Absolutism Flashcards
Food riots across Europe in the mid 17th century
Bread was a crucial food to all classes. Peasants had to pay high taxes for bread. Rural society lives on the edge of subsistence. Bad harvests, illness, bad technology, and drops in prices led to debt and loss of land. Peasants constantly threatened with scarcity and famine. Death and poverty was a familiar presence. Increased taxes led to warfare and armed uprisings.
Cardinal Richelieu
Became the first minister of the French crown for Louis XIII. His goal was to subordinate competing groups to the French crown. The nobles being the foremost threat. He eliminated potential power brokers from the royal council. He created the intendants system. Intendants ruled a specific part of France, and they performed specific tasks. Richelieu had persecuted Protestants because he believed that France should unify under Catholicism.
Louis XIV
Ruled from 1643-1715 (longest in history) Louis learned at a young age about the divine right of kings in which God established kings as his rulers on earth, and they answered to God alone. Louis continued Richelieu persecution of Protestants and created the Edict of Fontainebleau which rejected the Edict of Nantes. It ordered Huguenot churches to be destroyed, closed schools, Catholic baptism of Huguenots, and exile of Huguenot pastors. He did this because Louis wanted religious unity in France, and Huguenots wasn’t a popular policy. Along with Louis great expulsion of powerful nobles from his council, Louis was an Absolute Monarchy. He sought to enhance his dynasty by warfare.
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Financial genius who applied rigorously the idea of Mercantilism to France.he insisted that France should be self sufficient, and able to produce within its own borders everything it needs. He created new industries as well as Labour guilds. He abolished domestic tariffs and increased foreign tariffs. He created a merchant marine to transport French Goods, and he created the East Indies Company.
Louis XIVs wars and Frances Economic condition afterwards.
Louis supreme goal was to expand France and secure “natural” borders. He invaded Flanders, and Franché-Comte in 1667. In 1672, he tried to invade the Dutch, but they saved themselves by opening dikes and flooding their countryside. The treaty of Nijmegen gave him additional Flemish towns. Three years later, he invaded Strasbourg and Lorraine.
In 1700, Charles II died childless. He bequeathed the throne to Phillip of Anjou (Louis XVI’s grandson). Louis wanted to combine empires with Spain, but this disrupted the balance of power, and violated an earlier treaty where the HRE would get a share too. The HRE, Prussia, the Dutch, Austria, and Britain formed a Grand Alliance against Louis. War broke out until the Peace of Utrecht in 1713. French and Spanish crowns were never to be united, France also had to give up to England; Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and the Hudson Bay in Canada. England also gained Gibraltar in Spain.
The result of all these wars resulted in a French bank hovering on the brink of bankruptcy. The price of wheat skyrocketed which resulted is mass starvation. This and new taxes fir war resulted in a suffering for the French people.
James I of England
King of England in 1603. He had experience as king of Scotland, but failed to live up to his role. He was met by resistance because he believed that he was an absolute monarch and believed in the divine right of Kings. James was also a poor judge of character. He addressed the House of Commons in a speech saying that there is nothing that can stand against a divinely appointee king. In response, the house guarded the states pocketbook, and James needed it because Elizabeth left him with a lot of royal debt.
Charles I and the English Civil War
Charles was an intelligent man, but was found deceitful, treacherous, and dishonest. After he quarreled with parliament, he dissolved it in 1629, then ruled without it. The rebellion in Ireland helped to start the Glorious revolution in which The New Model Army under Oliver Cromwell defeated royal armies under Charles I. Cromwell’s army captured and executed Charles I. Kingship was abolished and a republican government was proclaimed. Oliver Cromwell emerged as a military dictator in 1653. A constitution was created that put Cromwell as Lord Protectorate. Cromwell had mercantilist policies and created the Navigation acts which require English goods to be transported on English ships.
Restoration of English Monarchy
Charles II, eldest son of Charles I took the throne, and a new parliament was created. This was after Oliver Cromwell died in 1658, and his unsuccessful son tried to rule and the English wanted a new Monarchy. Charles created the Test Act where he would summon universal parliamentary meeting. Charles II was getting inadequate pay from parliament, so he made a deal with Louis XIV. Louis would give him mula if Charles re-Catholosized England. After he was succeeded by his catholic heir, James II, there was a great fear in England.
The Glorious Revolution
James II issued religious freedom, but people feared it was fake. James imprisioned two Anglican bishops, and had a son. People feared that their would be a Catholic Monarchy in England, so people called upon Mary and William of Orange to take the throne, which they did in 1689.
John Locke
Wrote Second Treatise Of Civil Government p which said that people set up civil governments to protect life, liberty, and property. He also believed that under a tyrannical government p, we had a natural right to rebellion, he also believed in “tabula rasa” or the kind is like a blank slate, clean at birth but corrupted by society.
Hereditary Subjugation
Serfs were bound to their lords from one generation to the other. In Russia, peasants right to move was permanently abolished in 1603. Lords had ultimate authority over peasants too.
The Thirty Years War
After fears of the spread of one religion, Protestants formed the Protestant League and Catholics formed the Catholic League. Each side wanted to make sure that the opposition didn’t gain any territorial advances. The war started when King Ferdinand in Bohemia closed Protestant churches. In 1618, Protestants hurled two of Ferdinand’s officials from a castle window called the Defenestration of Prague. The war is divided into 4 phases.
- Bohemian Phase: Bohemians fought for religious liberty from the Hapsburg Empire. Lost at Battle of White Mountain. HRE Emperor Ferdinand II wiped out Protestantism from Bohemia.
- Danish Phase: Catholic army swept through Silesia, north to Baltic, and east to Pomerania. The Catholics scored many major victories after defeating the Protestant danish army of Christian IV
- Swedish Phase: Gustavus Adolphus Of Sweden, swept in hoping to support the oppressed Protestants. He scored many major victories. Their help proved decisive for the Protestants. When he died and his forces were defeated, this prompted France to join the Protestant side.
- French Phase: France always opposes the Hapsburg Empire, so they sent military aid to German Protestant princes and the Swedes. German mercenaries destroyed German agriculture and commerce. Neither side had the resources to score a quick victory, so it lasted a long time. 1648 peace was achieved.
Peace of Westphalia
Ended the 30 years war, and marked a turning point in European history. Conflicts over religious faith ended, left the HRE barely hanging on, and emperors powers severely limited, and achknowledged independence of the Netherlands.
The Pragmatic Saction
Stated that Hapsburg possessions were never to be divided, even if it meant allowing a woman to take the throne. This resulted in the crowning of Charles VI’s daughter, Maria Theresa.
Frederick William of Prussia (The Great Elector)
Determined to unify Brandenburg and Prussia. Estates of these areas were dominated by “Junkers” or the nobility. This led to struggle with junkers and Frederick because he wanted to unify them under his rule. He eventually had his way. After he forced the estates to have permanent taxation, they became weak.
