Age of Absolutism & English Civil War

📚 🔱 European Absolutism Overview

Brief Overview

This note covering European Absolutism was created from a 31‑page PDF presentation. It reviews core assumptions, the hallmarks of French absolutist rule, major thinkers such as Bossuet and Hobbes, Louis XIV’s policies and wars, and the economic backdrop of mercantilism.

Key Points

• Core ideas behind divine right and centralized sovereignty

• Key French figures and their reforms (Henry IV, Richelieu, Louis XIV)

• Mercantilist policies and the costs of Louis XIV’s wars

• Comparative snapshot of French and Spanish absolutism

📜 Absolutism in Western Europe (1589‑1715)

⚙ Core Assumptions

• Traditional succession – power passed hereditarily to the heir.

• Divine right of kings – monarchs ruled by God’s mandate; answered to no human body.

🏰 Characteristics of Western Absolutism

📚 Philosophy of Absolutism

✝ Bishop Jacques Bossuet (1627‑1704)

• Principal advocate of divine right in France under Louis XIV.

• Argued that God placed man on the throne, making the king answerable to no earthly authority.

🐺 Thomas Hobbes (1588‑1679)

• Author of Leviathan.

• Pessimistic view of the state of nature: “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

• Central drive: power.

• Developed Social Contract Theory – government as an agreement between people and ruler.

• Rejected divine right; viewed as overly authoritarian by constitutionalists.

🇫🇷 Absolutism in France

👑 Henry IV (r. 1589‑1610) – First Bourbon King

• Introduced the “nobility of the robe” (status via government office).

• Tax reforms: lowered overall taxes, created a levy on noble children’s future offices.

• Rebuilt France post‑War of Religion; promoted peace and economic growth.

• Famous slogan: “a chicken in every pot.”

• Issued the Edict of Nantes, granting limited rights to Huguenots.

💼 Duke of Sully – Finance Minister

• Strengthened monarchical power.

• Granted monopolies (gunpowder, salt).

• Reduced royal debt through trade expansion.

• Streamlined tax system; nobles largely exempt.

• Developed infrastructure: highways, canals.

• Encouraged colonial ventures (e.g., Canada).

🕊 Cardinal Richelieu (1585‑1642) – Regent for Louis XIII

• Curbed noble power: removed them from royal council, instituted intendants over 32 districts.

• Embraced raison d’état (political necessity).

• Sought to suppress Huguenot political/military rights.

• Opposed the Habsburgs; entered the Thirty Years’ War.

• Effectively governed France, marginalizing the young Louis XIII.

🌞 Louis XIV – “The Sun King” (1643‑1715)

• Declared “L’État, c’est moi” (I am the state).

• Longest European reign; champion of divine right.

• France became the continent’s pre‑eminent power:

  • Population ≈ 17 million.

  • Largest standing army.

  • French language dominated diplomacy.

  • Cultural hub of arts and literature.

• Built Palace of Versailles as a symbol of centralized authority.

• Faced coalitions aiming to maintain the balance of power.

⚔ The Fronde (1648‑1653) – Noble Rebellion

• Power vacuum after Louis XIV’s childhood; Cardinal Mazarin governed.

• Nobility and parlements resisted high taxes and centralization.

• Resulted in lasting royal distrust of the aristocracy, reinforcing absolutist policies.

🖨 Printing Centers in Europe (1452‑1500)

• Map data: each dot marks a city producing ≥ 50 distinct books/editions during this period.

• Indicates the spread of print culture preceding the absolutist era.

📖 Key Guideline Summary (Bossuet’s Leadership Principles)

1. Divine appointment – the king’s authority originates from God.

2. Unquestioned obedience – subjects owe allegiance solely to the monarch.

3. Monarchical unity – the sovereign embodies the state itself.

Government under Louis XIV ⚖

Recruitment of Chiefs

• Ministers drawn from middle class, aristocracy, and nobility

• Emphasis on loyalty to the state and discipline

Intendant System

• Continuation of Richelieu’s policy

• Bypassed the Estates General; critics were imprisoned

Peasant Burdens

• Cash crops forced onto landlords

• Mandatory tithes to the Church

• Corvée: compulsory labor on government roads

The Intendant System in Detail 🗂

Versailles: Culture, Religion, & Economy 🏰

Symbol of Absolute Rule

• Built on a former hunting lodge (Louis XIII)

• Baroque architecture, a visual statement of power

• Court swelled to ≈10,000 courtiers

• Consumed ~60 % of royal revenue

• Functioned as a “prison” for the nobility, curbing their independent power

Religious Policy: “One king, one law, one faith” ✝

• Edict of Fontainebleau (1685)

  1. Revoked the Edict of Nantes → eliminated legal protections for Calvinists

  2. Triggered the exodus of ≈200 000 Huguenots to England, Holland, America

Mercantilism & Bullionism 💰

Mercantilist Doctrine

Bullionist Goal

Jean Baptiste Colbert’s Policies

1. Pursue self‑sufficiency

2. Grant guilds and monopolies to control production

3. Reduce internal tariffs to stimulate domestic trade

4. Organize trading companies (East Indies, Canada)

5. Develop a merchant marine

6. Promote textiles, lace, and steel manufacturing

Downsides of Mercantilism

• Peasant hardship: heavy taxes → emigration

• War expenditures erased fiscal gains

• Colonial resistance undermined trade

Wars of Louis XIV ⚔

Overview

• Early successes, but long‑term economic drain

• Creation of a modern professional army

• Emergence of a balance‑of‑power system limiting French expansion

Major Conflicts

Balance of Power Highlights

• Coalitions prevented any single nation (especially France) from dominating Europe.

• William of Orange proved pivotal in checking Louis XIV’s ambitions.

Treaty of Utrecht (1713) 📜

• Preserved the European balance of power

• Ended French expansionism

• Required separation of the Spanish and French thrones

• Marked the decline of Spain as a great power

• Granted England territories in Canada and control of the African slave trade from Spain

• Austria acquired former Spanish possessions

Economic Cost of Louis XIV’s Wars 💸

• Bankrupt French treasury

• Widespread misery among peasants, fostering anti‑monarchical sentiment

• High taxation and soaring prices eroded domestic stability

Comparative Snapshot: Philip II of Spain vs. Louis XIV of France 🏰 vs. 🌟

📚 English Civil War Overview

Brief Overview

This note covers 17th-century English history and was created from a 32-page presentation. This presentation details the causes, key figures, and outcomes of the English Civil War, including the Interregnum, the Restoration, and the Glorious Revolution. Also covered are the decline of Spain's Golden Age, the Dutch Golden Age, and the political philosophies of Locke and Hobbes.

Key Points

• Understand the causes and factions involved in the English Civil War.

• Learn about the Interregnum period and the rule of Oliver Cromwell.

• Review the Restoration era, including key laws and the shift towards a constitutional monarchy.

Causes of the English Civil War ⚔

• King vs. Parliament – dispute over the right to tax.

• Church governance – Episcopal (hierarchical, king‑bishop control) vs. Presbyterian (member‑based, constitutional freedom, like Scotland).

Monarchs Before the War 👑

Parliamentary Phases 📜

Short Parliament (April 1640)

• Convened to fund war against Scotland.

• King dismissed it after refusing demands.

Long Parliament (1640‑1660)

• Called over fear of Scottish invasion.

• Key actions:

  • Executed William Laud.

  • Declared Parliament could not be dissolved.

  • Ended ship money tax.

  • Passed the Triennial Act.

  • Saw fighting among Presbyterians, Puritans, and the Church of England.

  • Irish revolt began in 1641.

The English Civil War (1642‑1649) 🔥

• Trigger: Charles I attempted to arrest Puritan MPs.

• Factions:

  • Cavaliers – royalist, Anglican, rural nobility.

  • Roundheads – Parliamentarian, Puritan, led by Cromwell’s New Model Army.

Outcomes

1. Charles surrendered to the Scots, hoping for lenient treatment.

2. Pride’s Purge (1648) removed non‑Puritans; Parliament shrank from ~500 members to 60 Puritans.

3. Charles I executed for treason (1649).

Interregnum & Commonwealth (1649‑1660) 🌐

• Monarchy abolished; Rump Parliament briefly governed, then dissolved.

• Oliver Cromwell → Lord Protector (1653).

• Religious policy: tolerance for most Protestant sects, exclusion of Catholics.

• England divided into 12 military districts.

Social Movements

Military Campaigns

• Suppressed Irish uprising (1649); transferred two‑thirds of Catholic lands to English colonists (Act of Settlement 1652).

• Conquered Scotland (1652) and declared war on Spain.

The Restoration (1660) 🌤

• Charles II (1660‑1685) restored the throne; agreed to obey Parliament, favored religious tolerance, dubbed the “Merry Monarch”.

Political Parties

Laws of the Restoration 📚

• Clarendon Code (1661): required Anglican oath for officials; barred Catholics from office.

• Test Act (1672): excluded non‑conformists (including Catholics & Jews) from voting, holding office, university positions.

• Habeas Corpus Act (1679): limited royal power, ensured fair, speedy trials, prohibited arbitrary arrest and double jeopardy.

James II (1685‑1688) 👑

• Sought to restore Catholicism; appointed Catholics to high posts.

• Issued Declaration of Indulgence (religious freedoms for Catholics, reading in Anglican churches).

• Birth of a Catholic heir (1688) alarmed Parliament.

Glorious Revolution & Constitutional Shift (1688) ⚖

• Parliament invited William of Orange (married to James II’s Protestant daughter Mary) to invade.

• James fled to France; William and Mary accepted the Bill of Rights (1689), establishing a constitutional monarchy.

Bill of Rights – Key Provisions

1. Monarch cannot be Catholic.

2. Laws/taxes require Parliament’s consent.

3. No standing army in peacetime.

4. No excessive bail, cruel or unusual punishments.

5. Right to trial by jury.

6. Right to bear arms (excluding Catholics).

7. Monarch cannot dissolve Parliament.

8. Right of petition for subjects.

Subsequent Acts & Union 📜

Decline of Spain’s Golden Age (16th‑17th c.) 📉

Economic Factors

• Population loss (expulsion of Jews & Moors).

• Competition from Dutch & English trade.

• Disease in the Americas.

• Price Revolution → inflation, burdened peasants → migration to cities.

• Small middle class; elite ignored capitalism.

Political Factors

• Defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588).

• Losses in the Thirty Years’ War (1618‑1648).

• Loss of the Netherlands.

• War of Spanish Succession → loss of European territories.

• Portuguese independence restored (1640).

The Dutch Golden Age (17th c.) 🌷

• Government: Republican confederation; oligarchic regents (wealthy merchants) ran provinces; States General handled foreign affairs.

• Religion: Tolerance fostered a diverse society.

• Economy: Fishing, commercial trade (Dutch East India Company), shipbuilding, Calvinist work ethic.

• Finance: Amsterdam became Europe’s banking capital by 1750.

Artistic Themes

Notable Works

• The Night Watch – Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642

• Banquet of the Officers of the St Adrian Civic Guard – Frans Hals, 1627

• Portrait of Willem Heythuijsen – Frans Hals, 1634

• View of Delft – Johannes Vermeer, c. 1660‑61

• The Maas at Dordrecht – Aelbert Cuyp, 1650

Political Philosophy: Locke & Hobbes 📖

John Locke (1632‑1704)

• Two Treatises of Civil Government (1690)

  State of nature: humans are naturally good but lack protection.
  Purpose of government: protect natural rights—life, liberty, property.
  Right of rebellion: people may abolish a government that fails its purpose.

• Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690)

  Tabula rasa: the mind is a blank slate; knowledge comes from experience.
  Emphasized the role of education and environment.

• Fled to the Netherlands (1683) after being implicated in a plot against James II.

Thomas Hobbes (1588‑1679)

• Leviathan (1651) – reaction to the English Civil War.

  Human drive: pursuit of power, not noble ideals.
  Social contract: people grant an absolute ruler power for stability.
  Life without government: “nasty, brutish, and short.”
  Authority is absolute, but not divine.