Euro Unit 3 - Absolutism and Constitutionalism

absolute monarchy

• government where monarch has absolute rule

James I

• Previously James IV of Scotland

• Became King of England when Elizabeth I died without an heir

• Start of Stuart Dynasty

• Clashed beliefs with Parliament (mostly house of commons)

• believed in divine right of kings

• overspent and wanted Parliament to cover his personal debts

• needed money to pay for Spanish War

  • MP’s said yes if Charles I married a Protestant

    • James had Charles marry a Catholic

      • laid foundation for rebellion + civil war

Charles I

• son of James I of England

• thought kings had divine right

• adjourned parliament when they didn’t allow him to tax

• recalled Parliament 11 years later to fund war in scotland

• civil war broke out when he did not listen to rules of parliament

Oliver Cromwell

• won the English Civil War

• Established a commonwealth in England

• had to put down many Royalist Revolts

William of Orange

• Originally from the Netherlands

• Son in law of James II

• anti-catholic nobles were done with the catholic stuarts when James II’s wife had a male child

• invited ____ to rise to throne of england because he was protestant

  • known as Glorious Revolution

  • forced to sign English Bill of Rights limiting power of monarch

English Bill of Rights

• signed by William and Mary

• Established parliamentary sovereignty by limiting monarchs power

• Said:

  • Parliament could meet frequently

  • Parliament had to approve any change in laws

  • Parliament needed to approve taxed

seed drill

• agricultural invention made by Jethro Tull

• metered out seeds in straight lines, then covered them with dirt

mechanical hoe

• agricultural invention made by Jethro Tull

• removed weeds inbetween seed rows

• horse-drawn

Bank of England

• bank in england chartered by William of Mary

• original mission to gather subscriptions from wealthy investors that the cash-poor government could prrow 1.2 million at 8 percent interest, charging 4000 per year

• quadrupled size of navy - overseas empire for england

• resulting industries drove economic expansion

• became an LLC (limited liability coorporation)

  • an investor was not responsible for debt/liabilites of the company beyond the originial investment

• so successful that George Washington remained a stockholder during revolutionary war

oligarchy

• select class within society controlling the government

• made up of rural landlords and urban gentry

  • ie dutch republic

Eighty Years War

• war between Netherlands and Spain for independance

• 1568-1648

• Gained independence through Peace of Westphalia

• Some provinces remained Spanish

• Dutch Republic became leading cargo shipper with trade rivalry against britain

Dutch East India Company

• formed by Estates-General of Dutch Republic

• aka VOC

• join-stock company, where shareholders could buy stock

• made amsterdam one of the richest cities

• wealth kept Dutch Republic peaceful and stable

• helped Dutch Golden Age

Fronde

• revolts in France against the monarchy

• reaction to policies intended to weaken the nobles and reduce power of parliament

• scarred Louis XIV for life, and he never trusted the Fronde again

• in contrast to English Civil War

War of the Spanish Succession

• Spain and France vs England, France and Netherlands

• To put Louis XIV grandson on throne of Spain because no heir was present

• France lost in both land and sea

• war ended with Peace of Utrecht

Peace of Utrecht

• series of treaties altering balance of power in 1713 after wars of spanish succession

• Changes Made:

  • Britain won territories in Spain and Americas

    • sole right to import enslaved Africans into Spanish Colonies in Americas

  • Philip V as king of Spain (Louis XIV grandson)

    • was not allowed to rule both France and Spain

  • Southern Netherlands (modern Belgium and Luxembourg) were ceded to austria

Frederick William I

• Son of Frederick I

• expanded Prussia

• convinced legislative body to allow him to tax peasants

  • said to legislative that peasants would work for minimal pay

• army grew

Frederick the Great

• son of Frederick William I

• made Prussia into leading military power

• attacked HRE when Charles VI died and left throne to Maria Theresa

  • invaded Silesia

  • Prussia gained lower Silesia

• had alliances with France, based on hatred of Hapsburgs

• Invaded Saxony and Bohemia, starting Seven Years war

Phillip II

• during his reign, Spain reached Height of its power

• solidified unity in Spain

• gained control of portugal

• Spain began period of decline after his death

Peter the Great

• saw Russia as a medieval state that had not afvanced

  • though that differences made Russia a weak state

• visited western Europe to understand differences

  • returned and convinced Russia to modernize

• Allied with Saxony and Denmark-Norway in Great Northern War against sweden

  • to gain warm water port

  • gained St. Petersburg and began to build as “window on Europe”

• other reforms to modernize:

  • promoted science and technology so that military, industry, transport, and trade could keep up with western Europe

  • founded Russian Academy of Sciences

    • invited foreign experts to teach

  • sponsored secular education

Catherine the Great

• married Peter the Great’s grandson

  • hated eachother

  • Peter III ( her husband ) died shortly after gaining throne, so she was heir

    • she probably killed him

• replenished state treasury by seizing property of clergy

• was an enlightened despot

  • commission of all classes to create constitution, but it was never adopted

• serfs rose as Pugachev Rebellion

  • learned peasants were a threat

  • allowed nobles to do whatever they wanted to serfs

• overall, added 200,000+ sq. mi. of territory to Russia