What is Absolutism? f Sovereign power or ultimate authority in the state rested in the hands of a...
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Transcript of What is Absolutism? f Sovereign power or ultimate authority in the state rested in the hands of a...
What is Absolutism?What is Absolutism?f Sovereign power or ultimate authority
in the state rested in the hands of a king who claimed divine right
fCharacteristics of Absolutism:
Centralization of power in the stateSole legislative & executive rights belong
to monarchElimination of challenges to royal powerExpand sources of revenue to pay for
larger armies Absolutism is NOT the same as
dictatorship!!!
Justification for Absolutism
Justification for AbsolutismfReligious defense of Absolutism
(Bishop Jacques Bossuet)
God selected king to rule (divine right) King is only answerable to God
fSecular defense of Absolutism (Thomas Hobbes)
Man is naturally wicked & selfishStrong centralized gov’t needed to
prevent violence/disorderPowerful monarch needed to protect man
from himself
The Bourbon Dynasty:The Bourbon Dynasty:
Architects of French Absolutism
Architects of French Absolutism
SullyRichelieu
Mazarin
King Louis XIV (1643-1715)
King Louis XIV (1643-1715)
f Nickname: “The Sun King”
f Dynasty: Bourbon
fCountry: France
f Height: 5’5”
fPolicy: One king, one law, one faith
fQuote: “L’état, c’est moi!”
fVice: Sex, sex & more sex Portrait by Hyacinthe
RigaudPortrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud
Versailles TodayVersailles Today
Versailles StatisticsVersailles Statisticsf 2,000 acres of groundsf 12 miles of roadsf 27 miles of trellisesf 200,000 treesf 210,000 flowers planted every yearf 80 miles of rows of treesf 55 acres surface area of the Grand Canalf 12 miles of enclosing wallsf 50 fountains and 620 fountain nozzlesf 21 miles of water conduitsf 3,600 cubic meters per hour: water consumedf 26 acres of rooff 51,210 square meters of floorsf 2,153 windowsf 700 roomsf 67 staircasesf 6,000 paintingsf 1,500 drawings and 15,000 engravingsf 2,100 sculptures f 5,000 items of furniture and objects d'artf 150 varieties of apple and peach trees in the Vegetable
Garden
Palais de VersaillesPalais de Versailles
Versailles Palace,Park Side
Versailles Palace,Park Side
Chateau de Versailles
Chateau de Versailles
The OrangeryThe Orangery
Fountains, Fountains, and More Fountains!Fountains, Fountains, and More Fountains!
And More Fountains!And More Fountains!
And More Fountains!
And More Fountains!
And Even More Fountains!!!
And Even More Fountains!!!
Hall of
Mirrors
Hall of
Mirrors
The Queen’s
Bed
The Queen’s
Bed
The King’s Bed
The King’s Bed
Louis XIV’s Chapel
Louis XIV’s Chapel
Louis XIV’s Opera Stage
Louis XIV’s Opera Stage
The Gallery of Battles
The Gallery of Battles
Louis XIV FurnitureLouis XIV Furniture
Louis’s Early Wars (1667-97)
Louis’s Early Wars (1667-97)
f François-Michel Le Tellier (marquis of Louvois) increased size & effectiveness of French army
fGoal expand France’s natural borders (protection from invasion)
f Fought wars with Holland, the HRE & Spain brought only modest rewards
fWars led to more problems for France
War of Spanish Succession (1702-13)War of Spanish Succession (1702-13)
fCause Louis claims Spanish throne for grandson Philip
f Alliance formed to prevent France from destroying European balance of power
fFought in Europe & colonial empires in North America
fPeace of Utrecht (1713) & Peace of Rastatt (1714): Bourbons get Spanish throne; could never unify thoughEngland receive Fr. Territories in No. America, and
acquired Gibraltar, Minorca & the asientoAustria gained Spanish Netherlands (Belgium)
FRANCE WAR
England,Netherlands,
Austria &Prussia
Jean Baptiste Colbert (1619-83)
Jean Baptiste Colbert (1619-83)f Louis XIV’s finance
minister
f Goal strengthen the economy & enrich the middle classes
fAdopted mercantilist policies
Established & subsidized new industries (shipbuilding & textiles)
Created merchant marine to take French goods abroad
Expanded France’s international empire (India, Quebec & Louisiana)
Improved efficiency of tax collection
Louis’s Taxes: An Overview
Louis’s Taxes: An OverviewfTaille (direct tax to the king)
Paid for by peasants as well as elements of bourgeoisieExemptions = nobles, clergy & inhabitants of large townsPaying was a collective responsibility of village or townCollected by officials that had to be paid for their work
fVenality of Office
Sale of royal offices Purchasing a royal office made it possible to gain noble
status
f Indirect taxes
Gabelle = sales taxAides = wine taxCollected by “tax farmers”= pay monarch & collect from
people
Provincial JurisdictionsProvincial
Jurisdictionsf Generalitéslarge jurisdictionsAll of France was
divided
fPays d’électionsDid not have their
own regional assembliesIntendants collected
taxes directly
fPays d’étatsFormerly independent
provincesHad own regional
assembliesAssemblies collected
taxes; handed them to king