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The Era of Absolutism
Source: https://www.whiteplainspublicschools.org/cms/lib5/NY01000029/Centricity/Domain/305/The%20Era%20of%20Absolutism.pdf
Doctrines of Political Absolutism. As ongoing religious wars in Europe led to the decline of Christian
unity, a new political structure emerged. National monarchies—kings and queens—became central
authorities and dominated governments. The new form of organization came to be called absolutism
because monarchs had absolute power, or sovereignty, over their subjects. Many monarchs justified
their absolute political authority by claiming that their power came from God, an idea called the Divine
Right of Kings. Certain philosophers supported absolutism by arguing that people were by nature
ruthless and uncivilized and needed a central authority.
Absolutism in France. By the end of the 1600s, France had the most powerful monarchy in Europe. The
French kings used centralized authority as well as force to suppress the nobility and strengthen the
monarchy. Cardinal Richelieu, a royal adviser, filled government posts with well-educated bureaucrats to
edge the nobility out of power. Louis XIV began to rule as king in 1661 and tried to further centralize
royal control. He created a new nobility made up of the merchant class and forced the “nobles” to act as
his servants. Louis also completely destroyed the power of the Huguenots—a group many saw as
dangerous to French unity—by outlawing their Protestant religion and forcing many to flee.
Louis tried to expand France’s borders, sending the nation to war four times between 1667 and 1714.
He attempted to install his grandson, Philip of Anjou, on the Spanish throne. After much fighting, Louis
accepted the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The treaty allowed Philip to become king of Spain, but forced
Louis to give up territory and his dream of a single monarchy to rule both countries.
Absolutism in Russia. Russian rulers, who had broken free of the Mongols in 1480, built a powerful
absolute state. The princes of Moscow took the title of czar. Ivan IV, known as “Ivan the Terrible,”
consolidated the power of the czars during the 1500s. He killed many nobles and gave others’ land
away. Under Ivan, Russia went to war to expand its borders. In 1682 Peter I, known as Peter the Great,
took the Russian throne. Peter supported the import of western ideas and culture to Russia, a program
known as westernization, to build his state. He also used western military strategies to strengthen his
army. Under Peter, Russia defeated Sweden in 1709 and conquered lands that gave him access to the
Baltic Sea and the Black Sea.
Absolutism in Germany and Central Europe. In Germany, many small and medium-sized states
emerged. As in unified France and Russia, the rulers of these smaller states exercised absolute power,
collecting high taxes and putting down rebellions. These policies increased the power of the smaller
states rather than creating a strong, centralized state. The Habsburg dynasty continued to rule over
Austria and Bohemia, and extended its empire. The Habsburgs were never able to restore centralized
authority, however.
The English Challenge to Absolutism. England did not develop as an absolute state. Elizabeth I had
skillfully managed Parliament to maximize her own power. Her successors were not so talented. James I
had an uneasy relationship with Parliament, while Charles I disbanded Parliament altogether. Charles
tried to limit certain religious practices, causing a rebellion among Protestants and Calvinists.
Parliamentary forces led by the Puritan Oliver Cromwell overthrew Charles. Cromwell abolished the
monarchy and ran England as a “commonwealth.” People later tired of Puritan rule, and eventually a
Catholic king took the throne. Parliamentary leaders and nobles afraid of a Catholic dynasty staged the
Glorious Revolution to depose the king. They offered the crown to the Catholic king’s daughter and her
Protestant husband. Before the two took the throne, however, they had to agree to follow the English
Bill of Rights, which guaranteed certain personal freedoms. The English Bill of Rights was an enormous
step toward a constitutional monarchy, a system in which Parliament had the power to overrule the
king.
Answer the questions below in your own words and in complete sentence. Highlight your evidence. Also
read pages 390-397 in your textbook. Create Cornell notes or SQ3R notes based on the textbook
reading. Use the Cornell notes template if you decide to create Cornell notes.
1. How did some Europeans support the system of absolute rule?

2. How did Cardinal Richelieu advance absolutism in France?
3. To what end did Louis XIV use absolutism?
4. How did Peter the Great use absolutism?
5. How did absolutism manifest itself in Germany and eastern Europe?
6. What factors caused the failure of absolutism in England?
Hh

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The Era of Absolutism

1. How did some Europeans support the system of absolute rule?

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