Absolutism

Absolutism in Western Europe (1589-1715)
I. Characteristics  
a. Monarchs claim to rule by Divine Right [as do their decedents]
i. Not appointed by anyone else. They are God’s representative on earth.
ii. They have the power to make laws, govern people, and control every aspect of their lives. 
b. The King becomes a representative for the state/country.
i. Good, if you have a good King, not if not
ii. “Cult of Personality” – strong personality = the embodiment of the state 
c. The monarch is not always subjected to a national assembly. 
i. Louis XIV NEVER called the assembly [three states] 
d. An absolute ruler brings the nobility under control 
e. The Kings developed a bureaucracy to help him run the state, but they often had to ask the nobility for money, troops, etc.  
i. Louis sold the rights for tax collection, but they became corrupt. 
ii. Kings would sometime sell titles to raise money (“New Nobility”)
f. Monarch also had control over the church because they appointed the church officials
g. They had their own armies that were paid for by the government and were loyal to the king rather than to the nobility that donated them. 
i. Monarchs often had secret police as well 
h. Jean Bodin – writes during the French civil wars
i. Only an absolute monarch will be able to stop the chaos because only they can force the people to obey the government 
i. Hobbes – Leviathan 
i. He was a pessimist 
ii. The only way to keep humanity from falling apart was to have a despot (absolute ruler) – Voltaire agreed to a degree 
j. Jacques Bossuet – proponent of the divine right - no man or group that had any authority 
II. French Absolutism
a. Three Estates [Clergy (1%), Nobility (3-4%), Bourgeoisie (5%)] 
i. France was Europe’s largest country [20% of all of Europe] 
b. The monarchy had been boosted financially by Henry IV (Henry of Navarre) [Took power in 1589]
i. First king of Bourbon
ii. Strengthened government institutions [University, treasury]
iii. 1598 Edict Nantes – some freedom [religious toleration] of the Huguenot’s
iv. He will rule until 1610 – assassinated by a monk  crisis in power
1. Louis XIII was just a kid - his mother served as his regent [Maria de Medici] until he was 21 
2. She didn’t rule absolutely so some of the nobility got their power back.
3. He then exiled his mother
4. His Chief adviser rules [Richelieu] – a politique  put religious issues ahead of state issues 
a. Intendant System – local officials has been appointed by the nobles in their area, now they were replaced by civil servants (32 districts, justice, police, finance responsibility)  nobility is cut out of this loop


v. Duke of Sully – institutes mercantilism, the states get really involved in the economy, grants monopolies, subsidizes different industries, reformed the tax collection system, dug a canal from Mediterranean to the Atlantic  
1. France became the most powerful and financially secure monarchy in Europe 
vi. relying of new nobility not the old (the ones who had bought their nobility)
vii. Huguenots begin to lose their power again 
1. Peace of Alais – Huguenots had had certain cities, Richelieu used the armies to stop that - first step to them being kicked out. Not more totally Calvinist French cities and no more armies 
c. Henry IV avoided war, until the 30 Years War
i. French will be key in enforcing the treaty of Westphalia on the Hapsburg. 
III. Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715)
a. Believed in absolutism
b. “L’etat, c’est moi.”
c. Longest rein in European history
d. In the mid to late 1640’s the Fronde – the first 6 years of his rein. The nobles didn’t like Mazarin, so they revolted
i. New cardinal – Mazarin , trying to put down the nobles 
ii. Louis never trusted the nobles again – he will make most of his chief minister from the middle class 
iii. Exercised control over the peasants 
e. Peasants ended up keeping a little as 20% of what they made
i. Corvée – had to spent a month a year working on a pubic project  
f. Religious Policies – saw himself as being the supreme catholic, very religious
i. Edict of Fontaine Bleu - rescinds the Calvinists rights in France 200,000 have to emigrate to Netherlands, UK, America 
g. Versailles vs. Mercantilism France had to raise money
i. Money for the upkeep of Versailles – was a physical representation that Louis was the Sun God, It started as a hunting lodge for Louis XIII, it was designed to show what humans could do, it was a mini city of 10,000
ii. Colbert 1661-83 – was the finance minister – made France self-sufficient  Bullionism – less import, more export, taxes on imports, especially in area where he wanted to give France a leg up, subsidizing some industries, reducing internal tariffs, lower the taxes between the regions of France, organized important French monopolies within their borders on trade  Successful after he leaves, France is the leading industrial country in Europe, they have ships, are trading etc.
iii. However… Louis screwed it up. Internal weakness [poor peasant conditions, they were being heavily taxed, so they left] and Louis spent A LOT of money on wars. 2/3 of the time when Louis is King, France is at war  eats up a bunch of the revenue, and you cut off your trade because it isn’t safe  need more money more taxes, but can’t tax the nobility, so the peasants get it.
IV. French Wars – Louis was paranoid “pissing contest” 
a. During the revolution they pulled down all the statues except Henry IV
b. Other EU countries band together against French
c. Wars
i. War of Devolution [1667-1668] – Louis invade the Spanish Netherlands (Belgium) 2 years, he gets 12 towns out of it and gave up Burgundy (“First Dutch War)
ii. 2nd Dutch War – 1672-1778 invades the Netherlands 
iii. War of the League of Augsburg [1688-97] – attacks the Spanish Netherlands again [against the league that banded together again] William of Orange is now the King of England (comes from the Netherlands) No gain for Louis
iv. War of the Spanish Succession – (1701-1713) – The will of Charles II [Hapsburg king] wills all his Spanish territory to Louis’ grandson Grand alliance – England, Netherlands, Brandenburg, HRE, Savoy, Portugal – Battle of Blenheim -> Louis forces are defeated by Marlborough (John Churchill) [1704], long slaughter for the French after that until it ends, they don’t give up
1. Treaty of Utrecht – ends the war by giving: England gets the slave trade from Spain = Britain uses a lot of slaves in its colonies and territories and Minorca and Gibraltar, Belgium goes to Austria 
d. His wars were ridiculously bad  destroyed the economy, 20% of the population died, huge debt by the end of the war, by the time he dies, the country is bankrupt and many are happy when he dies. 
V. Spanish Colonies 
a. 1500’s – Charles V [1519-56]does in Spain what Louis did in France in the 1600. His son Phillip continues [1556-98]
i. Builds the Escorial Palace 
ii. Spanish economy down because of internal divisions, they expel Jews and Moors from Spain Spanish population will go from 7.5mil to 5.5 mil 
iii. 1594-1680 – many times, Spain with cancel its own debt  peasants beg in the street  food production goes down  cost of food down up
iv. Decline starts with the defeat of the Spanish armada in 1688
b. By 1640 Portugal will have broken away from Spain and it will lose its territory to France (Pyrenees go to France)  by 1700 the Spanish Navy had 8 ships
VI. Baroque 
a. Baroque art is a reflection of absolutism
i. Starts in catholic reformation countries 
1. Helps reinforce the idea of hierarchy 
b. Versailles – most famous example of Baroque architecture
i. Bernini – architect and sculptor- St. Peter’s square 
ii. Schoenbrunn – Austria 
iii. Russia – Winter Palace
iv. Sans Souci 
c. Painting – string emotion and movement 
i. Great contrast between light and dark [Tenebrism]
ii. Colour, more emotion not so precise 
1. Caravaggio – using ordinary people for biblical scenes [painted Jesus’ feet dirty]
2. Rubens – Flemish painter, spent a lot of his time painting for the Hapsburg court in Brussels, known for his sensual nudes of nymphs, mythical creature 
3. Velazquez – court painter in Spain
4. Gentileschi – SHE is especially known for a series feat. Judith 
d. Dutch – Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals
i. Went against the baroque style, not overwhelming the viewer, but wanted to show Dutch wealth and power, so focused on Dutch life
e. French
i. Poussain 
ii. Plays – Racine[tragedies] Moliere [satire/comedy]
f. Music [late 1600 – well into the 1700]
i. Bach, Monteverdi, Handel