limited the ruler's power.
- To make clear the limits of royal power, Parliament drafted a Bill of rights in 1689.
- The Bill of Rights states:
- No suspending of Parliament's laws
- No levying of taxes without a specific grant from Parliament
- No interfering with freedom of speech Parliament
- No penalty for a citizen who petitions the king about grievances
- 6. Traditional rights set forth by the English Bill of Rights:
- Trial by jury
- No excessive fines
- Abolishing of cruel and unusual punishment
- The right to obtain Habeas Corpus - can't hold a person in jail without being charged a crime
William and Mary consented to these and other limits on their royal power
4. After Oliver Cromwell died in 1658, Parliament invited Charles II was invited back to England and would be welcomed back as ruler by the people of England. He reopened theaters and taverns, and reestablished the Church of England.
- He accepted the Petition of Right, but held the same beliefs as his father in an absolute monarchy, but shrewdly avoided his father's mistakes.
After 1688, no british monarch could rule without the consent of Parliament. At the same time, Parliament could not rule without the consent of the monarch.
- If the two disagreed, government came to a standstill.
- During the 1700s, this potential problem was remedied by the development of a group of government ministers called the cabinet, who acted in the ruler's name but in reality represented the major party of Parliament - became the link between the monarch and the majority in Parliament.
- Over time, the cabinet became center of power and policy making. Under the cabinet system, the leader of the majority party in Parliament heads the cabinet and is called the prime minister.
- This system of English government continues today.
Cromwell abolished the monarchy and the House of Lords, established a commonwealth (republican form of government), sent home the remaining members of Parliament, and drafted a constitution (with help of John Lambert) - but Cromwell tore up the constitution and became a military dictator.
- Cromwell immediately had to quell a rebellion in Ireland, landing on the shores in 1649 and crushing the uprising. He seized lands and homes, giving them to the English soldiers.
- Cromwell and the Puritans in England sought to reform society, making laws and abolishing activities they found sinful. He favored religious toleration, even letting the Jews back in who had been expelled in 1290.
The English Civil War lasted from 1642-1651, posing a major challenge to absolutism.
2.
Cavaliers vs Roundheads
Charles I vs Oliver Cromwell
Who won?
3. Oliver Cromwell (the only general that either side could find that could gain a lasting advantage) and the Roundheads.
- They eventually captured Charles, put him on trial and executed him for being a tyrant, traitor, murderer, and public enemy.
- Never before had a king been captured, put on public trial, and publicly executed. This was revolutionary.
Charles signed the Petition, but within a year, he dissolved the Parliament and continued to ignore the petition for 11 years and ruled the nation without the Parliament, making bitter enemies by imposing all kinds of fees and fines on the English people.
- 1. In retaliation, the Long Parliament was created in 1640 (because it lasted on and off for 13 years).
- The Long Parliament triggered a great political revolution as it tried and executed Charles I's chief ministers and abolished bishops and declared that the Parliament could not be dissolved without its own consent.
In 1625, Charles I inherited the throne - he too acted like an absolute monarch.
- During the beginning of his reign, he needed money to finance a war with both Spain and France, but Parliament refused, so he dissolved it
- In 1628, he needed to raise taxes and was forced to summon Parliament. Parliament refused to grant him money until he signed the Petition of Right:
- Petition of Right's four points:
- King would not imprison subjects without due cause
- King would not levy taxes without Parliament's consent
- King would not house soldiers in private homes
- King would not impose martial law in peacetime.
- Would he sign it?!
The Peace of Westphalia would mark the end of the war, but not before Germany laid in ruins.
- Its population dropped from 20 million to 16 million people. Germany's economy was ruined.
- Germany had a long, difficult recovery from this devastation.
- 4. The Peace of Westphalia had these important consequences:
- It weakened the Hapsburg states of Spain and Austria.
- It strengthened France by awarding it German territory
- It made German princes independent of the Holy Roman emperor.
- It ended religious wars in Europe
- It introduced a new method of peace negotiation where all participants meet to settle the problems of war and decide the terms of peace.
Charles offended Puritans upholding the rituals of the Anglican Church. He also tried to force Presbyterian Scots to accept a version of the Anglican prayer book.
- Charles wanted both kingdoms to follow one religion.
- The Scots rebelled, assembled a huge army, and threatened to invade England.
- To meet this danger, Charles needed money -- money he could get only by calling Parliament into session. This gave Parliament a chance to oppose him.
- In 1641, Parliament passed laws to limit royal power. In response, Charles tried to arrest Parliament leaders but they escaped.
- An equally furious mob of Londoners raged outside the palace. Charles fled London and raised an army in the north of England, where people were loyal to him.
- A civil war was on the verge of beginning. One between the Royalists, or Cavaliers, led by King Charles I and the Puritans, or Roundheads and their New Model Army led by Oliver Cromwell.
Originally, James I agreed to rule England according to their own laws, but soon he was lecturing to Parliament about divine right, which was fiercely resisted.
- Puritan members of Parliament hoped James would clean the Church of England of all Catholic practices, but he only agreed to a new translation of the bible.
- James's worst struggles with Parliament were over money - James needed money to fight wars and finance his lavish court, but Parliament disagreed, so he dissolved the Parliament and collected taxes on his own.
Frederick William worried that his son, Frederick II, was not military enough to rule.
- One day, Frederick II and a friend tried to run away but were caught.
The Thirty Years' War lasted from 1618 to 1648.
- During the first 12 years, the Catholics, lead by the Hapsburg armies from Austria and Spain, saw successes in putting down the Czechs.
- 3. Ferdinand paid his soldiers by letting them plunder the cities in their path. They destroyed everything.
- Starting in 1630, the Protestant Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and his armies shifted the tide of war, but he was killed in 1632.
- Cardinal Richelieu and Cardinal Mazarin of France dominated the remaining years of the war.
- They were Catholic but feared the Hapsburgs. In order to keep anyone from having as much power as the Hapsburgs, the Cardinals sent French troops to join the German and Swedish Protestants in their struggles against the Hapsburgs. The war would end with a Catholic victory.
- 6. For punishment, King Frederick William made his son watch the beheading of his friend.
Frederick II later became Frederick the Great by following his father's military lead, but softened some of his father's laws. He also allowed religious toleration. He believed that a ruler should be like a father to his people.
5. The Prussians would be ruled by a central family, the Hohenzollerns. They were very ambitious, which threatened to upset central Europe's delicate balance of power.
- The Hohenzollerns built up their state from a number of small holdings.
- In 1640, a Hohenzollern by the name of Frederick William inherited the title of elector of Brandenburg. He gained the nickname of the Great Elector by deciding that having a strong army was the only way to ensure safety.
- He also moved his state to an absolute monarchy. He had a standing army of 80,000 men and paid for it with taxes.
- The landowning nobles, called Junkers (YUNG-kuhrz), resisted the king's growing power, but King Frederick William I would buy their cooperation by giving them exclusive rights to be officers in his army.
Charles IV had ruled as a Hapsburg over the Czechs, Hungarians, Italians, Croatians, and Germans.
- In order for the Hapsburgs to ensure that they would continue to rule as much of the lands in Europe as possible, Charles had to convince the other leaders of Europe to sign an agreement that declared they would recognize Charles's eldest daughter as the heir to all his Hapsburg territories. That heir would be Maria Theresa.
The future Holy Roman emperor, Ferdinand II, was head of the Hapsburg family and he ruled the Czech kingdom of Bohemia.
- 2. The Protestants in Bohemia didn't trust Ferdinand II because he was a foreigner and Catholic.
- When Ferdinand closed some Protestant churches, the Protestants revolted. Ferdinand sent an army in to crush the revolt and several Protestant princes took the chance to challenge their Catholic emperor
- The Thirty Years' War had just begun!
Ch 21, Sec 3 - Central European Monarchs Clash
The Thirty Years' War
In 1740, Maria Therese succeeded her father, just five months after Frederick the Great became ruler of Prussia.
- Frederick decided to challenge Maria. He wanted the Austrian land of Silesia, beginning the Austrian War of Succession.
- Maria, who had just given birth, traveled to Hungary to ask for assistance, which she received.
- 7. Great Britain, Austria, and Hungary would all ally to fight Prussia and France, their ally.
- Maria would lose Silesia in a treaty in 1748, allowing Prussia to become a major power.
Bitter from her loss, Maria Theresa decided that the French kings we no longer Austria's chief enemies and she allied with them (a diplomatic revolution).
- When Frederick heard of this, he allied with Britain, Austria's former ally.
- Now, Austria, France, Russia, and others were allied against Britain and Prussia.
- In 1756, Frederick attacked Saxony, an Austrian ally. Soon, all European powers would be involved in the war, which would be fought in Europe, India, and North America.
- The war did not change territorial situation in Europe, but was a different story on other continents.
- Both France and Britain had colonies in India and North America.
- 8. The British emerged as the real victors of the Seven Years' War.
- France lost its colonies in North America, and Britain gained sole economic domination of India, setting the stage for further British expansion in India in the 1800s.
Also known as the "Sun King" - relating himself to the God Apollo. Like Apollo, the warrior-king brought peace to his people.
1. Through the Peace of Augsburg, each German ruler was able to choose what religion he would have in his kingdom - Catholicism or Protestantism. But this peace would not last for long...
- Both Lutheran (Protestant) and Catholic princes felt threatened by a new idea that was being introduced, called Calvinism.
- The Lutherans all united together in the Protestant Union in 1608. The next year, the Catholics joined together in the Catholic League. Now only a spark would be needed to start a war.
Louis XIV of France, r. 1643-1715
In 1559, King Henry II of France died, leaving four young sons. Three of them ruled, one after the other, but all proved incompetent.
- The real power behind the throne during this period was their mother, Catherine de Medicis.
- 6. Catherine tried to preserve royal authority, but growing conflicts between Catholics and Huguenots, French Protestants, rocked the country. 1 in 10 people in France were Huguenots.
- The Huguenots threatened the Catholic French monarchy who believed in the idea of "un roi, une loi, une foi" or "one king, one law, one religion."
While the Protestant Reformation began in Germany, with the help of Gutenberg's Printing Press, it soon spread to France
In 1572, the violence came to a boiling point when the Catholic queen of France ordered the mass killing of Huguenots in Paris.
- 7. This day became known as the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Catholic mobs were estimated to have killed 10,000 to 70,000 Huguenots in the streets of Paris.
Between 1562 and 1598, Huguenots and Catholics fought eight religious wars.
Chaos spread through France...
Finally, Louis showed his absolutist side by completely defeating the Huguenots once and for all.
10. He revoked the Edict of Nantes and outlawed Protestantism in France. Over 200,000 Huguenots fled France. We'll talk about how that affected France in Chapter 23.
Henry of Navarre survived the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre by denying his religion.
- Many Catholics, including the people of Paris, opposed Henry. For the sake of his war-weary country, Henry chose to give up Protestantism and become Catholic
- By turning Catholic, Henry gained strong allies and eventually became Henry IV, the next king of France.
- Henry explained his decision with, "Paris is well worth a mass"
It was no longer safe to be a Huguenot in France and many began to leave or convert back to Catholicism. One famous convert was an important noble by the name of Henry of Navarre.
Philip set a precedence for all of Europe. Many European monarchs would also claim the authority to rule without limits on their power, becoming absolute monarchs
- 4. Absolute monarchs are kings or queens who held all of the power within their states' boundaries - their goal was to control every aspect of society.
- 5. The believe in the divine right, the idea that God created the monarchy and that the monarch acted as God's representative on Earth.
- As absolute monarchy grew throughout Europe, the growing middle class supported monarchs because they promised peace, a supportive climate for business.
- The Reformation also paved the way for monarchs, breaking down the hierarchy of the church
- On top of all that, crisis throughout Europe opened the door for monarchs, as people needed someone with control and power to push them through times of war.
- The stage was set for absolute monarchy, and a few people would take advantage of the situation.
8. Henry IV knew that in order to gain control of France, he needed to restore peace.
- In 1598 he granted some rights to Huguenots through the Edict of Nantes, which granted the Huguenots religious toleration and other freedoms. Was this a good idea for the time?
The Edict of Nantes granted the Huguenots certain freedoms like:
- Freedom to worship
- Right to hold office
- Protection from the Inquisition
The edict became Henry IV's most successful achievement. Henry dedicated himself to rebuilding France and its prosperity. He created peace, eliminated France's debt, created new industries, and created trade. He became one of France's most respected monarchs. He restored the French monarchy to a strong position.
Unfortunately for Henry, he was assassinated 10 years later by a fanatical Catholic who hated how the Edict of Nantes protected the Huguenots. Henry's carriage was stopped in traffic and he was stabbed to death.
The palace was full of thousands of beautiful works of art, and was big enough to hold 20,000 officials, servants, and nobles. It took 36,000 workers and 6,000 horses fifty years to build.
- Not since Augustus of Rome had there been a European monarch who supported the arts as much as Louis.
- Previously, the arts were used to glorify God or human potential. The chief purpose of art in France was to glorify the king and promote values that supported Louis's absolute rule.
Chapter 21, Section 4 - Things to Know
Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, who approved the extermination of the Protestants, coming out to see the carnage of St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
When Henry died, his son, Louis XIII reigned. Louis was a weak king, but in 1624, he appointed a strong minister--Cardingal Richelieu-- who made up for all of Louis' weaknesses.
- Cardinal Richelieu, in a way, became the ruler of France.
- Richelieu was a hard-working leader of the catholic church who tried to follow moral principles, but was also ambitious and enjoyed exercising authority.
- He took two steps tin increase power of the Bourbon monarchy:
- 1st - He moved against the Huguenots, claiming Protestantism was an excuse for political conspiracies against the Catholic king. He didn't take away their abilities to worship, but made sure Huguenot cities did not have walls to fall behind when they withdrew from the kingdom.
- 2nd - he sought to weaken nobles' power, forcing them to take down their castles. He also gave more power to government agents who came from the middle class.
- Richelieu also wanted to make France the major European power, but would have to take out the Hapsburg family to do so. The Hapsburgs ruled Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, and part of the Holy Roman Empire. This would start the Thirty Years' War (about that later)...
But spending time at the Palace of Versailles wasn't such a bad thing. It was a mini city with massive buildings and gardens. It represented Louis' beauty and power as the king.
Louis XIV made himself the center of the French state, making sure that the nobles lost their influence and power.
- Louis weakened nobility power by excluding them from his councils.
- Louis also increased the power of the government agents, called intendants, who collected taxes and administered justice.
- To keep power under central control, he made sure that local officials communicated regularly with him.
The efforts of Henry IV and Richelieu to strengthen the French monarchy paved the way for the most powerful ruler in French history... Louis XIV.
- Louis XIV boasted, "l'état, c'est moi" or "I am the state"
- Louis XIV became ruler at age 4 after his father, Louis XIII, died. Louis was not competent to rule at that age so Richelieu's successor, Cardinal Mazarin, became the true ruler.
- Mazarin's biggest triumph came in 1648, with the ending of the Thirty Years' War.
- Many people in France hated Mazarin because he increased taxes and strengthened central government.
- Many nobles wanted to kill Louis due to the violence caused by Mazarin. Louis XIV would never forget his fear or anger at the nobility, determining himself to become so strong that they could never threaten him again.
- In the end, the nobles' rebellion failed for three reasons:
- Its leaders trusted each other less than they trusted Mazarin; The government used violent repression; and peasants and townspeople grew weary of disorder and fighting, being convinced that rebellion was worse than Mazarin.
- This helped pave the way for Louis XIV to become the absolute ruler he was.
Louis devoted himself to helping France attain economic, political, and cultural brilliance. But he couldn't do it alone.
- Jean Baptiste Colbert, Louis' minister of finance, would prevent wealth from leaving the country by making France self-sufficient, manufacturing everything it needed instead of buying foreign goods.
- Colbert provided government funds and tax benefits to French companies and placed high tariffs on foreign goods.
- The French government recognized the need for colonies and their raw materials, so they encouraged people to migrate to France's colony in Canada.
- After Colbert died, Louis slowed France's economic growth by cancelling the Edict of Nantes, causing thousands of Huguenot artisans and business people to flee the country, robbing France of many skilled workers.
2. King Philip II was an important monarch who controlled Spain at the height of its power.
- Spain had become fabulously wealthy during the Age of Exploration from the steady stream of gold and silver coming from the Americas.
- In about 150 years (1500-1650), American mines had supplied Spain with an estimated 339,000 pounds (170 tons) of gold and 32,000,000 pounds (16,000 tons) of silver.
- The king would claim between 20-25% of every ship's cargo offloaded. This made Spain filthy rich!
- Spain was able to support a standing army of 50,000 soldiers.
- This great wealth allowed Spain's monarch and nobles to be patrons to the artists, creating a Golden Age in Spain.
- Domenikos Theotokopoulos, AKA El Greco's art often puzzled people of the day. He chose brilliant, clashing colors, distorted the human figure, and expressed emotion symbolically in his paintings.
- Spain also produced artist Diego Velazquez and writer Miguel de Cervantes.
Louis XIV became the true ruler in 1661 when Mazarin died. Louis just 22 years old.
- 9. King Louis XIV would become history's best example of an absolute monarch.
- Louis XIV reigned in France for 72 years and 110 days making it one of the longest in European history! He had absolute power which he wielded with supreme confidence. He chose the sun as his symbol to show that everything revolved around him.
Having the nobles at the palace increased royal authority in two ways:
- It made the nobility totally dependent on Louis.
- It took them from their homes, giving more power to the intendants.
Louis spent a fortune to surround himself with luxury. Each meal was a feast and the Palace of Versailles, estimated today to cost some $2.5 billion dollars to create, would add to his luxury.
- To control his nobility, Louis forced them to live at or visit the Palace of Versailles regularly.
- Every morning, the chief valet woke Louis at 8:30.
- Outside the curtains of Louis's canopy bed stood at least 100 of the most privileged nobles at court. They were all waiting to help the great king dress.
- Only four would be allowed the honor of handing Louis his slippers or holding his sleeves for him.
Outside his bedchamber, lesser nobles waited in the palace halls and hoped Louis would notice them.
- A kingly nod, a glance of approval, or a kind word--these marks of royal attention determined whether a noble succeeded of failed.
- Louis took note of who was at the palace and who was not. When someone was absent and their name came up in conversation, Louis would respond, "I do not know them."
Like most people in Spain, Philip was a devout Catholic and was intensely opposed to the Protestant Reformation initiated by Martin Luther and his 95 Theses.
1. What were Russia's landowning nobles called?
2. What started Ivan IV's "bad period"?
3. What was Peter I's nickname?
4. How did Peter I bring about change to Russia?
5. How did Peter modernize his army?
6. What did Peter do, whether it was for better or for worse?
- Philip was shy, serious, and devoutly Cathlic (as was his father). He was a hard worker, but feared anyone helping him, as he was very suspicious of others. He was very aggressive for his empire, even claiming Protugal for the Spanish when their king died without an heir (he was the king's nephew). With this claim, he now had an empire that was world-wide.
- The Reconquista, the campaign to drive Muslims from Spain, had completed just 64 years before his reign.
- Philip believed it was his duty to help defend Catholicism against the Muslims of the Ottoman Empire and the Protestants of Europe.
- In 1571, the pope called on all Catholic princes to take up arms against the mounting power of the Ottoman Empire.
- 200 ships defeated the large Ottoman fleet in a fierce naval battle.
- In 1588, King Philip II launched the Spanish Aramada in an attempt to punish Protestant England and its queen, Elizabeth I. His fleet was defeated. But we'll come back to his expeditions in a moment...
The Dutch, on the other hand, would flourish, having religious toleration and creating their own Golden Age. In addition, the United Provinces was not a kingdom but a republic, with each province having an elected governor whose power depended on the support of merchants and landholders.
- During the 1600s, the Netherlands became what Florence had been during the 1400s.
- They would produce artists like Rembrandt van Rijn and Jan Vermeer. The work of these two people reveals how important merchants, civil leaders, and the middle class in general were in 17th-century Netherlands.
- The stability of the government allowed the Dutch to concentrate on economic growth. Merchants were able to take advantage of surplus grain crops, buy them, then ship and sell them to other areas of Europe for high prices when their harvests were poor.
- The Dutch had the largest fleet of ships in the world (some 4,800 ships in 1636). This fleet would help the Dutch East India Company dominate the Asian spice trade and the Indian Ocean trade.
- Gradually, the Dutch replaced the Italians as the bankers of Europe.
The Spanish Empire Weakens
- Gold and silver coming in from the Americas made Spain temporarily wealthy. Such treasure helped to cause long-term economic problems, since the influx of money was only temporary.
- Inflation and taxes - Spain's population was rising quickly. Since more people demanded food, vendors increased the prices of food. Second, as more silver entered the market, it's value dropped.
- Around the year 1500, Spain expelled its Jewish and Moor (NW African Muslim) population, losing many of it's skilled artisans and business people.
- Also, Spain's nobles didn't have to pay taxes, making that burden fall on the lower class. They couldn't save money to start small businesses, so as a result, Spain never developed a middle class.
- Guilds that emerged in the Middle Ages still ruled Spain's businesses using old-fashioned methods. This made Spanish-made goods more expensive than foreign goods. Spain's wealth flowed quickly into the hands of its enemies.
- On top of that, to finance its wars, Spain borrowed money from German and Italian bankers. Shiploads of silver from the Americas were sent directly to pay off its debts. The economy was so bad,Philip declared bankruptcy three times!
Philip II of Spain, r. 1554-1598
King Philip II decided it was time to stop the English from raiding his ships, and to convert England back to Catholicism. He decided to invade England.....
The English had been aiding the Dutch for years, which infuriated Philip. When Philip began to persecute the Dutch, Elizabeth sent her navy to harass the Spanish as much a possible. To help their fellow Protestants, the English sent even more aid to the Dutch rebels. English Queen Elizabeth I was allowing her privateer ship captains to attack Spanish treasure ships coming from America, as well as any ship passing through the English Channel.
On their way to England, horrible weather conditions had damaged the Armada, and Drake's smaller, faster boats were better for battle. Then the English set eight of their own ships on fire and aimed them at the remaining Armada ships. In a panic, the Spanish Armada fled from the fire ships
3. Using the New World gold and silver, Philip constructed an immense fleet called the Spanish Armada. It consisted of about 130 ships, and 20,000 soldiers and sailors. The "invincible" fleet sailed to the English Channel in 1588.
In Europe, absolutism dominated the political and social world of the continent from the 1500s until the Age of Revolution began in the 18th century, but this didn't happen overnight.
- As Europe emerged from the Middle Ages, monarchs grew increasingly powerful. The decline of feudalism, the rise of cities, and the growth of national kingdoms all helped to centralize authority.
- The middle class usually backed the monarchy, as long as they brought peace.
- Absolutism was allowed to grow with the breakdown of the church during the late Middle Ages and the Reformation.
- Crisis in the late 17th century forced governments to build huge armies causing high taxes, both creating higher upheaval.
- In response, monarchs tried to impose order by increasing their own power. they created new government bureaucracies to control their countries' economic life.
- their goal was to free themselves from the limitations imposed by the nobility and by representative bodies such as Parliament. We will explore these struggles throughout this chapter.
The Dutch Revolt
- Spain controlled the Netherlands, which was largely Calvinist (again, Philip was Catholic).
- They had little in common with one another.
- Spain's economy was sluggish while the Dutch economy was prospering...
- When Philip raised taxes in the Netherlands and pushed to stop Protestantism, the Netherlands fought back. In 1566, angry Protestant mobs swept through the Catholic churches.
- Philip quickly sent troops in to stop the madness. He sent the Spanish duke of Alva. On one single day in 1568, the duke tortured and executed 1,500 Protestants and suspected rebels.
The Dutch fought back for 11 years. Finally in 1579, the seven provinces of the Netherlands declared independence from Spain.
- They called themselves the United Provinces of the Netherlands.
- The ten southern provinces (modern-day Belgium) were Catholic and remained under Spanish control
This humiliating defeat devastated the Spanish state.
- Spain eventually went broke from constant warfare, and the money from the New World dried up.
- Inflation and taxes would be the tipping point for the Spanish economy.
Charles V, a Hapsburg by birth, inherited Spain, Spain's American colonies, parts of Italy, and lands in Austria and the Netherlands. As the elected Holy Roman Emperor, he ruled much of Germany. It was the first time since Charlemagne that a Europe ruler controlled so much territory.
- Charles was a devout Catholic, who not only fought the Muslims, but also opposed Lutherans.
- In 1555, he unwillingly agreed to the Peace of Augsburg, allowing German princes to choose the religion for their territory. In 1556, he divided his empire then retired, leaving his lands to his brother and his son.
- Ferdinand, Charles's brother, got Austria and the Holy Roman Empire.
- Philip II, his son, inherited Spain, the Spanish Netherlands, and the American colonies.
Critical monarchs of the time, such as Louis XIV, James I, Charles V, and Philip II, added significantly to their territories, centralized their governments, and constructed buildings and cities that stand to this day.
When Peter I came to power in 1696 (at age 24), Russia was still a land of boyars and serfs, which lasted into the mid-1800s - much longer than Europe.
- Boyars wanted the serfs to work the lands and treated them like property - if they sold the land, the serfs went with it. They could also give away serfs as presents or to pay debts.
- During the middle ages, Russians looked towards Constantinople for leadership, not Rome.
- Then Mongol rule had cut them off from the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration.
- Geographic barriers also isolated Russia - it's only seaport, Archangel, was choked with ice much of the year, limiting visitors to mainly the Dutch and Germans.
- Religious differences widened the gap between western Europe and Russia.
- The Russians had adopted the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity where western Europeans were mostly Catholic of Protestant, people that the Russians viewed as heretics and avoided them.
Peter eventually made a trip to the West (ya know, Europe), which inspired him to resolve that Russia would compete with Europe on both military and commercial terms.
- European countries had strong navies and rich colonies. He wanted to match that.
- 4. Peter knew that his people would not be open to complete change so he decided to force them to commit to it.
- In order to do that, he increased his power as an absolute ruler.
in Europe
1500-1800
Chapter 21, Section 4
Absolute Rulers of Russia
Ivan III of Moscow, who ruled Russia from 1462 to 1505, accomplished several things. First, he conquered much of the territory around Moscow. Second, he liberated Russia from the Mongols. Third, he began to centralize the Russian government. Ivan III was succeeded by his son, Vasily, who ruled 28 years. Vasily continued his father's work of adding territory to the growing Russian state. He also increased the power of the central government. This trend continued under his son, Ivan IV, who would become an absolute ruler.
In the 1500's Russia was far behind the rest of western Europe in regards to technological advancements and centralized governments
Like his European counterparts, Ivan also wanted to rule his country with Autocratic power.
- In the beginning of his reign, he was a good ruler, winning great victories, adding land to Russia, giving Russia a good code of laws, and ruling justly.
- 2. After his wife died, he accused the boyars of poisoning her. This began his "bad period."
- He organized his own secret police force, from which he executed many boyars, their families, and the peasants who worked their land. He would seize their estates and give them to his loyal nobles.
- During a dispute, Ivan purposely killed his brother and heir to the throne. When Ivan died three years later, only his weak second son was left to rule.
- His son proved to be incapable, dieing without an heir. Representatives from Russian cities met to choose a successor - Michael Romanov, grandnephew of Ivan the Terrible's wife, starting the Romanov dynasty.
Called "Ivan the Terrible", Ivan IV came to the throne in 1533 when he was just three years old.
- 1. His young life was disrupted by struggles for power among Russia's landowning nobles, called boyars.
- The boyars fought to control young Ivan. At 16, Ivan seized power and crowned himself czar, meaning "caesar" and married a beautiful noble woman named Anastasia Romanov.
"Ivan crush you with he's eyes!"
Instead of a king, Russia was run by church officials and wealthy landowners called boyars. It wasn't until a young prince named Ivan IV decided to name himself the Czar, or emperor of Russia