UNIT 2

Absolutism and Constitutionalism

Thirty Years War:

• Caused by religious tensions between Catholic League and Protestant Union, inflation, taxes, dissatisfaction with policies and laws.

  • The Peace of Augsburg 1555 only recognized Catholics and Lutherans, which angered other Protestants such as Calvinists.

  • Defenestration of Prague 1618 where Protestant nobles through two Catholic officials out of a window symbolized Protestant resistance to Catholic authority.

• Four phases of the war: Bohemian (Catholics win), Danish (peak of Catholic power), Swedish (Gustavus Adolphus sigma), French (French win on Spanish)

• In the French phase the French did not care about religious matters but instead about state matters since they thought habsburgs were becoming too powerful. 

  • Spain was confused since France and Spain were both catholic.

  • Religion is out of warfare, focused on the state.

  • Raison d’etat (reason of state) was France’s reason to fight Spain for their own benefit.

• Result in 1648 peace of westphalia where all religion is ok.

  • Ended the Thirty Years War

  • Religion is taken away from politics.

  • Caused a massive rise of armies and military power, inflation of taxes since people believed that without a strong military, the king was useless.

    • France starts using battalions → pike and shot warfare: reduce calvary effectiveness.

• Around a third of Germans died in the war.

French Absolutism

• Absolutism: one person has absolute power over everything. Everything revolves around one thing, like the sun. In 17th century France, it was King Louis XIV -- the Sun king (1643-1715).

  • Louis XIV was the first model of absolutism.

• French Absolutism started after Henry IV was murdered by a Catholic zealot.

  • Louis XIV removes his Edict of Nantes 1598 and kicks 200k Huguenots out.

• Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642) was the chief minister of King Louis 13. anti-Edict of Nantes

  • Centralized royal power, implemented Absolutism. Controlled nobles, local laws, and tax collection.

  • The Fronde was the nobles’ (robe and sword) last attempt to challenge Absolutism.

    • Their violent protests were absolutely crushed by the authorities. 

    • No one can limit royal authority after this.

• Estates General 1614 was basically the parliament of France (clergy, nobility, commoners). 

  • Called by the king, but when Louis XIV came with absolutism, he never called again so that he had all power and nobles couldn't challenge him.

• Also believed in Divine Right (God gives power to the king), calling himself “Sun King”.

  • If you challenge Louis, you challenge God.

• Repelled the Edict of Nantes because Louis hated division (Huguenots flee)

• Palais Versaille was built as baroque: people are in awe of the power and look of it.

  • The center of political, social, and cultural life where nobles competed for Louis’ favor.

    • Basically the king could control the nobles.

• Jean Baptise Colbert used mercantilism to make France’s economy big enough for Louis to keep going to wars without bankruptcy. 

  • Increased import and tariffs.

  • Invited craftsmen and industrialists to France to produce whatever.

• Because Louis kept spending money on war, France went bankrupt constantly.

• France becoming a model for absolutism showed it was a valid system of government for other countries to implement.

English Constitutionalism

• Elizabeth I died so no heir, so the poopy scottish stuarts come in

  • Began with her cousin James I in 1603. Stuarts believed in divine right (authority came from God and not from parliament), creating tensions between monarchy and parliament.

• The English Civil War 1642-49 began during Charles I (James I’s son) who liked persecuting Puritans and dismissing the Parliament, leading to the war.

  • Fought between Charles I’s army (catholic) and Oliver Cromwell’s Parliament army (puritans).

  • In the end, the Parliament won, decreasing the power of the King. Charles was beheaded in 1649.

  • Oliver Cromwell was the madman who led the Parliament’s army during the Civil war.

    • Puritans (hardcore protestant) followed him.

    • No one liked him because he was a strong dictator.

    • Fought Ireland and gained control of them.

• Thomas Hobbes disagreed with mutiny (society shouldn’t rise against their king).

  • Rulers can do whatever good things they want.

  • Wrote Leviathan (1651) stating that monarchs should have full control but only if it’s good and helps everyone.

• Stuart monarchy continues after Cromwell’s death (Charles II, James II)

• John Locke was a strong supporter of constitutionalism.

  • Believed individuals were born with a blank state (Tabula Rasa) and argued government must be based on the consent of the governed.

  • Wrote Two Treatises of Government (1690), arguing against divine-right monarchy.

• Opposing James II’s absolute policies, the Parliament invites Mary II and William of Orange to invade England. The Glorious Revolution 1688 replaced James II without bloodshed.

  • Mary and William were now monarchs and the 17th century struggle ended.

  • The Parliament is now the leader of the government. Switch from absolutism to constitutionalism.

• Bill of Rights 1689 was created by the Parliament, allowing parliament to make laws and tax, no religious questions, supported by John Locke.

  • Provided everyone rights that cannot be taken away: freedom.

Dutch Golden Age:

• Started with Dutch independence from Spain and Peace of Westphalia where there were no more religious conflicts.

• The Dutch were the economic powerhouse because of ships, trade, bank, and mercantilism.

  • Major trade in the Atlantic

• Bank of Amsterdam in 1609 facilitated trade and exploration in the east due to stable currency.

  • Amsterdam is a major financial center.

• The Dutch created the Fluyt: an efficient and inexpensive cargo ship for bulk trade.

  • Dutch traders dominated shipping and trade, making them competitive.

• Netherlands/Holland were one of the first to have a representative government

  • Consisted of Stadtholders (official during war, usually members of House of Orange (William of Orange)) 

    • Limited by the power of States General. 

    • Some Dutch provinces preferred to limit their authority when it’s not war.

  • States General was a representative body of each of the Dutch Republic’s provinces.

    • Made Holland a republic rather than monarchy.

• Basically, they had lots of power from trade, ships, mercantilism, and banking.

  • Trade shifted from Mediterranean to Atlantic

  • This made England want to weaken the Dutch, so they made Navigation Acts 1651.

    • mandated that goods imported to England or its colonies be transported on English ships or on ships from the country of origin.

Prussia, Russia, Austria absolutism.

• Serfdom: feudal labor

  • Peasants/serfs are very angry from the black plague and the horrible conditions of serfdom

  • Landlords tie them to land even more, conditions worsen

  • Secured noble (junkers) loyalty in Austria

  • Everything relied on serfdom: money for armies, centralization, noble loyalty

• Absolutism started in Russia in the 15th century with Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible). He reestablished serfdom, causing peasants to flee and rebel, forming cossacks.

  • Ivan IV was the first Tsar, giving him full power

• Peter the Great (r. 1682-1725) was determined to access the Baltic sea.

  • He built the first Russian Navy and strengthened the army

    • spent 80% of the state’s revenue on this.

  • Westernization: encouraged western culture, technology, and urban planning

• The Great Northern War (1700-1721) began between Sweden and Russia, who wanted to access the Baltic.

  • Russia won in the long run, becoming the dominant power in the Baltic.

  • Peter the Great creates Saint Petersburg for better control of the Baltic Sea

• Frederick William “Great Elector” sought to unify and expand his territories. 

  • He persuaded Junkers (members of the landed nobility in Prussia) to accept taxation to fund an army, and limited the role of estates, which led to less financial dependency. 

    • This allowed an increase in revenue, larger army, and growing population.

• Frederick I (Great Elector’s son) reinforced absolutism by making Prussia into a military state 

• Absolutism in Austria began with the Habsburg family. They were very powerful, influencing much of Europe. Many people from the family were named the “Holy Roman Emperor”. 

• After the thirty years war though, they lost power. Austrians led an army to push out the Ottomans to expand eastwards.

  • Reinforced by the Treaty of Karlowitz which gave Austria control over Hungary, Transylvania, Croatia, Slovenia.

• Ferdinand III (r. 1637-1657) created an army and pushed away the Ottomans.

• Austria did not succeed in centralizing into a fully absolutist country because of how many different ethnic groups there were.