Europe in Crisis: The Wars of
Religion
14.1: Objectives: Students will explore the struggles
between Catholics and Protestants during this period.
The French Wars of Religion
 Calvinism(Protestants) and Catholicism becomes militant
(combative) religions;
 French civil wars known as the French Wars of Religion; 30
years war
 Huguenots ( Protestants) vs. Catholics
Minority
Nobles &
Monarchy –
MajorityRegular
people
 Edict of tolerance ( Nantes)- made Catholicism the official
religion of the French, but allowed Protestants the right to
worship
Phillip II
 King Phillip II of Spain was a
great supporter of militant
Catholicism;
 “MOST CATHOLIC KING”
 Want to intensify his control
of his lands by insisting of a
strict devotion to
Catholicism and support of
the Monarchy;
 Believed that god chose
Spain to save the Catholic
Church from the Protestant
heretics;
Spanish Militant Catholicism
 Under Phillip’s leadership
the Spanish empire
crushed protestant
rebellions in the
Netherlands and Belgium;
 Formed the Holy League
of Nations to go against
the Turks(Muslims);
 By the end of Phillip's
reign Spain was bankrupt
because of religious wars
and government
disorganization.
The England of Elizabeth
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Elizabeth Tudor-Leader of Protestant nations
Repealed the laws favoring the Catholics
(Supreme Governor)-Church and State
Balancing power(Spain, France)
Could not escape conflict with Spain
Philip the II overthrow of Protestantism
Philip ordered Armada-fleet of warships-to invade England
England-faster and handier ships than ours, and many more
long-range guns
 Scotland and Ireland-pounded by storms. Many Spanish ships
sank.
Spain vs. England
 Elizabeth tried to keep
France and Spain from
becoming too powerful, by
supporting first one and
then the other;
 Phillip II wanted to invade
England and return it to
Catholicism;
 IN 1588, the Spanish
Armada(fleet of Warships)
tried to invade England but
was crushed and battered
by the English.
Dutch-Netherlands
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William the Silent-Offered growing resistance
1609-truce ended war
Philips reign ended in 1598
Spain Treasury-Empty, Too much on war, Court,
Armed forces were out-of-date
 England and France Power
Social Crises, War, and
Revolution
14.2 Objectives: Describe the results of the Thirty Years’
War and the English and Glorious Revolution.
Economic and Social Crisis
 Inflation-Rising Prices
 Influx of gold and silver from the Americas was one
factor.
 Population grew in the sixteenth century
 60 mil to 85 mil
 Warfare, Plague, Famine
EQ-What were the causes and results of the Thirty Years' War?
MWH-2
The Witchcraft Trials
 Witchcraft-Magic
 Hunt for Witchcraft
 Hundred Thousand people
were charged with
witchcraft
 Poor and those without
property
 75 Percent women
 Accused witches usually
confessed
 Devil-Evil Spells
 Unreasonable to believe in
the old view of a world
The Thirty Years’ War
 Religious dispute that happen
after the Peace of Augsburg;
 Called the “Last of the Religious
wars” but was also focused on
political and territorial motives;
 The war began in the Holy
Roman Empire (Hapsburg) in
1618 between the Catholics and
the Protestants nobles;
 However the conflict became a
political one between Denmark,
Sweden, France, and Spain;
Emerged as a battle for
European leadership;
Effect of the Thirty Years’ War
 Most of the battles took
place on the German soil;
 The Peace of Westphaliaended the war by allowing
all the German States to
determine their own
religion; and allowed all the
German states to become
independent;
 The introduction of new
weapons and battle
techniques;
 Government begun to
support standing armies.
Revolution in England
 After the death of Elizabeth I; James I ascended to
the English throne, and believe he ruled by divine
right of kings- the belief that monarchs received
their power from God and is only responsible to God.
 This divine right left Parliament(legislatures) without
any power.
 Religion also becomes a conflict because the Puritans
(Calvinist) believed that the Church of England should
be more Protestant; Many Puritans left England for
America rather than adhere to the countries religious
practices.
The Stuarts and Divine Right
 Queen Elizabeth I 1603 death-Tudor dynasty came to an
end
 Stuart line- James I of England
 Divine right of Kings-Receive power from God
 Parliament did not see that
 Puritans-Protestants inspired by Calvinist ideas
 Puritans wanted to make church more Protestant
 Charles I-Limit Kings Power-Parliament passed a petition
that prohibited the passing of any taxes without
parliaments consent
EQ-What were the causes and results of the Thirty Years' War?
MWH-2
Civil War and the Commonwealth
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Civil War-Cavaliers-Support King
Roundheads-Parliamentary Forces
Parliament proved victorious
Oliver Cromwell-Military Genius
Battle for God
Charles I Executed on January 30, 1649
Commonwealth-Republic
Rump Parliament was disabled by Cromwell
Military Dictatorship
Ruled till 1658
EQ-What were the causes and results of the Thirty Years' War?
MWH-2
Glorious Revolution
 In 1685, James II became
King; he was a Catholic, and
sparked a conflict over
religion;
 This caused James II, sister
Mary and her husband to
invade England, and
sparked the “Glorious
Revolution”;
 William and Mary ascended
to the throne in 1689, and
was forced to accepted The
English Bill of Rights.
Restoration
 The English Bill of Rights increased the power of the
Parliament (legislative) :
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giving them the right to make laws
levy taxes
Raise a standing army
The right to bear arms
To have a jury trial
Toleration Act of 1689- gave Puritans the right to free
public worship- FREEDOM OF RELIGION
 This created a government that was based on the rule
of law not the Divine Right of Kings;
 The Monarchy became limited to a constitutional
monarchy.
Absolutism
Chapter 14.3: Objectives Define absolutism , describe the
absolute monarch, and explain the basis for their power;
Absolutism
 A system in which the ruler have total power, and
includes the divine right of kings; ONLY THE
MONARCH HAD THE POWER TO:
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Make laws
Levy taxes
Administer justice
Control the state’s officials
Determine foreign policy
France under Louis XIV
 Louis XIV took power in 1661, and
called himself “the Sun King”- the
source of light for his people;
 Louis controlled all of nobles and
princes by inviting them to Court
which distracted them from politics;
 His government ministers obeyed his
every wish which allowed him to
have full control over:
 Foreign policy
 the Church
 Taxes
 Louis had an anti-protestant policy
which forced 200,000 protestants to
flee Europe;
 Louis maintained a standing army of
400,000;
 When Louis died in 1715, France was
debt- ridden and surrounded by
enemies (ENGLAND, SPAIN, RUSSIA,
PRUSSIA, AND AUSTRIA)
Palace of Versailles
 Louis established court at
the palace of Versailles
which served three
purposes:
 The King’s house;
 Location of the chief
officers and a place
where the powerful
could get favors;
 Allowed Louis to
control the policy
making of government.
Richelieu and Mazarin
 Louis XIV-Boys
 2 Ministers played important roles in preserving the authority of
the monarchy
 Louis XIII’s chief minister
 Cardinal Richelieu(Rich*shuh*LOO)-strengthened power of the
monarchy
 Took away political and military rights while preserving their
religious rights
 Louis XIV-Cardinal Mazarin-took control of Government
 Revolt led by nobles unhappy with the growing power of the
monarchy broke out
EQ-What is absolute monarchy? MWH-2
Absolutism in Central and Eastern
Europe
 Prussia and Austria-emerged in the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries as great European powers
 Fredrick William the Great Elector-Laid foundation for
the Prussian state(Large and Efficient standing Army)
 Levy taxes for army and oversee its growth
EQ-What is absolute monarchy? MWH-2
Government and Religion
 Louis power was his control of the central policy-making
machinery of government
 Royal Court at Versailles (3 Purposes)
 1. Household of the King
 2. Chief Offices
 3. Powerful Subjects(Favors and Offices)
 High Nobles and Royal Princesses
 Louis enticed them to come to his court
 Local Governments-Nobles
EQ-What is absolute monarchy? MWH-2
The Economy and War
 Building Palaces, Maintaining his court, perusing his
wars(Financial Crisis)
 Jean Baptiste Colbert(Kohl*BEHR-Controller-general of finances
 Increase the wealth and power of France through mercantilism
 Decrease Imports and Increase Imports
 Roads and Canals
 Sun King-Military glory by befitting the Sun Kin
 Waged 4 wars
 Told his son do not be like me
EQ-What is absolute monarchy? MWH-2
The New Austrian Empire
 Austrian Empire was the traditional Austrian lands in
present-day Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary
 Control of all of Hungary, Transylvania, Croatia, and
Slovenia
EQ-What is absolute monarchy? MWH-2
Military and Governmental Changes
 Peters first goal was to reorganize the army
 25-year stints of service to build a standing army of
210,000 men
 Police State-governed by law
 Slaves and Free Men Peter wanted
EQ-What is absolute monarchy? MWH-2
Cultural Changes
 Western Practices
 Peter own hands-cut beard and shortened the coats
 Remove Veils that had traditionally covered their
faces and move out into society
 Both sexes could mix for conversation and dance
EQ-What is absolute monarchy? MWH-2
Russia under Peter the Great
 In 1689 Peter the Great
became the CZAR(caesar)
of Russia;
 Peter repeatedly made
trips to Western Europe,
and wanted to
Europeanize Russia;
 Peter created a standing
army and navy, he divided
Russia into providences
to rule more effectively;
he turned Russia into a
“POLICE STATE”.
St. Petersburg
 Peter wanted to find a port access to Europe through
the Baltic Sea, and in 1703 he constructed a new city
St. Petersburg , and established it as the capital of
Russia until 1918.
 By Peter’s death in 1725 Russia had become an
important European state.
The World of European Culture
Chapter 14.4
The Golden Age of Literature
 In both England and Spain, writing for the theater
reached new heights between 1580 and 1640;
 England flourished during what was known as the
Elizabethan Era;
 William Shakespeare’s works were performed at the
Globe Theater, and were written to please all classes
and types;
 Shakespeare is viewed as a universal genius who
combined masterful language skills with deep insight
into human psychology and the human condition.
Mannerism
 Renaissance came to an end when a new movement,
called mannerism, emerged in Italy in the 1520s and 1530s
 Mannerism-Principles of balance, harmony, and
moderation
 Mannerism from Italy to other parts of Europe and
reached high point in the work of El Greco(“the Greek”)
 El Greco-used elongated and contorted figures, portraying
them in yellow and green against eerie background of
stormy grays
EQ-What was Mannerism? MWH-2
The Baroque Period
 Baroque-Mannerism was eventually replaced by a
new movement
 Spread to Europe and Latin America
 Catholic reform movement most wholeheartedly
adopted the baroque style
 Baroque artists tried to bring together the classical
ideals of Renaissance art with the spiritual feelings of
the sixteenth-century religious revival
 Gian Lorenzo Bernini-Saint Peter’s Basilica
EQ-What was Mannerism? MWH-2
England’s Shakespeare
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Elizabethan Era-Reign of Queen Elizabeth
William Shakespeare-Elizabeth theater was very successful
Actor, Shareholder
London theaters ranged from the Globe, which was a
circular, unroofed structure holding three thousand
people, to the Blackfriars, a roofed structure that held only
five hundred
 1 to 2 pennies-Lower Class
 Shakespeare showed a remarkable understanding of the
human condition
EQ-What was Mannerism? MWH-2
Spanish Literature
 Spain-Theater
 Were run by actors’ companies
 Touring companies brought the latest Spanish plays to all
parts of the Spanish Empire
 Lope De Vega-1,500-500 survived
 Witty, charming, action-packed, and realistic
 Miguel de Cervantes(SUHR*VAN*TEEZ)-Don Quixote
hailed as one of the greatest literary works of all time
 Dreams and Reality
EQ-What was Mannerism? MWH-2
Political Thought
 Thomas Hobbes-Leviathan-Problem of disorder
 People made a social contract
 Agreed to be governed by an absolute ruler who
possessed unlimited power
 John Locke-two treaties of government
 Argued against the absolute rule of one person
 Natural Rights-life, liberty, and property(Government to
establish rights)
 People form a new government if a monarch failed to
protect its people
EQ-What was Mannerism? MWH-2