Absolutism and Constitutionalism: Unit 3

Background

Growths during the 17th-18th Century

  • Development of Constitutionalism

  • Absolutism

  • Capitalism

  • Modern nations and boundaries

  • Secularism

  • Early Industrialization

Constitutional Countries

  • Dutch

  • England

Absolute Countries

  • France

  • Austria

  • Prussia

  • Russia

Characteristics of Absolute Control

  • One religion

  • Artistic/Cultural movements

  • Mercantilism

  • Standing Army

  • Control over nobles

Families

  • Stuart - English

  • Bourbon - France

  • Romanov - Russia

  • Hohenzollern - Prussia

  • Hapsburgs - Austrians/Spanish

  • Orange - Dutch

Philosophies

  • Hobbes

    • Wrote Leviathan

    • Supported absolutism to protect the people/social contract

  • Locke

    • Wrote Two Treatises on Government

    • Constitutionalist - believed in natural rights

  • Bishop Bousset

    • Tutor for Louis XIV

    • Believed in Absolutism - divine right of kings

  • James

    • Old English King

    • Believed in Absolutism - divine right of kings

Ideologies

  • Constitutionalism

    • Written Constitution to limit power of ruler

      • Ex: English Bill of Rights, Petition of Rights

    • Representative government

      • Ex: Parliament

    • Rights of the people

      • Ex: Act of Toleration (except Catholic)

  • Absolutism

    • Divine right

    • Religious control

      • Ex: Revoking of the Edict of Nantes

    • Mercantilism

      • Ex: Colbert

    • Standing Army

      • Ex: Junkers

    • Expanding Territory

    • Control over art and culture

    • Control over nobility

      • Ex: Versailles, St. Petersburg, Table of Ranks, Junkers, Pragmatic Sanction

The Dutch Golden Age

17th Century: "The Dutch Century"

  • Constitutional political model

  • A radical attitude towards religion

    • Anyone could worship freely

  • Stable, thriving economy

  • "Golden Age" of artists and thinkers

    • Religion and everyday life were recurring themes in their art

Dutch Society

  • Amsterdam, Rotterdam: granaries with enough surplus for a year

  • Highest salaries in Europe - even women

  • Protestant/Calvinist work ethic

  • Highest standard of living

  • Dutch art: depicts ordinary lives of ordinary people

Dutch Economy

  • Exported diamonds, linens, and pottery

  • Little inflation

  • Great Dutch land reclamation project

  • Masters of "carrying trade" - low shipping rates

University of Leiden

  • By 1645 was the largest university of the world

  • Protestant university - most universities were Catholic at the time

The Spanish Netherlands

  • At the end of the 16th century, Philip II controlled what was called the Spanish Netherlands

  • The Spanish Netherlands protested for religious freedom, but Philip II wanted Catholicism only

  • Dutch became the independent Dutch Federation after the 30 years war

The Dutch Federation

  • Regents

    • Provincial level

    • Held virtually all power

    • Strong advocates for local independence

  • Stadholders

    • States General representative from each province

    • Responsible for defense and order

  • States General

    • Federal assembly of foreign affairs

    • All issues had to be referred

  • Wildly different government system than many monarchies at the time

Anglo-Dutch Wars

  • Most of these wars caused due to the British Navigation Acts

    • Colonies could only trade with British, not the Dutch

  • First Anglo-Dutch War

  • Second Anglo-Dutch War

  • Third Anglo-Dutch War

 

England

1215 - the Magna Carta

  • King John I forced to accept it

  • A list of demands made by the nobility

  • Created a contract between the King and the aristocracy

  • Established the principles of a limited power of the King

    • King must consult the noble citizens for consent

    • Accused must have a jury trial

    • Established basic legal rights

Model Parliament

  • King Edward I brings military leaders and nobility together as a Parliament

  • Principle of Parliament: "Power of the purse"

  • Radical new idea for a monarch to ask for anything

The Elizabethan Bargain

  • Parliament

    • Power to tax

  • The Monarch

    • Royal power over foreign policy

  • Elizabeth dies without an heir - power shifts to James I of Scotland

The Stuart Monarchy

  • King James I - first patriarch

    • Originally Calvinist, but becomes Anglican and alienated the Puritans

      • Many English citizens are Puritans, creates a schism

    • Believes in absolutism

    • Problems

      • Large Royal debt

      • Not English: didn't understand English customs

      • Believed in Divine Right of Kings

      • Pro-Catholic sympathies

      • Raised money without Parliament's consent

    • KJV Bible

  • Family branches out into German, Catholic, and Spanish families

  • Charles I - second patriarch

    • Pro-ceremonies and rituals, knew English customs

    • Maintained same attitudes as father

    • Uniformity Act - makes Scotland have to follow Anglican prayer book

    • Seen as too pro-Catholic by Calvinists and Puritans

  • Ship Money Assessments

    • A medieval tax for coastal cities in order to fund their defense against pirates

    • Charles applied them to inland countries as well

    • This got him around the need to call parliament into session

      • Standing tradition, didn't need to be approved by parliament

  • The Petition of Rights

    • In return for war money, Charles I agreed:

      • No imprisonment without due cause

      • No taxation without Parliament's consent

      • No putting soldiers in private homes

      • No martial law during peacetime

    • Charles signed it, then ignored it, dissolving Parliament

  • The Long Parliament

    • Charles enters the House of Commons to end the session and arrest 5 MPs

    • Charles heads north to raise an army, starting the civil war

English Civil War

  • Royalists (Cavaliers)

    • House of Lords

    • North and West England

    • Aristocracy and Nobles

    • Large landowners

    • Church Officials

    • More rural

  • Parliamentarians (Roundheads)

    • House of commons

    • South and East England

    • Puritans

    • Merchants

    • Townspeople

    • More urban

Oliver Cromwell

  • Officer of the Parliamentary army: The New Model Army

  • Led the army that defeated royal forces

The Interregnum

  • The Commonwealth: 1649 - 1653

  • The Protectorate: 1654 - 1660

Pride's Purge

  • Cromwell purges the House of Commons of moderates (anyone who is a monarchy sympathizer)

  • This results in the "Rump" Parliament

    • To decide if he lives or dies

    • They decide for him to die

The Puritan Commonwealth

  • Cromwell rules with the Rump Parliament

  • Constitutional Republic

    • Created a constitution: Instrument of government

    • Executive branch: no monarch

  • Europe is appalled - even other nations don't recognize it

Levelers

  • One of the first Libertarian groups

  • The Agreement of the People was their political manifesto

  • Abolish corruption within the Parliament and judicial process

  • Toleration of religious differences

  • Universal suffrage

Diggers

  • Agrarian Communists

  • Felt that the land should be evenly distributed to the poor

  • Alarming to the government

The Protectorate

  • Oliver Cromwell dismisses Parliament and names himself Lord Protector

    • Essentially a religious dictator

  • Religious tolerance for all except Catholics

  • Closes sports, bars, brothels, shows, etc.

  • Crushes rebellions in Scotland and Ireland

The Restoration

  • "Parliament cannot Exist without the Crown, nor vice versa"

  • Ideals of England are restored

King Charles II

  • Son of Charles I

  • Well-liked, charming, and politically skilled

  • Re-opened theaters, pubs, brothels

  • Favored religious toleration

  • Secret Catholic sympathizer - secretly tells the French that he will restore Catholic England

  • Test Act

    • Parliament excluded all but Anglicans from civilian and military positions

  • Habeas Corpus Act

    • Allows prisoners to request Habeas Corpus

Charles II's foreign policy

  • Second Anglo-Dutch War

  • To Charles II, Louis XIV is an ideal ally against the Dutch

  • Treaty of Dover

    • Treaty between England and France publicly coming together to defeat the Dutch, but secretly agreeing for Charles II to marry Louis XIV's sister in exchange for France's money to dismantle parliament

King James II

  • Following Charles II's death, his brother takes the throne

  • Bigoted convert to Catholicism without Charles II's political shrewdness

  • Provoked the revolution that Charles II had succeeded in avoiding

  • Introduced Catholics into the army, navy, and government positions

  • Claimed the power to suspend or dispense with Acts of Parliament

  • Declaration of Indulgence: Extends religious tolerance without Parliament's approval or support

The Glorious Revolution

  • Whig and Tory leaders offered the throne jointly to James II's daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange

English Bill of Rights

  • Settled all major issues between King and Parliament

  • Served as a model for the US bill of rights

  • It also formed a base for the steady expansion of civil liberties in the 18th and early 19th centuries in England

  • Major Provisions:

    • The King cannot suspend the operation of laws

    • The King cannot interfere with the ordinary course of justice

    • No taxes can be levied or standard army maintained without Parliament's consent

    • Freedom of speech in Parliament

    • Sessions of Parliament would be held frequently

    • Subjects had the right to bail, petition, and freedom from excessive fines and cruel and unusual punishment

    • The monarch must be a Protestant

    • Freedom from arbitrary arrest

    • Censorship of the press was dropped

    • Religious toleration

The Bourbon Monarchy

Henry IV

  • Becomes king after war of three Henrys

  • Converting Catholicism

  • Edict of Nantes

  • Corvee - labor tax

  • Nobility of the Robe

    • Sword - Charlamagne

    • Robe - Wealthy merchants and landowners who buy positions of power

Louis XIII

  • Cardinal Richelieu

    • 30 years war

    • Intendants - spies/advisors in the nobility

    • Limits the Edict of Nantes by stopping Huguenots from participating in the government

Louis XIV

  • Versailles - Home of the "Sun King"

  • The Fronde

    • 4-year-old Louis and his mother flee when they are rebelled against by Parisians in attempt to regain power

  • Cultural Impact

    • Salons

    • France goods were desired by other nations

    • Kings and other nobles flock to court in France

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

  • Advisor of Louis XIV

  • Mercantilism

    • Favorable balance of trade

    • Imposed tariffs on all imports

    • New national industries

    • Direct taxes on peasants

    • No exporting of food

Revoking of the Edict of Nantes

  • Louis XIV bans Huguenots from government offices and excluded them from printing and medicine

  • Quartered troops in Huguenot towns

  • 250,000 Huguenots fled France and many businesses shut down

Military

  • Modernized army with recruitment, proper clothing, and housing in barracks

  • Good salaries, promotion by merit

  • Increased number from 100,000 - 400,000

  • Goal: secure international boundaries of France

Russia and Prussia

Russian Life

  • Drunk

  • Slaves to the despotic Czar (king)

  • Not afraid of war

  • Tough individuals

  • Religious - Eastern Orthodox

  • Diet of turnips and cabbage

  • Arranged marriage

Russia vs Europe

  • Greek Orthodox branch of Christianity

  • Mongol invasions

  • Geography

  • Serfs

Peter the Great

  • Grand Tour of Europe

  • Contempt for the old Russia

Peter's Goals

  • Taming the boyars (nobles) and streltsy (warriors)

    • Shave long beards and cut coats

    • Table of ranks

  • Secular control of the church

    • Abolished position of patriarch and appointed a layman to be Procurator

  • Reorganizing government

    • Established colleges

    • Abolished hereditary succession

  • Develop economy

    • Establish newspaper and iron industries

    • Brought potatoes

  • Build strong military

    • Build navy

    • Great Northern War

King Frederick I of Prussia

  • Established standing army which doubled as tax collectors and policemen

  • Imposed mandatory excise taxes

  • Religious toleration

  • Gained title of King after helping the Hapsburgs and English in the war of Spanish Succession

King Frederick William I - "The soldier's King"

  • 3 Goals

    • Absolute monarchy

    • Building Prussian army

      • Very involved in military life

    • Making Prussian financially independent

      • Frugal

      • Strong centralized bureaucracy

The Habsburgs and the HRE

Leopold I

  • Last HRE

  • Negotiated Treaties with all territories inside empire

  • Fought wars against Louis XIV - nine years war and war of succession

Pragmatic Sanction

  • Issued by Charles VI

  • Goal: ensure Maria Theresa's reign

  • Caused the war of Austrian succession

  • Maria Theresa reigned for 40 years

    • Notable children - Maria Antoinette

The War of Austrian Succession

  • Frederick II takes over Silesia - some of Maria Theresa's land