Western Civilization                   Chapter 16     Section 1         Notes

Absolute Monarchs in Europe, 1400-1800

Main Idea:  During a time of religious and economic instability, Philip II ruled Spain with a strong hand.

When faced with crisis, many heads of government take on additional economic and political powers.

Terms & Names

Philip II – The son of Charles V, Philip the II inherited Spain, the Spanish Netherlands, and the American colonies

Absolute monarch – kings or queens who held all the power within their states’ boundaries

Divine Right – The idea that God created the monarchy and that the monarch acted as God’s representative on Earth.  An absolute monarch answered only to God, not to his or her subjects.

What is the significance of England’s defeat of the Spanish Armada?

It weakened Spain and opened the way for more European ventures in the Americas.

Why did the Dutch revolt against Spain?

Because Philip II raised taxes and tried to crush Protestantism

Why did absolute monarchs believe that they were justified in exercising absolute power?

Because they believed their power was God-given

Absolutism was the political belief that one ruler should hold all of the power within the boundaries of a country.  Although practiced by several monarchs in Europe during the 16^th century through the 18^th centuries, absolutism has been used in many regions throughout history.

Causes of Absolutism –

*Religious and territorial conflicts caused fear and uncertainty

*The growth of armies to deal with conflicts caused rulers to raise taxes to pay for troops.

*heavy taxes led to additional unrest and peasant revolts.

Effects of Absolutism

*Rulers regulated religious worship and social gatherings to control the spread of ideas.

*Rulers increased the size of their courts to appear more powerful.

*Rulers created bureaucracies to control their countries’ economies.

Why do you think absolute rulers controlled social gatherings?

     Social gatherings are places where ideas are shared.  Some of the ideas might question absolutism.

Today several nations of the world (such as Saudi Arabia) have absolute rulers.  Judging from what you know of the past causes of absolutism, why do you think absolute rulers still exist today?

     Absolute rulers can reduce political turmoil.  In states with a wide gap between rich and poor, the rich sometimes support an absolute ruler who will protect their wealth.

Chapter 16                    Section 2                    Notes

The Reign of Louis XIV

Main Idea:  After a century of war and riots, France was ruled by Louis XIV, the most powerful monarch of his time.

Why it matters now.

Louis’s abuse of power led to revolution that would inspire the call for democratic government throughout the world.

Terms and Names:

Edict of Nantes- In 1598, Henry took another step toward healing France’s wounds, He declared that the Huguenots could live in peace in France and set up their own houses of worship in some cities.  This declaration of tolerance was called the Edict of Nantes.

Cardinal Richelieu- After Henry the IV’s death, his son Louis XIII reined.  Louis was a weak king, but in 1624, he appointed a strong minister who made up for all of Louis’s weaknesses.  Cardinal Richelieu became, in effect, the ruler of France.

Skepticism- A new French intellectual movement that believed that nothing can ever be certain.

Louis XIV- Considered the most powerful ruler of France.  Louis XIV boasted “I am the State”.  He was only 14 years old when he became king and was the strongest king in French history.  He was called “The Sun King” because he believed that all power radiated from him.

Intendant- These people were hired by Louis to keep control under his central government. They were government agents who collected taxes and administered justice.

Jean Baptist Colbert – The minister of finance under Louis XIV.  Colbert believed in the theory of mercantilism and wanted the wealth to stay in France. To prevent this he made France self-sufficient.  He wanted it to be able to manufacture everything it needed instead of relying on imports.

War of the Spanish Succession – Louis fought disastrous wars to try to increase France’s boundaries. Tired of hardship caused by these wars, the French people longed for peace.  With the death of Charles II the two greatest powers in Europe were now ruled by the same family.  Other European countries felt threatened.  In 1701, England, Austria, the Dutch Republic, Portugal, and several other German and Italian states joined together to prevent the union of the Spanish and French thrones.  The long struggle that followed was called the War of the Spanish Succession.

Louis’s Death and Legacy: 

He realized that his wars had ruined France.

In 1715 he died and France rejoiced.

On the positive side he had built a strong military which enabled France to become a powerful leader in trade.

Other countries began experimenting with their own forms of absolute rule.

Chapter 16                              Section 3                     Notes

Main Idea:  After a period of turmoil, absolute monarchs ruled Austria and the Germanic States of Prussia.

Why it Matters Now:

Prussia built a strong military tradition in Germany that contributed in part to world wars in the 20^th century.

Terms and Names

Thirty years’ Wars – a conflict over religion and territory and for power among European ruling families

Maria Theresa – The young woman who was the heir to the Austrian throne.  Maria was Charles’s eldest daughter.  In theory her reign was intended to be peaceful reign.  Instead, she faced many years of war.  Her main enemy was Prussia, a state to the north of Austria.

Frederick the Great- son of Frederick William.  Frederick William worried that Frederick the Great would not be a good ruler.  He made him witness his friend’s beheading.  Young Frederick followed his father’s military power but softened in regard to domestic affairs such as religious tolerance and legal reform.

End of the Thirty years’ War: The Treaty of Westphalia 1648

Consequences:

*Weakened the Hapsburg States of Spain and Austria

*strengthened France by awarding it German territory

*made German princes independent of the holy Roman Emperor

*ended religious wars in Europe

*introduced a new method of peace negotiation whereby all participants meet to settle the problems of a war and decide the terms of peace.  This method is still used today.

Seven years’ War – Austria, France, Russia versus Britain, Prussia

The war did not change the territorial system in Europe.  On other continents it was a different story.  Both France and Britain had colonies in North America and the West Indies.  Both were competing economically for India.  The British emerged the real victors of the Seven Years’ War.  France lost its colonies in North America and Britain gained sole economic domination of India.  This set the stage for further expansion in India in the 1800’s.

Chapter 21                              Section 4                     Notes

Main Idea:  Peter the Great made many changes in Russia to try to make more like Western Europe.

Why it matters now:  Many Russians today debate whether to model themselves on west or to focus on traditional Russian culture.

Terms and Names:

Ivan the Terrible/Ivan IV -was the first czar of Russian.  He came to the throne in1533 when he was only three years old.  His young life was disrupted by struggles for power among Russia’s landowning nobles, known as the boyars.  The boyars fought to control young Ivan.  When he was 16, Ivan seized power and had himself crowned czar.  This title meant Caesar.  Ivan was the first Russian ruler to use this title officially.  He also married the beautiful Anastasia, related to an old boyar family, the Romanovs.

Boyars- landowning nobles of Russia

Peter the Great- grand nephew of Ivan the Terrible’s wife Anastasia.  He began the Romanov Dynasty (1613-1917).  In 1696 he became the sole ruler of Russia, before he had shared power with his half brother.

Westernization - using Western Europe as a model for change

Westernizing Russia:

*introduced potatoes, which became a staple of the Russian diet

*started Russia’s first newspaper and edited the first issue by himself

*raised women’s status by having them attend social gatherings

*ordered the nobles to give up their traditional clothes for Western fashions

*advanced education by opening a school of navigation and introducing schools for the arts and sciences

Established the city of St. Petersburg, a busy seaport nicknamed “window on Europe”

*named after his patron saint/shows the influence of Christianity

*many died of disease building this city, which they were ordered to build

*Peter the Great ordered serfs to leave their homes to work in St. Petersburg.

Chapter 16                              Section 5                                 Notes

Main Idea:  Absolute rulers in England were overthrown, and parliament gained power.

Why it matters now:

Many of the government reforms of this period contributed to the democratic tradition of the United States

Terms and Names:

Charles I – Son of James I who took the throne in 1625 upon Charles I‘s death.

English Civil War –nicknamed the War of the Roses it occurred from 1642-1649 and involved the Royalists g(Cavaliers), who sided with King Charles and Roundheads, who were the Puritans who wore their hair short over their ears.

Oliver Cromwell – The Puritan general whose army captured King Charles and put him to death.

Restoration – Charles II entered London in 1660.  His return of the monarchy in England caused his rule to be named the Restoration.

Habeas corpus – in Latin this means “to have the body” it has come to mean “body of law”

Glorious Revolution – James had an older daughter, Mary, who was a protestant.  She was also the wife of William of orange, a prince in the Netherlands.  Seven members of parliament invited William and Mary to overthrow James for the sake of Protestantism.  When William led his army to London in 1688, James fled to France.  The bloodless overthrow of King James II is called the Glorious Revolution.

Constitutional monarchy – a government in which laws limit the power of the monarchy

Cabinet – a group of governing ministers, or officials.  This group acted in the ruler’s name but in reality represented the majority party of Parliament.  Therefore the cabinet became the link between the monarch and the majority party in Parliament.

In 1628 the English Parliament refused to grant him money unless he signed the Petition of Right which included the following stipulations.

*He would not imprison subjects without due cause.

*He would not levy taxes without Parliament’s consent.

*He would not house soldiers in private homes.

*He would not impose martial law in peacetime.

Bill of Rights:

*no suspending of Parliament’s laws

*no levying of taxes without a specific grant from Parliament

*no interfering with freedom of speech in the Parliament

*no penalty for a citizen who petitions the king about grievances

William and Mary consented to these and other limits on their royal power,

 
Guided Reading         Section1         chapter 21

 Worksheet Answers:  Spain's Empire and European Absolutism
1  Effect:  Spain built a powerful army and navy, and its moanrchs and nobels became patrons of artists, leading t the golden age in the arts.
2. Causes: As the population grew, people demanded more food and other goods, so merchants were able to raise prices.  As silver bullion flooded the market its value dropped and it took more to buy anything.
3.  Causes:  Severe inflation, lack of a middle class, expulsion of jews and Muslims, and dated manufacturing methods, and the high cost of wars
4.  Effects:  The Dutch rebelled and eventually the largely Protestant northern provinces if the Netherlands united and declared independence from Spain.
5.  Causes:  stable government, strong middle class, large naval fleet, mighty trading empire
6.  Causes:  decline if feudalism, rise of cities, creation of a middle class, and growth of national kingdoms.

B.  Philip the II was a forceful ruler in many ways.  He tried to control every aspect of his empire's affairs and believed that all power in his states rested in his hands.

 Guided Reading

Chapter 21                   Section 2                      Handout

The Reign of Louis XIV

1. Clarifying
2. Converted to Catholicism and issued Edict of Nantes, which declared that the Hugenots could live in peace in France and set up their own houses of worship in certain cities.  Henry devoted his reign to rebuilding France and its prosperity.
3. Forbade Protestant cities from having walls,  weakened power of nobles by ordering then to take down their fortified castles, increases the power of government agencies
4. Turned to skepticism, nothing can be known for certain, questioned church doctrine as the only truth
5. Followed a strict policy of mercantilism by taking steps to make France self-sufficient, encouraged migration to Canada for fur trade and commercial strength, expanded and protected French businesses
6. Popularized opera and ballet, supported writers, supported absolute rule, promoted art, glorified the monarchy
7. His many enemies combined forces in the League of Augsburg and therebyBecame strong enough to stop France
8. Made France a power in Europe and a model culture, but laid the groundwork for revolution because of staggering debts and royal abuse.

B.  Skepticism is the belief that there can never be absolute knowledge of what is true. Intendants were French government agents who collected taxes and administered justice; Louis XIV used them to keep power under his central authority.

Guided Reading

Chapter 21     Section 3            Guided Reading:  Central European Monarchs Clash

1. There was tension between Catholic and Lutheran princes in Germany, their fear of Calvinism and Ferdinand’s attempt to limit Protestantism.
2. devastated Germany, weakened the Hapsburg States of Spain and Austria, strengthened France, ended religious wars in Europe    
3. economy of western Europe was commercial and capitalistic while central Europe remained feudal, dependent on serf labor and untouched by the commercial revolution.
4. strong landowning nobles hindered the development of  strong monarchy, The thirty years’ war had weakened the Holy Roman Empire.
5. reconquered Bohemia and wiped out Protestantism, created loyal Czech nobility, centralized government and created a strong standing government
6. created a strong standing army, created a military state, gave nobility exclusive officer rights in the army, weakened representative assembly, took over Silesia

2. Maria Theresa was a decisive and ambitious ruler which was demonstrated in the stopping of Prussian aggression under her rule.

 Frederick the Great was a strong and silent leader in foreign affairs yet compassionate in dealing with domestic affairs.

A king or queen who governs with unlimited power within a state or country’s boundaries – absolute monarch

Chapter 21            Section 4       Guided Reading Answers

1. increased powers as an absolute ruler
2. replaced patriarch with Holy Synod to run church in his direction
3. recruited able men from lower-ranking families, gave them positions of authority, and rewarded them with land grants, making them loyal to him alone
4. expanded army and hired European officers to train soldiers who served for life; imposed heavy taxes to pay for his huge, improved army
5. introduced potatoes which became staple of Russian diet; started first Russian newspaper; ordered nobles to adopt western fashions; raised status of women by having then attend social gatherings; advanced education by opening schools and ordering some to leave Russia to study
6. went to war with Sweden to gain a port on the Baltic Coast
7. forced thousands of serfs to work on building St. Petersburg on unhealthy swamp land
8. ordered many Russian nobles to leave Moscow and settle in the new port city capital 
9. B. Ivan IV crowned himself czar and ruled justly from 1547 to 1560.  He became known as Ivan the Terrible because he set up a police state and killed his eldest son in a violent quarrel.

 Chapter 21           Section 5      Guided Reading Answers

1. struggled with Parliament over money; offended Puritan members of Parliament by refusing to make Puritan reforms
2. Struggles over money led to forced signing of petition of Right, dissolutions of Parliament, passage of laws limiting royal power, effort to arrest leaders of Parliament, and finally the English Civil War
3. Cromwell abolished the monarchy and the House of lords; later he sent the remaining members of Parliament home and ruled a s a dictator
4. Parliament invited Charles II to rule and passed habeus corpus, which limited king’s power to jail opponents
5. fought over appointment of Catholics to high office in violation of English law
6. governed as partners, with power of monarchy limited by Bill of Rights

2. Restoration:  period when the monarchy was restored after collapse of Puritan government

Habeus Corpus:  1679 law that gave every prisoner the right to obtain a document ordering that the prisoner be brought before a judge to specify charges against the prisoner

Gloroius Revolution:  bloodless overthrow of Catholic King James II in favor of Protestant William and Mary

Cabinet:  government ministers who became link between monarch and Parliament

Constitutional monarch:  a king or queen who rules with power limited by law


Vocabulary Cards

The czar and reformer who advanced education, modernized the military and built a port near the Baltic Sea. – Peter the Great

The French King (1643-1715) who built Versailles, fought costly wars, and may have said, “I am the State.” – Louis XIV

The war fought over religion, territory, and power among the European ruling families (1618-1648) – Thirty years War

A system of government in which laws limit the power of royal rulers – Constitutional Monarchy

A landowning noble in Russia – boyar

The struggle between supporters of the British monarchy and the Puritans supporters of  Parliament (1642-1649) – The English Civil War

The idea that nothing can ever be known for certain – skepticism

He ruled the wealthy Spanish empire (1556-1598) promoted the arts, defended Catholicism and fought England – Phillip II

The bloodless overthrow of England’s Catholic King, James II, launched by Protestant members of Congress – Glorious Revolution

The idea that God created the monarchy and that the monarch acts as God’s representative on earth – Divine Right

The Prussian King whose foreign policies led to war; he pushed religious toleration and legal reform at home – Frederick the Great

The war (1701-1714) fought to stop the union of the French and Spanish thrones under the French Bourbons – The War of Spanish Succession

The use of Western Europe as a model for change; the process Peter the Great used to make Russia stronger – Maria Teresa

The European Conflict (1756-1764) fought in Europe, India, and North America, where France lost its colonies – The Seven Years’ War

The Austrian empress who limited nobles’ power, made peasant labor reforms and stopped Prussian aggression – Maria Teresa

A minister of Ling Louis XIII, he ruled France and limited the power of the Hnots and the nobles – Cardinal Richelieu

The minister of finance to King Louis XIV whose goal was to make France economically self-sufficient – Jean Baptist Colbert

The decree of religious toleration by king Henry IV that let Hugenots live in peace in France – Edict of Nantes.