Absolutism Flashcards
what was the consequence of the church’s power collapsing?
no protection from the famine, plague, and religious wars –> many started looking to national monarchs for order and security
what was the era of absolutism?
- period from 1500 to 1800 in Europe
- shift from reformation to the rise of the nation state
- europeans started to create new forms of government to reflect the will of the governed
what is absolutism?
- political system where a king or queen has total or unlimited power
- want to control all aspects of society
what are monarchs?
- type of ruler or head of state
- almost always inherit the title
- rulers for life with no time limit
- modern monarchs are often figureheads with little power
describe the difference between medieval monarchs and absolute monarchs.
control of absolute monarchs was nationwide
what is absolute monarchy?
- form of government where monarch holds absolute power
- no limit to the power
- one sole ruler
what is constitutional monarchy?
form of government where a king/queen rules with a governing body (Parliament) with laws (Constitution) that limit the ruler’s power
what is the difference between absolute and constitutional monarchy?
- am: king or queen rules with absolute and total power. - cm: king or queen has limited power because they rule along with a parliament or a governing body
what was the Divine Right Theory?
- belief that monarchs are selected by God
- monarchs are God’s representatives on Earth
- monarchs only answer to God, not their subjects
what was the Social Contract Theory?
- belief that people had to hand over their rights to a strong ruler in exchange for law and order
- developed during the Enlightenment by Thomas Hobbes
describe Philip II’s reign.
- into power in 1556 after Charles V retired from the throne and split it between heirs
- brother Ferdinand got Austria + Holy Roman Empire
- Philip, his son, got Spain + colonies
what was Spain already considered when Philip inherited it? why?
- “super power”
- a lot of political and military power mostly from wealth produced by its colonies (metal & gold)
what were some of Philip’s setbacks? his castle?
- personal life showed the pitfalls of excess power
- imprisoned his son Don Carlos in fear he was conspiring against him
- married three more times in search of a new male heir. - fourth marriage –> new male heir.
- defeat of the “Invincible” Armada
- protestant revolt in the Netherlands –> 7 provinces declaring independence
- wealth was still strong, displayed by the Escorial Castle
who are some famous painters of Spain? what is their significance?
- El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) chose brilliant, sometimes clashing colors, distorted the human figure, and expressed emotion symbolically
- techniques showed the deep Catholic faith of Spain
- Velazquez’s paintings reflected the pride of the Spanish monarchy
- painted 50 years after “El Greco”
- best known for his portraits of the royal family and scenes of court life
what was a famous novel of Spain? describe it.
- 1605 novel “Don Quixote” written by Miguel de Cervantes
- about a poor Spanish nobleman who went a little crazy after reading too many books about heroic knights
- hoping to “right every manner of wrong,” Don Quixote rode forth in a rusty suit of armor, mounted on a feeble horse
what did critics think about the novel?
- some believe that he was mocking chivalry
- others say that the book is about an idealistic person who longs for the romantic past because he is frustrated with his materialistic world
describe the causes which resulted in the weakening of the Spanish Empire.
- severe inflation accompanied by a rise in the prices of goods and services; inflation is the decline in the value of money
- growth of Spain’s population
- as silver bullion flooded the market, its value dropped.
- Spain’s nobles did not have to pay taxes –> lower classes no wealth to start their own businesses –> no middle class
describe the rise of the Russian empire.
- Peter’s reforms continued through daughter Elizabeth + daughter in law Catherine the Great
- by death in 1725 Russia was a superpower
- at the same time England had been developing form of government that limited the power of the monarchs
who were Russian boyars? what was their power struggle with Ivan?
- privileged class of rich landowners; russian nobility
- power struggle with ivan the terrible; they denied him food + clothing when he was younger –> ivan executed, exiled, and removed hundreds of boyars from power in his reign
describe Ivan’s reign and his personal life struggles.
- took the throne at 3 + struggled with Boyars (Russian nobles)
- shortly after being crowned –> imprisoned by his uncle and rumors of abuse
- mother died of suspected poisoning when 7
-16 seized power and crowned himself czar; first to use the title - married Anastasia; calming influence
- reign (beginning) -> just and progressive
- after wife’s death, became brutal and terrible
what were the good years of Ivan’s reign?
- 1547 - 1560
- land added through military victories
- introduced a code of laws and reforms
- seen as a “just” ruler
- limited the power of boyars + held them accountable
- built St. Basil’s cathedral
what were the bad years of Ivan’s reign?
- after death of wife –> rule marked by increased brutality
- 1560: Oprichniki created
- 1581: killed his oldest son with blow to head
- 1584: died from stroke while playing chess
