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Absolutism

Absolutism. Louis XIV of France. Absolutism. What are the Key characteristics of Absolutism? How does Absolutism differ from earlier rule by Kings? Is Absolutism similar to Totalitarianism?.

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Absolutism

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  1. Absolutism Louis XIV of France

  2. Absolutism • What are the Key characteristics of Absolutism? • How does Absolutism differ from earlier rule by Kings? • Is Absolutism similar to Totalitarianism?

  3. In the Middle Ages the law held that as a consequences of their coronation and anointment with sacred oil, Kings ruled by the grace of God. Law was given by God, Kings had the law revealed to them, and Kings obeyed the law In the Absolutist State, Kings claimed to rule by “Divine Right” meaning that hey made the law and were responsible only to God for the law. Kings became legislators, made laws, and because they made the law sovereignty was embodied in the person of the King. Where the power of Kings comes from

  4. How did the Absolutes Rule • They tried to control competing interest, institutions, or interest groups in their lands. • They regulated religion • They abolished civil liberties • They secured the cooperation of the nobility, which was historically the greatest threat to the Monarchy, and the rising Middle Class by appointing them to important positions in the new bureaucracies which directed economic life in the powerful new states. • They established permanent armies, recruited and paid by the Monarchy, which could be deployed inside or outside of the country to protect their interest. • They used secret police forces to monitor the private lives of their subjects

  5. How does Absolutism fit into the development of Government • The Word Absolutism was not coined until the 1830’s and was used to describe the stage of governmental evolution from the Feudal State to Modern Governments. • Many scholars prefer to use the term administrative monarchy to describe this type of government. • They say that because the bureaucracy greatly expanded and power became centralized in the Capital cities, such as Paris, there is an appearance of the Kings power becoming absolute. • They say that while this administrative monarchy may have interfered with peoples daily lives, did not have the consent of the governed, and lacked the idea of the rule of law it was still held in check by traditional interpretations of a Kings power.

  6. The Rule of Absolute Monarchs was not all powerful because it lacked the ability to become totalitarian. • It could not control or shape the entire culture of a country or regulate every aspect of life • Reasons for this included: • The need for technologies that could shape public opinion • The need for control of the money supply

  7. What were the ambitions of Absolute Monarchs • Each sought to exalt himself or herself as the embodiment of the state “(I am the state, said Louis XIV)”

  8. France • In 1589 Henry IV came to power in France • France had been ruined by Civil War for 20 years • The French peasants were close to starvation • Bands of soldiers raided villages • Commercial activity (business) had fallen to 1/3 of its pre civil war level. • Everyone looked to the new King for peace and stability

  9. Henry IV of France

  10. What did Henry IV do? • He truly cared about the people and his actions led to a remarkable recovery • He converted to Catholicism to form better relations with the Pope • He worked to gain Protestant confidence with the Edict of Nantes • Henry kept France at Peace and had very limited military action • He appointed a Protestant as his chief advisor • He lowered the taxes on the peasants • He had the nobility pay an annual fee for their offices • His tax policies led to an increase in trade and more revenue for the government

  11. Henry IV • In 12 years he restored public order, improved the trade and laid the foundation for economic success. • He was progressive • In 1610 he was assassinated (murdered) by a crazy fanatic • His death led to a severe crisis

  12. Cardinal Richelieu • Henry IV’s son Louis XIII, a child, becomes King and his mother Marie de’ Medici had Cardinal Richelieu to the council of ministers. • Richelieu became the President of the Council and after 1628 he became the first minister to the crown. • He used his influence over the child king Louis XIII to exalt the French Monarch as the embodiment of the French state. • He set the cornerstone for French Absolutism • Richelieu’s policy was to have total control (subordination) of all groups and institutions to the King

  13. France • Problems (from about 1600) • Religious • Economic • Weak kings (Louis XIII) • Cardinal Richelieu • De facto ruler • Manipulated foreign affairs • Suppressed the Huguenots • Established central taxation • Three Musketeers

  14. Marie de’ Medici Louis XIII Richelieu

  15. How Richelieu dealt with the Nobility • In 1624 he reshuffled the royal council, eliminating those nobles he though threatened the Monarchy • He destroyed castles which he saw as symbols of Feudal independence • Nobles who were thought to be conspiring against the king were quickly executed

  16. Richelieu sets up a new central government • Administratively he establishes a system of royal commissioners called intendants, each of which is given one of the 32 general districts which France is divided into. • These intendants perform duties like • Collecting local taxes • Appointing judges and holding trial in their district • Passing information from their districts to the Capital • Transmitting orders from the Capital “Paris” to the districts they ran • They recruited men for the army • They regulated commerce and trade in their district These intendants were almost always recruited from loyal nobles and appointed directly by the King • They could not be born in the district they ran and had no vested interest in the districts • They were to weaken the power of local nobles

  17. The Political Division of France

  18. The Beginning of the end for the Edict of Nantes • In 1627 Louis XIII with the consent of the council, decided to end the Protestant Military and Political independence, because he said it constituted a state within a state. • This resulted in military action against the Port City of La Rochelle, which had strong ties with the Protestant Countries of Holland and England, to block outside intervention. • With the fall of La Rochelle the influence of Calvinism was weakened and Louis and Richelieu were one step closer to creating a unified French State

  19. Other Groups that had to be dealt with • There was urban protest in France over issues of: • Unemployment • High food prices • Grain shortages • Taxes • Major insurrections (riots) occurred in Dijon, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Lyon, and Amiens between 1630 and 1711. • In every case these riots were characterized by deep popular anger. • The way these riots were dealt with was to let them burn themselves out, as long as they did not do to much damage • By 1700 though better cooperation between local and national authorities led to quick and severe punishment for those who opposed the government.

  20. “What is done for the state is done for God, who is the basis and foundation of it......Where the interests of the state are concerned, God absolves actions which, if privately committed, would be a crime.” — Cardinal Richelieu

  21. "If you give me six lines writtenby the most honest man, I will findsomething in them to hang him." —Cardinal Richelieu

  22. Question 1 and 2 • In what way does Cardinal Richelieu symbolize absolutism? • Identify the achievements of Richelieu

  23. Events Before the Reign of Louis XIV • See notes sheets {available in the note sheet link for AP European History} for • Henry IV • Henry IV’s advisor Sully • Louis XIII • Louis XIII’s advisor Cardinal Richelieu • The Fronde • Cardinal Mazarin • Louis XIV • Louis XIV finance minister Colbert

  24. France • Louis XIV • Boy king • Assumed total authority when Cardinal Mazarin, successor to Richelieu, died • Influenced by his mistresses • Wars, destabilization

  25. Louis the XIV • The reign of Louis XIV was the longest in European History (1643 – 1715) • Louis XIV in the first few years of his reign had to deal with a series of Civil Wars known as the Fronde • These civil wars originated in the provincial areas not Paris and arose from discontent with the policies of the government • Many of the royal appointees (intendants) and members of the nobility started to think their role had been diminished and their positions manipulated by the government

  26. Cardinal Mazarin, Richelieu’s successor could not control the nobility as Richelieu had. • The Financial Condition of France was weakened because entire regions of the country refused to pay taxes. • War with Spain led to new taxes which people saw as unnecessary because France was winning and peace was at hand. • The Conflicts of the Fronde had three significant results • 1. The government was forced to compromise with the bureaucrats and nobility that controlled local institutions and were largely tax exempt • 2. The French economy would take years to rebuild • 3. The Fronde had a significant effect on the Young King Louis XIV who was often threatened and sometimes treated like a prisoner. It created in his mind the idea that the sole alternative to this form of anarchy was absolute monarchy

  27. Cardinal Mazarin

  28. Absolutism

  29. Louis XIV dominated his age • His reign falls in the “Grand Century” or “Age of Magnificence • He was a devout Catholic as was his mother Anne of Austria • He attended Mass daily and said his rosary • His mother and Cardinal Mazarin taught him that God had established rulers on earth. • He learned his politics from experience and never forgot his experiences during the Fronde at the hands of the nobility

  30. Louis XIV instituted many inovations in government • The greatest of these was “the complete domestication of the nobility” • Louis exercised complete control over the noble social class because he worked to find ways to cooperate with them. • He understood that with cooperation he could achieve his goals. • The Noble’s were enticed with privileges and social status within the Kings Court and given access to the patronage of the King • The government of France rested on its social structure as the political structure followed its organization

  31. France • Louis XIV • Golden Age • The Sun King • L'état c'est moi • Versailles • French culture = prestige • Mercantilism • Repeal of the Edict of Nantes

  32. Versailles • The former hunting lodge of Louis XIII was turned into a lavish palace • It became a symbol of the power of absolute kings • It was a model of rational order • The king used the magnificent setting of the palace to awe his subjects and foreign visitors alike • Peter the Great of Russia used it as a model for his palace in St Petersburg

  33. Court Life • All Louis XIV critics agree that the king used court ceremonials to undermine the power of the great nobles. • By excluding the highest nobles from his council, he weakened their ancient rights to advise the king and participate in government • He used opera’s, balls, gossip, and trivia to occupy the nobles time

  34. The French Language • During the reign of Louis XIV French became the language of the court, polite society, and diplomacy. • French slowly replaced Latin as the language of scholarship and learning. • Other European rulers began to require French to be spoken in their courts

  35. Questions 3, 4, and 5 • Why can it be said that the Palace of Versailles was used as a device to ruin the nobility of France? • Was Versailles a prison? • How does Louis XIV use Versailles as a tool of foreign policy and personal prestige?

  36. French Mercantilism and the policies of Colbert

  37. Questions 6 and 7 • What is Mercantilism? • What were the mercantilist policies of Louis IV's minister Colbert?

  38. Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV

  39. Question 7, and 8 • What were Louis IV's motivations for rescinding the Edict of Nantes? • Was the policy of revocation good or bad for the French economy?

  40. Louis IV's Foreign policy

  41. Louis IV's Wars

  42. Spain • Decline • Spanish armada defeat • Economic difficulties • Effects of Thirty Years War • War of Spanish Succession • Alliance with France but both possessions • Hudson Bay basin • Portugal, Naples & Sicily, Netherlands

  43. War of Spanish Succession

  44. Question 9 • Why did the Spanish fail?

  45. Question 10 and 11 • Where the foreign policies of Louis XIV successful? • What was the impact of Louis IV's wars on the French economy and French Society?

  46. Absolutism with Limitationsin the 1600’s

  47. Constitutionalism

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