Rise of Nation-States and Royal Absolutism the Final Stage 1500-1800

Rise of Nation-States and Royal Absolutism the Final Stage 1500-1800




Rise of Nation-states and Royal Absolutism – The final stage – 1500-1800

I. Spain 1492-1650

* Royal Family = Hapsburgs – Charles V – early 1500s, Philip II – 1556-1598

* 2 Driving Principles = Catholic Faith, Power

A. Making the country strong throughexpansion and colonization

1. Why? – Spread faith, $= power (mercantilism) + gold and silver

2. Where? – Americas and Philippines

B. Making the monarch strong

1. Limited the Cortes (the Spanish version of Parliament)

2. Aligning with the Church + the Holy Inquisition

C. 1550-1650 = Golden Age of Spain (economically, politically, culturally)… but

1. 1588 – Spanish Armada fails against England

2. 1648 – lost the Netherlands

II. England 1487-1649

* Tudors (came to power after the War of the Roses) – Henry VII (1487-1509), Henry VIII (1509-1547), Elizabeth I (1558-1603)

* Stuarts – James I (1603-1625), Charles I (1625-1649)

A. Religion:

B. Obstacles to royal power

1. Tradition and Magna Carta in 1215 – limit kings’ power

2. Parliament (rich nobles) – controls $$

3. Catholic Church

C. Overcoming these obstacles

1. Proclaimed Divine Right of Kings (James I)

2. Raised money without Parliament

3. Dump Catholic Church, replace with king as head of Church of England (Anglican Church)

4. Buy off nobles with land from Catholic monasteries

III. Holy Roman Empire 1500-1750

A. 300+ small principalities = fragmented

1. Led by HR Emperor – usually an Austrian and Catholic

2. No Strong central power after Charles V and Peace of Augsburg, 1555

3. 1618-1648 = 30 Years’ War, which solidifies split of HRE

a. Devastation of land, 1/3 of people died

b. Leaves a weak, disunited empire

c. Treaty of Westphalia splits empire into Lutheran, Catholic and Calvinist

B. Austria and Prussia compete for power within HRE (peaks during War of Austrian Succesion)

1. In South – Austria = Hapsburgs (Catholic) – absolute within Austria

2. In North – Prussia = Hohenzollerns (Lutheran) absolute within Prussia

a. Nobles = Junkers – bought off (no taxes)

b. Strong military – “Model System”

c. Fredrick and Fredrick William instrumental leaders

3. Austria and Prussia fight in War of Austrian Succession and Seven Years’ War in 1700s. Prussia wins.

IV. Russia 1500-1800

* Ivan III = the Great (1462-1505) – kicks out Mongols, becomes czar, Muscovy grows

* Ivan IV = the Terrible (1547-1584)

* Royal Family = Romanovs (1613-1917) – Peter the Great (1689-1723), Catherine the Great (1762-1796)

* Russian (Eastern) Orthodox

A. Making the country strong

1. Expansion – window to the west on Baltic Sea at St. Petersburg, 1721

2. Peter the Great pushes for westernization of Russia

B. Making the monarch strong

1. Increased control of the nobles (Boyars), church, and economy

2. Enslavement of the serfs under Catherine the Great buys nobles’ support


Rise of Nation-states and Royal Absolutism – The final stage – 1500-1800

I. Spain 1492-1650

* Ferdinand and Isabella – late 1400s

* Royal Family =

* 2 Driving Principles =

A. Making the country strong

1. Expansion and colonization

a. Why? –

b. Where? – Americas and Philippines

2. Kicked out Jews and Muslims, thus obtaining

B. Making the monarch strong

1. Limited the Cortes (the Spanish version of Parliament)

2. Aligning with the

C. 1550-1650 = Golden Age of Spain… but 1588 – Spanish Armada fails against England, 1648 they lose the Netherlands.

II. England 1487-1649

* Tudors (came to power after the War of the Roses) – Henry VII (1487-1509), Henry VIII (1509-1547), Elizabeth I (1558-1603)

* Stuarts – James I (1603-1625), Charles I (1625-1649)

A. Religion:

B. Obstacles to royal power

1. Tradition and Magna Carta in 1215 –

2. Parliament (rich nobles) –

3. Catholic Church –

C. Overcoming these obstacles

1. Proclaimed

2. Raised money without

3. Dump Catholic Church, replace with king as head of Church of England (Anglican Church)

4. Buy off nobles with land from

5. (The Tudors worked well with Parliament, the Stuarts did not)

III. Holy Roman Empire 1500-1750

A. 300+ small principalities =

1. Led by HR Emperor – usually an

2. No Strong central power after

3. 1618-1648 = 30 Years’ War, which solidifies

a. Devastation of land, 1/3 of people died

b. Leaves a

c. Treaty of Westphalia splits empire into Lutheran, Catholic and Calvinist

B. Austria and Prussia compete for power within HRE

1. In South – Austria = Hapsburgs (Catholic) – absolute within Austria

2. In North – Prussia = Hohenzollerns (Lutheran) absolute within Prussia

a. Nobles =

b. Strong military –

c. Fredrick and Fredrick William instrumental leaders

IV. Russia 1500-1800

* Ivan III = the Great (1462-1505) – kicks out Mongols, becomes czar, Muscovy grows

* Ivan IV =

* Royal Family =

* Russian (Eastern) Orthodox

A. Making the country strong

1. Expansion – window to the west on

2. Peter the Great pushes for

B. Making the monarch strong

1. Increased control of the nobles (Boyars), church, and economy

2. Enslavement of the serfs under Catherine the Great buys

V. France

* Royal Family = Bourbons – Henry IV (1589-1610), Louis XIII (1610-1643), Louis XIV (1643-1715)

A. Religion: Catholic with a sizeable Huguenot (Calvinist) minority

B. Obstacles to royal power

1. Catholic Church– 1. Henry IV converted. 2. Gallican Articles (Louis XIV) put Church under the king’s control

2. Estates-General – Met in 1615 and not again until 1789.

3. Huguenots – 1. Edict of Nantes (1598) said toleration and fortifications. 2. Richelieu said no more fortifications. 3. Louis XIV said no more tolerance or Huguenots (revoked Edict of Nantes – 1695)

4. Nobles – 1. Intendants took their jobs. 2. Richelieu took away their castles. 3. Louis XIV bought them off with life at Versailles, no taxes, etc.

D. What happened in the Thirty Years’ War to make the country strong?

E. What was the balance of power and how did this impact France under Louis XIV?