Crisis and Absolutism in Europe, 1550-1715

Europe in Crisis: The Wars of Religion Social Crises, War, and Revolution Response to Crisis: Absolutism The World of European Culture

Europe in Crisis: The Wars of Religion

Objectives: 1. Discuss the situation in many European nations in which Protestants and Catholics fought for political and religious control 2. Summarize how, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, many European rulers extended their power and their borders

The French Wars of Religion

By 1560, Calvinism and Catholicism had become highly militant (combative) religions Aggressive wars emerged trying to win converts and in eliminating each others authority Economic, social, and political forces also played an important role

French Civil WarsFrench Wars of Religion (1562-1598) The French kings persecuted Protestants *Huguenots were French Protestants inuenced by John Calvin An extreme Catholic partyknown as the ultra-Catholicsstrongly opposed the Huguenots The religious wars, and those who fought in them, sought political and economic gain

*Henry of Navarre, the political leader of the Huguenots and member of the Bourbon dynasty, succeeded to the throne as Henry IV Converted to Catholicism to solidify his reign Issued the *Edict of Nantes in 1598recognized Catholicism as the ofcial religion but gave Huguenots the right to worship

Philip II and Militant Catholicism

*King Philip II of Spain, the son and heir of Charles V He ushered into an age of Spanish greatness, both politically and culturally Empire included Spain, the Netherlands, possessions in Italy, and the Americas He insisted on a strict conformity to Catholicism

Spain saw itself as a nation of people chosen by God to save Catholic Christianity from the Protestant heretics The Spanish Netherlands were the richest parts of the empire Philip tried to crush Calvinism in the Netherlands The Dutch, under leadership of *William the Silent, the prince of Orange, offered growing resistance

Spain had the most populous empire in the world. Spain controlled almost all of South America and a number of settlements in Asia and Africa Philip II brought Spain to bankruptcy for spending too much on the war By the end of the war, real power in Europe had shifted to England and France

The England of Elizabeth

*Elizabeth Tudor ascended the throne of England During her reign, England entered a Golden age and laid a foundation for a world empire She repealed the laws favoring Catholics Act of Supremacy named Elizabeth the only supreme governor of both church and state

Moderate in her foreign policy, trying to keep out of conict with Spain and France If one nation seemed to be gaining in power, England would support the weaker nation Philip attempted to overthrown England with a massive armada

Objectives: 1. Discuss the situation in many European nations in which Protestants and Catholics fought for political and religious control 2. Summarize how, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, many European rulers extended their power and their borders

Social Crises, War, and Revolution

Objectives: 1. Explain how the Thirty Years War ended the unity of the Holy Roman Empire 2. Relate how democratic ideals were strengthened as a result of the English and Glorious Revolutions

Economic and Social Crises

One of the greatest issues was *ination The great inux of gold and silver from the Americas was one factor Spains economy grew dependent on imported silver Population increased from 60 million in 1500 to 85 million by 1600

The Witchcraft Trials

The religious zeal that led to the Inquisition and the hunt for heretics was extended to concern about witchcraft Perhaps more than a hundred thousand people were charged with witchcraft More than 75 percent of those accused were womensingle or widowed and over 50 years old

Features and accusations against witches: sworn allegiance to the devil, black Sabbaths, and evil spells Witch trials and the witchcraft hysteria

The Thirty Years War

Calvinism had not been recognized by the peace settlement Religion played an important role in the outbreak of the Thirty Years War, called the last of the religious wars All major European powers except England became involved. For 30 years Germany was plundered and destroyed The Peace of Westphalia ofcially ended the war in Germany in 1648

The Peace of Westphalia stated that all German states, including the Calvinist ones, could determine their own religion This brought an end to the Holy Roman Empire as a political entity

Revolutions in England
A series of rebellions and civil wars rocked Europe in the seventeenth century The most famous struggle was the English Revolution, a struggle between king and Parliament to determine what role each should play

The Stuarts and Divine Right

The Stuart line of rulers began with the accession to the throne of Elizabeths cousin, the king of Scotland, who became *James I of England Parliament did not think much of the divine right of kings something James I believed fervently *The Puritans did not like the kings strong defense of the Church of England

The Puritan gentry formed an important part of the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament The conict that began during the reign of James came to a head during the reign of his son, *Charles I Charles also tried to impose more ritual on the Church of England

Civil War and the Commonwealth

Civil war emerged between supporters of the king (*Cavaliers) and the parliamentary forces (*Roundheadsbecause of their short hair) *Oliver Cromwell, a military genius, took control of the Parliament and purged members who did not support him Charles I was executed in 1649

Parliament abolished the monarchy and the House of the Lords After destroying both king and Parliament, Cromwell set up a military dictatorship This was one of the rst steps toward ending the concept of Divine Right of Kingship

The Restoration
Cromwell ruled until his death in 1658 Parliament restored the monarchy in the person of Charles II, the son of Charles I The Stuart monarchy gained much of its power back James II (made king in 1685) and was a devout catholic, an unsettling issue for the Parliament

A Glorious Revolution
Parliament invited the Dutch leader, William of Orangea Protestant leader With almost no bloodshed, England had undergone a Glorious Revolution A Bill of Rights was created which helped fashioned system of government based on the rule of law and a freely elected Parliament

Objectives: 1. Explain how the Thirty Years War ended the unity of the Holy Roman Empire 2. Relate how democratic ideals were strengthened as a result of the English and Glorious Revolutions

Response to Crisis: Absolutism

Objectives: 1. Identity and describe Louis XIV, an absolute monarch whose extravagant lifestyle and military campaigns weakened France 2. Discuss how Prussia, Austria, and Russia emerged as great European powers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

France Under Louis XIV

Absolutism is a system in which a ruler holds total power The reign of Louis XIV has long been regarded as the best example of the practice of absolutism in the seventeenth century

Richelieu and Mazarin

*Cardinal Richelieu, Louis XIIIs chief minister, strengthened the power of the monarchy. Because the Huguenots were seen as a threat to the kings power, Richelieu took away their political and military rights while preserving their religious rights

The royal court that Louis Government and Religion established at Versailles served three purposes: personal household, chief ofces of the state, and powerful subjects came to nd favors Louis neutralized the power of high nobles He had complete authority over foreign policy, the Church, and taxes His power was only limited at the local level

The king bribed important people in the provinces to see that his policies were carried out The desire to keep this power led Louis to pursue an antiProtestant policy aimed at converting the Huguenots to Catholicism

The Economy and War

Louis wished to ensure the domination of his Bourbon dynasty over European affairs Louis waged four wars between 1667 and 1713

Legacy of Louis XIV

In 1715, the Sun King died. He left France with great debts and surrounded by enemies

Absolutism in Central and Eastern Europe After the Thirty Years War, there was no German state, but over 300 Germanies. Prussia and Austria are the only states to emerge

The Emergence of Prussia

*Frederick William the Great Elector laid the foundation for the Prussian state He built a large and efcient standing armythe fourthlargest in Europe Many of its ofcials were members of the Prussian landed aristocracy, known as the Junkers

The New Austrian Empire

The Hapsburg made a difcult transition in the seventeenth century. They had lost the German Empire, but now they created a new empire in eastern and southeastern Europe After the defeat of the Turks in 1687, Austria took control of all of Hungary, Transylvania, Croatia, and Slavonia

The Austrian monarchy, however, never became a highly centralized, absolutist state, chiey because it was made up of so many different national groups

Russia Under Peter the Great

In the sixteenth century, Ivan IV became the rst ruler to take the title of czar, the Russian word for caesar Ivan expanded the territories of Russia eastward *Peter the Great claimed the divine right to rule He was determined to westernize, or Europeanize, Russia and eager to Borrow European technology

Military and Governmental and Cultural Changes

He employed both Russians and Europeans as ofcers, forming the rst Russian navy Peter introduced Western customs, practices, and manners into Russia The cutting of beards, the cut cloaks, and the removal of veils Construction of St. Petersburg

Objectives: 1. Identity and describe Louis XIV, an absolute monarch whose extravagant lifestyle and military campaigns weakened France 2. Discuss how Prussia, Austria, and Russia emerged as great European powers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

The World of European Culture

Objectives: 1. Describe the artistic movements of Mannerism and the baroque, which began in Italy and reected the spiritual perceptions of the time 2. Identify Shakespeare and Lope de Vega, prolic writers of dramas and comedies that reected the human condition

Mannerism
Emerged in Italy in the 1520s and 1530s The worldly enthusiasm of the Renaissance declined as people grew anxious and uncertain and wished for spiritual experience The rules of proportion were deliberately ignored as elongated gures were used to show suffering, heightened emotions, and religious ecstasy

High point in the work of *El Greco elongated and contorted gures, portraying them in unusual shades of yellow and green against an eerie background of stormy grays

The Baroque Period

Baroque artists tried to bring together the classical ideals of Renaissance art with the spiritual feelings of the 16th century religious revival Dramatic effects to arouse the emotions Reected the search for power

*Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who completed Saint Peters Basilica in Rome Berninis Throne of Saint Peter is a highly decorated cover for the pope;s medieval wooden throne

Artemisia Gentileschi famous for her pictures of heroines from the Old Testament (Judith Beheading Holofernes)

A Golden Age of Literature Englands Shakespeare

Of all the forms of Elizabethan literature, none expressed the energy of the era better than drama Although best known for writing plays, he was also an actor and shareholder in the chief theater company of the time, the lord Chamberlains Men

Spanish Literature
Touring companies brought the latest Spanish plays to all parts of the Spanish Empire *Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, one of the greatest literary works of all time The Knight and Sancho Panza, an image of both the dreamer and the hard work of reality are necessary to the human condition

Political Thought The English revolutions of the 17th century prompted very different responses from two English political thinkers, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke

Hobbes
humans were guided not by reason and moral ideals but by a ruthless struggle for self-preservation Rebellion must be suppressed. To Hobbes, such absolute power was needed to preserve order in society

John LockeTwo Treatises of Government He argued against the absolute rule of one person Locke believed that before society was organized, humans lived in a state of equality and freedom rather than a state of war natural rightslife, liberty, and property

People found it difcult to protect their natural rights. For that reason, they agreed to establish a government to ensure the protection of their rights Locke was not an advocate of democracy, but his ideas proved important to both America and the French in the eighteenth century

Objectives: 1. Describe the artistic movements of Mannerism and the baroque, which began in Italy and reected the spiritual perceptions of the time 2. Identify Shakespeare and Lope de Vega, prolic writers of dramas and comedies that reected the human condition