Unit 2 Absolutism

Divine right

God placed king on throne: opposition to king, by extension, not only treason but heresy.

Large standing armies

Monarchs understood value of regular standing army that remained loyal.

Relative decline of nobility, and increase in state power.

decline in noble and more state power

Absolutism

unrestrained personal rule by a monarch: no legal barriers to exercising power.

Mercantilism

is the economic theory that trade generates wealth and is stimulated by the accumulation of profitable balances

Belief of mercantilism

Government policies to encourage exports inhibit imports,Reliance on overseas colonies to expand markets,Monopolizing trade with colonies believing that global trade was finite - “bigger slice of pie” to increase wealth,MERCANTILISM LEADS TO IMPERIALISM!

Rise of Property Rights

shift in concepts of land ownership. Sale of land & buildings became possible. Property was now a commodity having added value. Additionally, land can be taxed by monarchs/rulers!

Enclosure Movement:

.The elimination of customary land use rights for things like grazing, wood-gathering, and fishing.

.Common lands including marshes, swamps, and woods are now privately owned.

.Loss of common lands leads to economic struggles for peasants. Peasants relied on common land for food production. Also see A above.

.More poverty among peasants forced them to leave rural areas and enter cities for work.

.This population shift will become the labor force for the Industrial Revolution!

LOUIS XIII

33-year reign which brought stability to France. His reign included involving France in the 30 Years War, as well as promoting French expansion into the Americas. During his reign he never called the Estates General. The Estates General was last called during the reign of his regent in 1614.

Estates-Genera

French parliament.

CARDINAL RICHELIU

King Louis XIII's chief minister from 1624-1642 was Cardinal Richelieu. His primary ambition was to solidify the power of the king. He had 2 main goals to help him achieve this ambition. The first main goal was to consolidate the power of the king. The second main goal was to crush all opposing factions. He accomplished these goals by doing the following things:

A. Raised taxes to pay for war.

B. He censored the press.

C. Established a large network of internal spies

LOUIS XIV

He was the longest reigning European monarch in history, ruling from 1643-1715

CARDINAL MAZARIN

Louis XIV Chief Minister was Cardinal Mazarin from 1642 to 1661. When Mazarin died Louis XIV ruled without a Chief Minister to assert his royal authority. Continued the policies of Cardinal Richelieu, including taking power from the nobles and raising taxes to pay for wars. These policies were unpopular and the result was a revolt by the nobles in 1648 called the: THE FRONDE. The revolt was more about Mazarin than about the 10-year-old Louis. The revolt lasted 5 years 1648 to 1653, but never gained popular support.

THE FRONDE

The revolt was more about Mazarin than about the 10-year-old Louis. The revolt lasted 5 years 1648 to 1653, but never gained popular support.

EXAMPLES OF LOUIS XIV AS AN ABSOLUTIST RULER.

.PALACE OF VERSAILLES: LOUIS XIV:Royal court relocated there, and the nobles forced to spend much time at Versailles as a way to control them. If they were at Versailles they could not plan rebellions or try to involve themselves in the running of the country.

.REVOKED THE EDICT OF NANTES:allow religious toleration primarily for the Huguenots. The Huguenots were French Protestants. The purpose of revoking the Edict of Nantes was to unify France under one religion Catholicism. What did the Edict of Nantes do?

Protestant churches and schools closed and Protestant ministers exiled.

Those who refused to convert were forced to become galley (ship) slaves!

Protestant children forcibly baptized by Catholic priests.

RESULTS: ¼ million French Protestants fled the country to England, Germany, Holland, North America. Many were prosperous merchants and artisans taking with them lots of wealth and talent.

.WAR OF SPANISH SUCCESSION:This was the final of 4 major wars fought by Louis XIV. By the end of his reign, it is essentially France vs the rest of Europe! In order to fight those wars Louis XIV built Europe’s largest and most powerful standing army at the time. RESULT OF THE REIGN OF LOUIS XIV: Left massive debt for future French rulers, including Versailles, wars, and the standing army! He expanded the borders of France. making it easier to defend itself against invasion. He also increased the overall power of the Crown.