AP European History
AP European History
During the Middle Ages and even during the Renaissance, kings ruled their subjects with the consent of the nobles. As that practice began to disappear, monarchs began to rule with more power and authority. Often, attempts were made to limit the power of the monarchs, but a few monarchs rose above these limitations. The greatest example of such a leader was Louis XIV of France. He epitomized the absolute ruler. Following in his footsteps in the eighteenth century were several eastern rulers who sought to be absolutists as well. While some nations developed strong monarchies, other nations, like England, developed a strong parliamentary government. Around the same time, Spain experienced its short-lived golden age
With the death of Louis XIII in 1643, 5-year-old Louis XIV (1638-1715, king 1643-1715) ascended to the French throne. Louis’ mother chose Cardinal Mazarin as his regent. Mazarin was not as shrewd as Cardinal Richelieu, who served as the most important adviser to Louis XIII. During Louis XIV’s early years as king, he witnessed the Fronde, rebellions that impressed upon Louis the need to tighten royal authority in France. After Mazarin’s death, Louis was left to deal with the aristocracy, who were growing resentful of the growing power of the monarchy. To deal with the aristocracy, Louis adopted the concept of the divine right of kings. According to Bishop Bossuet, one of Louis’ advisers, the king was chosen by God, and no one but God had the right to judge or question the king. This established the absolute sovereignty of Louis and his monarchy. The famous line L’etat, c’est moi is often attributed to Louis. Translated “I am the state,” this line represents the mindset of Louis XIV.
Louis chose Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) to administer the government of France. Colbert played a pivotal role in centralizing the monarchy of France. One of the ways Colbert did so was through the implementation of a mercantilistic economic policy. Col ben reshaped the French economy through government control of industry and trade. He organized factories and systems of production, trading companies and colonies, and intricate systems of canals and roadways. By the 1680s, France had trading colonies as far away as Canada and the Caribbean. All of his new policies helped put gold into the state coffers.
Louis decided to strengthen his grip on France in addition to controlling its economy. Louis believed that a unified France had room for only one religion. Louis also believed that more than one religion could not coexist in France. Therefore, Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had allowed Calvinists to worship freely. Louis closed Huguenot institutions and stripped the Huguenots of their rights. Many Huguenots were exiled from France altogether.
Louis XIV took control of the military actions of the stare, too. He had a strong desire to increase the size of his kingdom, and he used military might to do so. Louis used the money in his coffers to establish a vast, professional army, and he had great success early in his military campaigns. Parts of Germany and the surrounding area were added to French holdings. However, by the end of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth century, the powers of Europe joined together to contain Louis' aggression.
By establishing absolute control over every aspect of the government, Louis epitomized the absolute monarch. As king, he controlled the economics, religion, foreign and domestic policies, and military exploits of France. Louis ran the state and acted as if the state were there to serve him. He used the money in his royal coffers to finance not only his military expeditions, but also his extravagant lifestyle. He built a magnificent palace at Versailles that was home to thousands. He surrounded himself with fantastic art and beautiful landscaping. He used the wealth of the nation to flaunt his power for all to see. Louis also used his extraordinary wealth to intimidate foreigners who visited France.
When Alexis I of Russia died, his daughter Sophia ruled as regent for Alexis’ two sons, Peter and Ivan. At the age of 17, Peter took control from his sister and became Peter the Great (1672-1725, czar 1689-1725). Peter admired Western Europe and was determined to westernize Russia. His first priority was the strengthening of the army and the creation of a navy. He reorganized the government of Russia and divided Russia into provinces. He required members of the nobility to serve in the military or in some civil service position. After studying the policies of Western European nations, Peter attempted to install a mercantilistic economy in Russia by increasing exports and introducing new industries. However, when those efforts did not produce enough money, he simply raised taxes.
Peter really began to take on the look of a Western absolutist when he tried to gain control of the Russian Orthodox Church. Peter turned his attention to architecture. Using the grand Versailles as a model, Peter spent vast sums of money on architecture and art that testified to the greatness of Russia, just as Versailles did for France. Also, like a Western absolutist, Peter used his military to attack other territories and make them his own, as was the case in the Baltic region owned by Sweden.
The grandson of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Charles, a Habsburg, became the first king of a united Spain. Three years later, in 1519, Charles became Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. During the reign of Charles, Spain flourished because of the wealth that flowed from the New World. In 1556, Charles abdicated the Spanish throne to his son Philip II (1527-1598, king 1556-1598). Because France was involved in its own religious turmoil, Spain went unchallenged. This marked the beginning of the Golden Age of Spain’s art and culture. A devout Catholic and absolutist, Philip persecuted the Protestants in the Netherlands, an action that drained the Spanish coffers and led to war with England’s Elizabeth I. It was Philip who lost the Spanish Armada to the English in 1588. Philip’s successor, Philip III (1578-1621, king 1598-1621) ceased action against the Dutch and reduced Spanish spending.
Philip IV (1605-1665, king 1621-1665) ushered Spain into the height of its Golden Age. Because Philip IV did not concern himself much with politics, he gave governmental control of Spain to Gaspar de Guzman, conde de Olivares. Olivares renewed action against the Dutch and involved Spain in the Thirty Years’ War, which then led Spain to war with France. After Olivares was removed, Spain began to decline. Ultimately, the grandson of Louis XIV, Philip V (1683-1746, king 1700---1746) ascended to the throne and sparked international controversy. The other European powers dreaded the idea of Louis’ influence extending into Spain. Because of the controversy, Europe erupted into the War of the Spanish Succession. The Grand Alliance challenged Spain and France. At the end of the war, Philip kept his Spanish throne, to which he brought absolutism that he learned from the best, his grandfather, Louis XIV.
Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) – Colbert is often regarded as the greatest statesman in French history. Colbert began his civil service career at the age of 19 when he first went to work for the office of the minister of war in France. In 1651, Cardinal Mazarin hired Colbert to manage his finances. In 1665. Colbert was made the comptroller of finance for France. In his new role, Colbert completely reworked the nation's finances and employed the doctrine of mercantilism. He worked to control the French economy and direct all profits to the French coffers. Colbert controlled French industry, trade, navigation laws, trading companies, and colonization efforts for the economic prosperity of France. In addition, he built factories, roads, and canals, all of which boosted the French economy. He fortified coastal towns and strengthened the French navy. Colbert patronized the arts and sciences and established several institutes of higher learning. Unfortunately, as hard as Colbert worked, his efforts were no match for the unprecedented spending power of his king. Louis XIV At the time of Colbert's death, he was unjustly blamed for France's financial problems.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) – Cervantes overcame great odds to become one of Western Civilization's greatest writers. During a battle against the Turks, while he was in military service in Naples, Cervantes lost the use of his left hand. On his way back to Spain, he was captured by Barbary pirates and held for ransom. He tried unsuccessfully to escape several times. Fortunately, his family ransomed him, and he returned to Spain. He tried in vain to find employment with the nobility.
He tried writing. bur he couldn't support himself. With no other options available to him, Cervantes took government jobs. He found himself in prison, though, for a problem he encountered on one of his government jobs. It was during his prison term that he conceived the idea for Don Quixote, the story of a knight who traveled about looking for adventures. In addition to Don Quixote, Cervantes wrote Exemplary Novels and Persiles y Sigismunda. Cervantes is considered the greatest of all Spanish authors.