Absolutism in Western Europe

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Absolutism in Western Europe
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Absolutism

• Absolutism
• Conscious attempt by state sovereigns to extend
  their legal and administrative power over their
  subjects over the vested interests of the
  social and economic institutions w/i their coun.
• Age of Absolutism1660-1789 (Height of it, but
  since 1500 rulers had been trying to make the
  state more powerful)
• Difference between absolutism and totalitarianism
• Difference between absolutism and despotism
• Administrative monarchy concept of public
  service and private property
• Difference from medieval traditions
• Monarch as embodiment of the state
• Létat, cest moi Louis XIV

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Appeal of Absolutism

• Wanted an end to the turbulence of French
  religious wars 30 Years War
• Only strong central govt could provide domestic
  order and prosperity.
• Rulers insisted it was their duty to teach
  subjects how to order their domestic affairs,
  even against their will

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Theory of Absolutism

• Jean Bodin
• Late 16th century Political theorist
• Bishop Jacques Bossuet
• Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Scripture
• Divine-right theory
• Thomas Hobbes
• The Leviathan
• Defended absolutism without using religious
  justifications, based solely on reason

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5 Goals of Absolutist Rulers

• 1. Control enlarge the armed forces
• 2. Control the administration of the legal
  system
• 3. Control the collection and distribution of
  taxes
• 4. Create an efficient bureaucracy whose
  allegiance was to the monarchy, not to other
  social or economic interests within the country
• 5. Create a set of institutions strong enough to
  withstand, if not destroy the private interests
  that had hindered royal power in the past
• The Church
• The Nobility
• Semi-autonomous regions
• Independent representative bodies
• These were all obstacles to achieving a strong
  centralized monarchical govt

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French Absolutism

• Henry IV administrative reforms
• Edict of Nantes
• Tailledirect land tax levied on French peasantry
  non-nobles
• Purchase of offices permitted
• Richelieu Fr. Cardinal
• Chief minister for Louis XIII
• Intendants
• Eliminated the political and military power of
  Huguenots
• Created spy network to crush noble plots
• Foreign policy supported enemies of the
  Hapsburgs
• Developed the French Academy, to standardize and
  promote Parisian French as the official dialect
  of French

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French Absolutism

• Richelieu Where the interests of the state are
  concerned, God absolves actions which, if
  privately committed, would be a crime.
• Richelieu is succeeded by Mazarin, another
  cardinal, trained by Richelieu in statecraft
• Intriguing churchmen are more responsible for
  influencing state policy and absolutism than
  kings
• Louis XIII succeeded by his son, Louis XIV at the
  age of 4
• What was the Fronde?
• How did it affect Louis XIV?

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Absolute Monarch Louis XIV

• The Sun King, what is the significance of that
  image?
• God established rulers on earth what political
  conclusions are inevitable from that position?
• Ascended the throne at age 4, tutored by Mazarin,
  takes no chief advisor upon Mazarins death,
  rules until age 76, his death.

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Louis XIVs Efforts to Make Himself Absolute Ruler

• Divided France into 36 administrative units
• Diminished the power of the regional parlements
• Expanded and overhauled the army
• Diminished power of private interests
• Revoked Edict of Nantes
• Didnt call Estates General
• Used Versailles to emasculate nobility
• Threatened parlements with exile
• Outer provinces had their provincial estates
  crippled
• Collected taxes
• Taille
• Capitation tax
• Gabelle
• Aide

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Center of Absolutism -Versailles

• Privileged nobles were encouraged to live at
  Versailles with their family
• Other monarchs sought to imitate Versailles
  leading in part to French becoming new language
  of polite society and diplomacy

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Versailles
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Wars of Louis XIV

• Le Tellier developed a professional army of
  100,000 in peace 400,000 in war
• Louis wanted
• Parts of the HREextend French boundaries to the
  Rhine
• To decrease Dutch commercial prosperity
• Spanish Netherlands
• To dominate European affairs
• Prestige and military glory that suited the Sun
  King
• Fought 4 Wars

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The War of Devolution (1667-68)

• France invaded Spanish Netherlands Franch-Comte
• Triple Alliance of England, Holland, and Sweden
  intervened forced Louis to withdraw
• Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668) gave France
  several towns along border of the Spanish
  Netherlands

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The Dutch War (1672-78)

• Louis broke up Triple Alliance by signing a
  treaty with King of England
• Louis invaded Holland in 1672
• William defended country by opening the dikes and
  gaining support of HRE, Brandenburg, Spain
• Peace of Nijmegen (1678-79)France gained
  Franche-Comte and more towns along border of
  Spanish Netherlands

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War of the League of Augsburg (1688-97)

• Aka as the Nine Years War
• Louis tried to push Frances frontier to the
  northeast into territory along the Rhine R.
• William of Orange (became King of England in
  1689) formed a new alliance against France
• Treaty of RyswickFrance lost most of its gains,
  but kept Alsace.

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War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14)

• King Charles II of Spain died in 1700 left
  crown to Philip of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV
• Leopold, the HRE, challenged the succession for
  his son Charles
• High stakes b/c not just Spain, but also its
  colonial empire
• European powers couldnt let a Bourbon gain Spain
  and France

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War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14)

• England, Holland, HRE vs. French
• Peace of Utrecht (1713) Rastatt (1714) ended
  the fighting
• Recognized Philip of Anjou as King Philip V of
  Spain, but the 2 thrones would remain separate
• Austrian Hapsburgs gained Spanish Netherlands,
  Naples, Sardinia, Milan
• French lost coloniesNewfoundland, Novia Scotia,
  and the Hudson Bay area
• English gained Gibraltar, Minorca, and the
  Asiento
• Elector of Brandenburg was recognized as King of
  Prussia

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French Financial Policy -Mercantilism

• Jean-BaptisteColbert Louis XIVs chief financial
  advisor
• Maximized exports, limited imports, and built up
  Frances supply of gold silver
• Encouraged industry, reduced domestic customs
  barriers, tried to eliminate the nobilitys
  ability to interfere with trade.
• Expanded govts role in the economy
• Promoted the building of canals and roads
  expanded Frances merchant fleet

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State Finances Under Louis XIV

• Haphazard financial system
• Nobility clergy were exempt from most direct
  taxes middle class evaded many
• Main tax burden fell on peasants lower middle
  class
• Tax collectors paid for the privilege of
  collecting the taxesmuch corruption and waste
• Colbert instituted mercantilist policies

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Louis XIVs Religious Policy

• Defended idea that the king exercised
  administrative control over the church in France
  while recognizing the popes authority over faith
  and morals
• Huguenots made up 10 of population by 1660s
• Louis probably believed they undermined his
  political authority
• 1685Edict of Fontainebleaurevoked the Edict of
  Nantes approved the destruction of Huguenot
  churches closing of schools
• 200,000 Huguenots fled to England, Holland
  Germany
• Weakened the French economy b/c many were skilled
  artisans

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The Decline of Spain

• Contrast the success of France with the Failure
  of Spain
• Financial problems
• Philip II went bankrupt in 1596 so did Philip
  III in 1607
• Army was out of date
• Govt inefficient
• Commercial class was weak
• Peasantry were suppressed
• Nobility loved luxury
• Overabundance of priests and monks

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Decline of Spain

• Reign of Philip IV
• De Guzman, count of Olivareschief minister
• Tried to limit power of Church landed
  aristocracy
• Tried to centralize govt
• Failed b/c the number power of nobles was too
  strong
• Undermined their own efforts through costly wars
  that led to internal revolts

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Decline of Spain

• Foreign wars and expulsion of Moors and Jews
  stripped Spain of creative and middle class (few
  people saw money-making jobs as useful)
• Inflation and taxes fell heavily on poor
• Spanish kings constantly overran budgets and
  werent considered good credit risks by most
  European bankers
• Inbreeding among the Hapsburgs resulted in an
  impotent and inept heir in Charles II (see
  following pictures)

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Philip III
Philip IV
Charles II