Absolutism in Early Modern Europe
Philip II of Spain
- Son of Emperor Charles V (ruler of
Holy Roman Empire from 1520-1555)
- Devout Catholic
- Ruled Spain 1556-1598
- Married at one time to Mary Tudor of
England
- Not tolerant of people of other
religions
- Forced Marranos (ex-Jews), Morriscos
(ex-Muslims) to flee Spain
- Fought Protestant revolt in the
Netherlands (1560s)
- Battle of Lepanto (1571)
Defeat of the Invincible Armada (1588)
Gold and silver from the New World
What was the effect of all this gold and silver on Spain?
• Inflation!!!!
Henry IV and the Edict of Nantes in France (1598)
Louis XIV of France (r.1643-1715),
the so-called Sun King
Louis XIV’s palace at Versailles
Versailles – not only a status symbol but also a
way for Louis XIV to keep an eye on his nobles
Versailles (interior)
Maria Teresa of Austria
-Holy Roman Empress (r. 17401765)
-Member of the Habsburg
dynasty
-Devout Roman Catholic
-Wanted religious uniformity
-Inherited throne from father
Charles VI (r. 1711-1740)
-Pragmatic Sanction (1718)
-Mother of 16 children,
including the future queen
Marie Antoinette of France
Francis of Lorraine, Holy Roman
Emperor and Maria Theresa’s spouse
Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna
Frederick William, the Great Elector of Prussia
-Ruled Prussia from 1640-1688 as
Duke and Elector (one of 7 in the
Holy Roman Empire)
-Controlled Brandenburg also
-Member of the Hohenzollern
dynasty
-Lutheran (Protestant)
-Created a permanent standing
army
-Exempted nobles (Junkers) from
taxes; taxed townspeople and
peasants instead
Frederick William I, aka the Royal Drill Sergeant
-Frederick William I was the
second king of Prussia (17131740)
-Centralized government,
strengthened army (see e.g.,
his special regiment, the socalled Potsdam Giants)
-Not exactly the model of an
enlightened ruler; in fact, he
was rather crude and bigoted
Potsdam Giants, aka Langer Kerls
Frederick the Great of Prussia
-Great military strategist
-Patron of the Arts
-Flutist and Composer of music
-Francophile
-Friend of Voltaire
-Skeptic in matters of religion; pursued
policy of religious toleration
-King of Prussia (1740-1786)
-Expansionist; set off several wars
(including the War of Austrian
Succession (1741-1748), in which
Prussia seized Silesia)
-Ally of Great Britain during the Seven
Years’ War (1756-1763) – the first real
world war
-An enlightened despot?
Silesia (Schlesien) and Poland
Sans Souci Palace, Potsdam
Balance of power and realpolitik
Ivan the Terrible of Russia
-Ruled 1547-1584
-Unsettled childhood
-Reformer at first; tried to
diminish the power of the
boyars (nobles)
-In 1560 his rule changes;
he institutes a reign of
terror
-Cause?
-A role model for Stalin?
Peter the Great of Russia (r. 1689-1725)
-Member of the Romanov
Dynasty
-His main goal: to modernize
Russia
-Great Embassy to the West
(1697)
-Westernization (e.g., he makes
the boyars adopt western dress,
cut beards)
- Strengthens army
-Builds St. Petersburg, a new
capital on the Gulf of Finland
Peter’s Great Embassy to the West
Catherine the Great of Russia (r. 1762-1796)
-Originally German
-Converted to Russian
Orthodox faith, learned
Russian upon marriage to the
future Czar Peter III
-took over after husband died
under mysterious
circumstances after only ruling
for six months
-Expanded Russian territory
-Continued program of
modernization, westernization
-Allowed nobles to repress
peasantry
Czar Peter III, husband of Catherine II