Age of Absolutism 1600 – 1715
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What were the characteristics of absolute monarchy in the Age of Absoluti sm 1600 – 1715
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Age of Absolutism 1600 – 1715. What were the characteristics of absolute monarchy in the 17 th and 18 th centuries?. What led to the Rise of Absolutism ?. Policies and centralization of the “ new monarchies ” - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Age of Absolutism 1600 – 1715
What were the characteristics
of absolute monarchy in the
17th and 18th centuries?
Age of
Absolutism
1600 – 1715
What led to the
Rise of Absolutism?Policies and centralization of the “new
monarchies”Internal chaos and conflict caused by religious wars in France, Germany, etc. Interstate competition states’ needed a strong central gov’t in order to survive!!!Middle-class support for a strong stateDecline in noble political/economic power
Characteristics of Absolute Monarchy
hereditary rule
weakening of noble
powersroyal
control of finances & taxes
royal standing
armycentralize
d royal bureaucra
cyemphasis on royal
“Grandeur”royal
control of religious
authorities
Divine Right
Age of
Louis XIV
Louis XIVLived 1638 – 1715
r. 1642 – 1715Bourbon DynastyAssumed full power in 1661“the Sun King”Best example of absolute monarchyGolden Age of French power and culture
Before Louis:
Cardinal Richelieu Power behind the throne – Prime Minister for Louis XIII
Expanded royal power Attacked noble privileges,
forced nobles out of power Reduced autonomy of
Huguenots (example – Siege of La Rochelle)
Made France Europe’s #1 power
Set the stage for absolutism
Before Louis:
Cardinal Mazarin Richelieu’s hand-picked successor
Italian origins Continued Richelieu’s
policies Governed for Louis XIV
w/ his mother, Anne of Austria
Policies angered French nobles major rebellion
The Fronde
1647 – 1653Major rebellion of French nobles and citiesLed by “nobles of the sword” – ancient noble families
Caused by anti-noble royal policies and war weariness
Threatened royal powerEventually failed due to infighting among rebel factions
Defeat crippled noble power for 100 yrs. stronger king
The Fronde
Louis XIV:
Shared power with Mazarin until…Mazarin died in 1661Louis assumes FULL power over the gov’tNever appoints a new Prime Minister
The Early Years
Absolutism of
Louis XIVCentralized GovernmentRuled through Councils of State • Comprised of talented royal appointees• Each responsible for a key area of gov’t, answered
to LouisIntendants: royal officials that enforced royal laws in the provinces, collected taxes, raised troopsRoyal Bureaucracy: royal officials appointed by Louis that administered the gov’t (military, colonies, taxes, finance, etc.)Firmer control of towns/cities reduced privileges, appointed town officials, posted military garrisons in key cities
Louis’ Government
Council of War
Council of Colonies
Council of
Finance
Council of
Foreign Affairs Provi
ncial IntendantsLoca
l Officials
Professional
Royal Army
Royal Bureaucracyroyal appointees and venal office holders
Colonial
Governors
Tax Collecto
rs Customs Officials
Ambassadors
Louis XIV in a Council of
State
Absolutism of
Louis XIVLegislative PowersLouis had the theoretical right to make laws (royal edicts)But…all laws had to be “registered” by 13 regional parlements in order to take effectThis REALLY annoyed Louis
Absolutism of
Louis XIVWhat’s a parlement?High courts of appeal in charge of criminal and civil cases; controlled
by nobles who either bought or inherited their judgeship – before a royal edict took effect it had to
be “registered” by the parlement – checked the king’s lawmaking
powers
Parlement of Paris
Parlements
Throughout France
In 1673, at the height of his power, Louis ordered the Parlement of Paris to register laws first, then complainWeakened parlements ended a check on his law-making power Reduced power of provincial estates – made royal powers more uniform across France
Absolutism of
Louis XIVI AM THE STATE
Absolutism of
Louis XIVWeakening the NobilityLouis feared the great noble familiesWorked to control the nobility Gave nobles privileges, tax exemptions Sold noble titles to loyal supporters Noble dominated gov’t posts made
ceremonial Elaborate court life & ceremony =
distraction Palace of Versailles
Absolutism of
Louis XIVPalace of VersaillesBuilt b/t 1669 & 1686Louis moved in – 1683Peak of Baroque styleConstant parties, ceremony, gambling, etc.50,000 residents (10,000 nobles)Entertained & sequestered the nobility
Absolutism of
Louis XIVPalace of Versailles10,000 key nobles were “encouraged” to live at Versailles Louis could watch themShowed off royal power/wealthCenter of court lifeElaborate ceremony emphasized royal powerCourtly life distracted nobles Phony court titles for nobles in place of real political power played nobles off against each other
Versailles
Versailles
Versailles
Versailles
Versailles
Absolutism of
Louis XIVJustifying AbsolutismPaternalism – “father of his nation”Royal Grandeur – ceremony separates the king from everyone else, shows his powerDivine Right of Kings
Bishop Jacques BossuetRight to rule from God thru hereditary monarchyBased on Christian & Roman ideas on kingship
Royal Grandeur
Royal Grandeur
The Sun King
Major Policies: Economic
PolicyBased on MERCANTILIST ideasJean-Baptiste Colbert: mercantilist & main economic advisor Improved tax collection + efficient gov’t/less expenses = big revenues for monarchyState-run industries & state monopoliesFounded colonies to improve tradeExpanded navy to protect tradeBuilt internal improvements: canals, roads
Jean-Baptiste ColbertFavored
mercantilismGoal: self-sufficiencyBuilt up French navy – 1st step to trade & coloniesBuilt harbors, naval bases, arsenalsEncouraged art & science Paris Observatory Royal Academy of
ScienceReduced royal debts & added new revenues – funded Louis’ army & wars
A New Navy
Royal Academy of Science
Canal du Languedoc
Colonial Expansion
Major Policies: Religious
Policy Resented and undermined Huguenots’ autonomy
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes 1685 Demands ALL French subjects MUST be
Catholic Forbid Protestant worship, forced baptism Churches, schools closed, burned
200K Huguenots fled to Protestant states: many were merchants blow to French economy
Louis looked like a Catholic tyrant hurt France’s reputation across Europe
Edict of Nantes Just Been Revoked
Persecution of the
Huguenots
Huguenot Migration
Louis XIV’s Persecution
of the Huguenots…More and more Louis tried to impose uniformity in religious affairs. In the 1680s he intensified persecution of Protestants; his actions made the Edict of Nantes nothing but a scrap of paper. Finally in 1685 he declared that the majority of French Protestants had been converted to Catholicism and that therefore there was no need for the edict. It was revoked. Now Louis launched a reign of terror. He refused to allow French Protestants to leave the country. He promised that those who remained could worship privately, free of persecution, but never kept the promise. Their churches were torn down, their gatherings forbidden, their children made to attend mass. The Waldensians in Savoy were massacred, and six hundred Protestants “caught making assemblies” were executed. Perhaps 250,000 fled abroad to escape persecution…
Effect of the Revocation…Recent studies have concluded that the
economic damage done to France by the Huguenot emigration has been overrated, it being only one element in the larger damage caused by the wars. Of the political damage, however, there is no question. The flood of anti-French pamphlets and satires issued by Huguenot printers and their friends in all the cities where they settled aroused antagonism to France to new heat. The Protestant coalition against France was strengthened when Brandenburg entered into alliance with Holland, and the smaller German principalities joined. In France itself the Protestant faith was reinvigorated by persecution and the feud with Catholics revived. A prolonged revolt of the Camisard Huguenots in the Cévennes, a mountainous region of the south, brought on a cruel war of repression, weakening the state. Here and among other Huguenot communities which remained in France, a receptive base was created for the Revolution…
Major Policies: Military Policy Makes major
military reforms Professional army
with better officers Less reliance on
mercenaries Standardized
weapons, uniforms, training, equipment
Peaks at 300K soldiers
Europe’s best army
Major Policies: Foreign Policy Louis’ MAIN FOCUS
Three Basic Goals: Natural frontiers (Alps,
Pyrenees, Rhine) Continental dominance: make
France Europe’s #1 power Dynastic Ambitions: make the
Bourbons #1, stick it to the Habsburgs
Used war to achieve goals after 1667
“Natural Frontiers”
RHINE RIVER
PYRENEES MTNS.THE ALPS
SPANISH NETHERLANDS
SUCCESSES• Strong absolute monarchy• Royal control of law and administration• More efficient centralized government• Weakened political power of French nobility• Golden Age of French arts – Palace of
Versailles, plays of Moliere & Racine• Expanded French territory• France become Europe’s strongest power• French language and culture dominated
Europe• Growth of French colonial empire/navy
FAILURES• Massive debt, high taxes• Non-participatory government• Discontented bourgeoisie and peasants• Large numbers of pensions for nobles• Pointless government jobs b/c of
venality• Growth of tax exempt, useless nobility• Religious persecutions• France was hated by many European
powers French isolation• Growth of English power
