Unit 3: Absolutism & Constitutionalism (1648-1815)

Absolutism

• monarch has absolute power

• France, Prussia, Austria, Russia

• the rise of absolutist states → weakened influence of Catholic Church

• growing acceptance & tolerance of Protestant practice & lack of interest in religious warfare after Peace of Westphalia (1648)

Constitutionalism

• monarch’s power is limited by the law

• England & Dutch (Dutch Golden Age…)

  • English monarch was required to share power with English Parliament (the legislative body representing interest of the English people)

Absolutism in France

• Cardinal Richelieu (Louis XIII’s advisor) laid foundations for absolutism in France → weakened feudalism & influence of nobility

• Outbreak of the Fronde (1649-1652)

• truly absolutist state fell to Louis XIV

Outbreak of the Fronde (1694-1652)

• rebellions against royal authority in France which was launched against Cardinal Mazarin and Anne of Austria

  • to pay for foreign wars, Mazarin levied new taxes and forced loans while attempting to withhold salaries from public officers

  • Parlement of Paris (high court of nobles) demanded reforms in 1648 → argued for protection of noble privileges and no new taxes w/o consent of high courts

Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715)

• aka the "Sun King” (devout Catholic)

• used Palace of Versailles, a symbol of absolute monarchy, to control nobles

• Jean-Baptiste Colbert (Louis XIV’s finance minister) used mercantilist polices to support absolutist state (ties to UNIT 1)

• Louis XIV sought religious uniformity → religious diversity would make people harder to control

• Revocation of Edict of Nantes (1685) → led to large scale ban on Huguenots from public spaces & closing of Protestant churches/schools

  • strengthened Catholic Church; Protestant leaders did not like him..

  • consequence of revocation: migrating Huguenots took skills and resources with them → led to economic decline in France

Nine Years’ War (1688-1697)

• Louis XIV wanted to expand French territory and influence so he pushed into the HRE (threatened balance of power) so the League of Augsburg (England, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, major German states) was formed to oppose him

• ended with Peace of Ryswick—secured Dutch Republic’s borders and disrupted Louis XIV’s expansion and affirmed William III (aka William of Orange) as king of England

• financial strain on France: handover of silverware, severe tax increases, bad harvest…

War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714)

• conflict on who would inherit Spanish throne after Charles II of Spain died

  • Philip V, Duke of Anjou was supposed to succeed him (European nations feared this as France and Spain could be united and ruled under a single throne…Louis XIV’s throne)

• purpose of war → prevent one nation from gaining too much power & maintain balance of power

• ended with Peace of Utrecht (1713)—Philip V is King of Spain but no union of Spanish & French crowns; France & Spain were forced to give up territories to Britain which boosted Britain’s power and influence

  • end of significant French expansion → weakened France (UNIT 5)

• connected to UNIT 5 where tensions between Britain and France led to this war

Pre-English Civil War

• Parliament was made up of House of Commons and House of Lords (make laws & check powers of King)

• James I:

  • succeeded Elizabeth I (UNIT 2)

  • supported divine right of kings where he believed kings were chosen by God & often offended Parliament

  • supported Anglican Church

• Charles I:

  • son of James

  • raised taxes to finance war with Spain/France & debt from 30 Years’ War

  • in 1628, Parliament refused to provide Charles I with funds unless he recognized the Petition of Right—no taxation w/o Parliament’s consent

  • agreed to Petition, ruled w/o Parliament for 11 years (aka Personal Rule)

  • further raised money to support unpopular taxes like Ship Money…angering many

• Parliament made it illegal for monarch to dissolve Parliament & passed Militia Ordinance—allowed Parliament to raise army and defend themselves from royal aggression

• political tensions!!

English Civil Wars (1642-1649)

• Parliament (Roundheads led by Oliver Cromwell) vs. King Charles I (supported by Royalists/Cavaliers)

• ended with the trial and execution of Charles I; England became a republic called the Commonwealth under Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

• led the Parliament/Roundheads in English civil war

• known as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth

• ruled as military dictator & implemented stronger Puritan laws (no live music, no Christmas celebrations)

• didn’t like Anglicans or Catholics

• passed Navigation Act—mandated English control over colonial trade to ensure England benefited economically

Stuart Restoration (1660)

• return of the monarchy in England when Charles II (son of Charles I) was invited back to take the throne after collapse of Commonwealth

• Charles II restored Anglican Church and passed Declaration of Indulgence

• Parliament passed Test Act

• during Commonwealth period, Calvinists had full religious rights while Catholics & Anglicans were suppressed

• when Charles II took over, Anglican Church became official Church of England again & Calvinists were oppressed and Catholics still weren’t granted religious rights

• James II succeeded Charles II (who were brothers)

  • Catholic ruled, revoked Test Act

  • granted more religious freedom to Catholics; removed Protestant officers

• Parliament went to James II’s daughter Mary (a Protestant) and her husband William of Orange (Dutch prince) to offer the throne

  • Mary goes against her dad → Glorious Revolution

Declaration of Indulgence

• Charles II suspended all laws against Catholics and non-Anglican Protestants

Test Act

• passed by Parliament that forced all crown officials to swear loyalty against Catholicism (enforced Anglican establishment)

Glorious Revolution

• overthrow of King James II of England in 1688; led to the joint rule of William of Orange and Mary

• marked the beginning of England as constitutional monarchy & passed Toleration Act of 1689

• W&M affirmed English BoR (limited power of monarchs) → only Parliament had power to raise taxes

• ended the idea of divine right of kings

• significant changes to English monarchy!!

Toleration Act of 1689

• passed by William of Orange & Mary which increased tolerance to all Protestants but not Catholics in England

Absolutism in Russia

• Peter the Great consolidated power after the chaos in 17th century and travelled to Western Europe just to realize how behind they were in tech

  • enacted many reforms to promote Westernization in Russia

• increased power of military, encouraged western dressing & taxed those with beards

• created Table of Ranks—hierarchical system that ranked people based on their service to the state rather than noble birth

Balance of Power

• after Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which ended religious motivations for warfare, European nations shifted their focus to maintaining balance of power

• focused on dynastic interests & secure power for their heirs

• Partition of Poland

• in 17th century, Ottoman Empire wanted to push further into Central Europe BUT to prevent this expansion and maintain balance of power, the Austrian Habsburgs, Poland, and HRE united to stop the Ottomans

Partition of Poland

• Commonwealth of Poland was very weak despite being a constitutional monarchy due to being surrounded by 3 strong absolutist states (Russia, Prussia, and Austria) and was constantly in war

• to maintain balance of power, the 3 states expanded into Poland rather than the Ottoman Empire so they split Poland between the 3 powers & annexed them from the map

War of Austrian Succession

• the war began due to who would succeed Charles VI (Habsburg emperor) after he died as he had no male heirs

• Charles VI issued Pragmatic Sanction in which Maria Theresa was supposed to be the heir but several European powers (France, Prussia, Spain) challenged it with the Salic Law

• ended with Peace of Aix-Chapelle (1748)

• connected to UNIT 5 where Britain allied with Austria & tried countering the aggression of rivals (France & Prussia) [THIS WAS THE SALIC LAW DID NOT APPLY TO BRITAIN] → marked Britain’s ongoing rivalry with France

Pragmatic Sanction

• issued by Charles VI which states that Habsburg possessions were never to be divided and all territories would go to his daughter Maria Theresa

Salic Law

• rule that states females cannot inherit crown

• didn’t want Maria taking over Habsburg territory as she was a woman

Peace of Aix-Chapelle (1748)

• ended War of Austrian succession where Bourbon powers must accept Pragmatic Sanction, but Prussia keeps Silesia

Agricultural Revolution

• increased availability of food that led to rapid population growth

• tech advancements such as seed drill

• led to Industrial Rev

Economic Changes

• cottage industry/putting-out system involved producing goods from small homes rather than factories → began to compete with urban guild workers

Dutch Golden Age

• Dutch won independence from Spain in 1648 after 80 Years’ War (UNIT 2)

• became the wealthiest state in Europe, heavily investing in shipbuilding and taking advantage of their strategic location on the Atlantic Ocean

• a period of great wealth, cultural achievement, and maritime power in the Dutch Republic during the 17th century, marked by advancements in trade, art, and science.