HIS 106Chapter 20

European State Building and World Conflict

France

Had absolute government– A strong centralized monarchy that attempted to

make royal power dominant over local aristocracies and other regional authorities

France’s strongest absolute monarch was Louis XIV

He brought most of the French nobility to live at Versailles (p. 444) so that he could keep an eye on them

He did allow French regional courts called Parlements to keep some power; they were dominated by hereditary nobility

The Parlement of Paris was the most important; it claimed the right to register royal decrees before they became law

Regional Parlements were able to exercise authority over their local administrations and over taxation

France also had a national parliament of sorts, Estates General, but it played no role in government after 1614

Estates General was not called again until the end of the 18th century

In total, the Estates General was not called for 130 years

Kings generally would pass laws as they saw fit

Kings came down quickly and severely on nobles who challenged a king

Since nobles were seen as a threat, the kings, bureaucracies were often made up of merchants and lawyers

Kings also had professional armies

Louis XIV

Called the Sun King Reigned in France from 1643 – 1715, the

longest reign in European history Became king at age 4 Reigned for 72 years 54 of those years he personally governed

France

1643 – 1661, governing was dominated by his chief minister, Cardinal Mazarin

When Mazarin died in 1661, Louis became his own chief minister and controlled his own government until he died

Louis acted through a high state council He also had a small group of advisors that he

dismissed at will

Louis saw himself as all-powerful and once said of himself, “L’etat, c’est moi!” ( I am the state)

In his early years as sovereign he:– Clarified laws– Improved law enforcement– Practiced mercantilism– Was a patron of the arts– Set up science academies

One “academie” Louis set up is still around today, L’Academie Francaise

It was created to standardize and protect the French language

Another major accomplishment of Louis XIV was the construction of the Palais de Versailles, his royal palace

Versailles– 35,000 workmen took 35 years to build it– The record of expenses was destroyed by his

Finance Minister, Colbert– There was a household staff of 10,000 soldiers

and 4,000 civilians– Built on swamp land– Could only have one set of fountains flowing at a

time because of low water pressure

– The palace itself was cold, drafty, but sumptuous– It was filled with marble, gold, tapestries,

paintings, gems– Outside, there were gardens, parks, stables, and

some smaller buildings where one could play at being a peasant

– Louis brought nobles to Versailles and gave them jobs like dressing him

– See www.louis-xiv.de

Louis expanded the functions of the state, taking on more power– Had state-run manufacturing– Encouraged merchant fleets– Sought colonies to provide raw materials for their

young industries and to have a ready-made market place for their products

Louis wished to make his country a Catholic country and so revoked the Edict of Nantes that had granted toleration of religion in 1685

This proved to be a terrible mistake because a ¼ of a million Huguenots left France taking their talents and their money with them

Louis spent the last 40 years of his reign fighting in 4 different wars

Louis XIV died on 1 September 1715 and was succeeded by his grandson who became Louis XV

Parliamentary Monarchy

This was the second type of government to emerge in Europe in the 16th century

It developed in England– Nobility and landowners thought the monarchy

was trying to undermine their standings in their own communities

– They then worked to limit the power of the monarchy

– The result was a Parliamentary Monarchy

James I (r. 1603 – 1625)

Was James VI of Scotland Became James I of England Inherited a big royal debt and a divided

church Parliament, at that time, only met when the

King needed money, and the King didn’t always get what he wanted

So James I tried to side-step Parliament and imposed new customs duties himself to get money

Parliament was insulted but didn’t do much about it

Another problem was that many felt James I was soft on Catholics; he had relaxed laws against them

James I was also very slow in responding to a call for help from German Protestants

He also joined in an alliance with Catholic Spain Then his son Charles married a Catholic 1624, England went to war against Spain because of

pressure from Parliament but didn’t properly finance it

They weren’t pleased with James I

Charles I (r. 1625 – 1649)

Many were less pleased with James I successor, Charles I

He levied his own taxes, imprisoned those who refused to pay, and housed soldiers in private homes

1628, Parliament met and said they would give Charles more money if he recognized the Petition of Rights

The Petition of Rights said:– No forced loans– No troops in private homes– No imprisonment without just cause

It expressed Parliament’s resentment and resistance to the monarchy

Charles agreed to it

1629, Charles dissolved Parliament until 1640 because it complained that the King had made changes to their Church and that he was levying new taxes

1640, Charles reconvened Parliament because he needed money for a war against Scotland– Charles had tried to impose the Church of

England and their prayer book

1637, Scotland rebelled 1640, the Scots had a victory against an English

army Charles needed more money so that wouldn’t

happen again 1642, Parliament was divided Those who backed Charles – Cavaliers Those who opposed many of his policies -

Roundheads

Once again Parliament presented the King with their objections

Charles responded by raising an army Parliament then raised an army of its own Civil War broke out

English Civil War (1642-1646)

Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan, led the Roundheads of the Parliamentary Army

Cromwell’s army won 1649, Charles I was tried for treason, found guilty,

and executed; his head was displayed on a pike at the Tower of London

1649-1660, England was dominated first by Oliver Cromwell until his death in 1658 and then by his son

1653, Oliver Cromwell disbanded Parliament, abolished the monarchy, and established a “civil government” with himself as Lord Protector

Cromwell then went on to conquer Ireland and Scotland

Cromwell’s military dictatorship was harsh and hated

Charles II (r. 1660 – 1685 )

Oliver Cromwell’s son wasn’t a good ruler and was soon replaced by Charles II

The monarchy had been restored Parliament only met when summoned by the

King The Anglican Church was back as the

supreme church of England

It was thought that Charles II had Catholic sympathies and wished to become one– 1672, Declaration of Indulgence suspended laws

against Catholics and other non-Anglicans

In response, Parliament passed the Test Act where officials had to swear loyalty to the Anglican Church and against transubstantiation, a Catholic belief

James II (r. 1685 – 1689)

1685, James II became king and wanted the Test Act repealed; it wasn’t– James II was a Catholic and appointed Catholics

to official positionsJames had a protestant daughter, Mary, by his first

wife; many hoped she would rule after James IIThen James II second wife, a Catholic, had a son

who was baptized CatholicHe would be the next ruler

There was great opposition to this in England Then Parliament asked Mary and her

husband, William of Orange of the Netherlands, to invade and remove James

Upon hearing this, James and his family fled to France

Glorious Revolution

1689, William and Mary were named the new rulers of England

They ruled from 1689 – 1702 They had to recognize a Bill of Rights before

they could sit on the throne of England– This gave power to the privileged in England thus

limiting the power of the monarchyThis was the Glorious Revolution – a change in

power without bloodshed

The Bill of Rights also said no Catholic could be King or Queen of England

William and Mary had no heir Nor did Mary’s sister Anne (r. 1702-1714), so

the throne after Anne’s reign went to the Hanovers, Protestants, of Germany

This introduced the “Georges” to the English throne

George I

George I reigned from 1714 – 1727 He didn’t speak English, so he turned over

the running of the government to Robert Walpole, seen as England’s first Prime Minister

Robert Walpole governed from 1721 – 1742 He brought England stability and prosperity This was seen as progressive by Europeans

English Rulers

James I (r.1603-1625) Charles I (r. 1625-1649) Oliver Cromwell (r. 1649 -1658) Richard Cromwell (r. 1658-1660) Charles II (r. 1660-1685) James II (r. 1685-1689) William and Mary (r. 1689-1702)

Anne (r. 1702-1714) George I (r. 1714-1727) George II (r. 1727-1760) George III (r. 1760-1801

Russia

1380, Grand Duke Dimitri of Moscow defeated a group of Mongols, but it would take another century before Ivan III, or Ivan the Great (d. 1505) would bring all of northern Russia under Moscow’s control and end Mongol rule in 1448

Ivan the Great

Ivan the Great

Created a strong army Formed a strong centralized government Used his people’s loyalties to the Russian

Orthodox Church and feelings of nationalism to gain support for his military campaigns against the Mongols

While under Mongol rule, trade, manufacturing, and cultural life deteriorated; Ivan would revive these

Ivan asserted his control over the Orthodox Church

Ivan IV, the Terrible (r. 1533-1584)

Came to the throne as a child Began to rule on his own by the age of 16 Appointed able advisors Undertook sensible revisions of the law Reorganized the army 1560, Ivan had a severe personality change He then distrusted almost everyone

Ivan the Terrible

Ivan formed a small group of advisors and a military force loyal to him

His military went after anyone he felt was his enemy

Ivan imprisoned and tortured the boyars, the Russian term for nobles, without reason or trial

He even killed his own son because he thought the neckline of his pregnant daughter-in-law’s dress was too low.

Ivan did continue to expand Russia’s borders moving them into central Asia

Ivan recruited peasants to move into the new lands; known as Cossacks

Ivan and His Son

These Cossacks went on to capture even more land for the Tsar -- areas by the Caspian Sea and in Siberia

Loyal noblemen were then allowed to set up estates in these new lands using enslaved serfs to do the work

People from many different cultures were now being ruled by the same Tsar

Russia did conduct trade with others outside of Russia -- Example: Asians and the British

Italian artists, craftsmen, and other foreign architects were invited to Russia to create; they blended western ideas with Russians ones– Example: Onion Domes on Russian Churches

Onion Domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral

Russians began a tradition in the 16th century of looking west for art and other luxury items

Ivan the Terrible died in 1584 leaving no heir A period of anarchy and war called the Time of

Trouble followed Ivan’s death 1613, nobles elected a 17 year old boy named

Michael Romanov (r. 1613-1645) to be the new Tsar Thus began the dynasty that ruled Russia until 1917

Michael Romanov

Romanovs

Michael Romanov and his 2 successors Aleksei I (r. 1645-1676) and Theodore III (r. 1676-1682) brought stability and a strong central government to Russia

The country remained poor and weak Boyars controlled the bureaucracy Tsars faced mutinies from the military

Peter the Great (r. 1682-1725)

1682, a 10 year old boy ascended the throne of Russia as a co-ruler with his half-brother, Ivan IV; this 10 year old was named Peter

Ivan IV was feeble-minded and was being helped by their sister, Sophia

With help from those backing him, Peter overthrew his sister and his half brother and began his own rule in 1689

Peter the Great

Peter was fascinated by Western Europe, especially their military organization

1697, Peter visited the West, supposedly in disguise

He inspected shipyards, docks, and the manufacture of weapons

He talked to rulers and then returned home with ideas he wished use in Russia

Peter’s Goals

Tame the Boyars Get control of the Church Reorganize his internal administration Develop the economy

He achieved each goal

Peter’s Accomplishments

Expanded the army Created a navy Imitated western military organization Created a secret police to prevent dissension Developed Russia’s economy so that it could

finance his military ventures Made Russia’s a great power through

warfare

Peter’s Wars:– He attacked the Ottoman Empire and lost– He fought Sweden and gained territory on the

east coast of the Baltic Sea and gained an ice-free port

– Gained the recognition of the West

Other Reforms

Improved his political organization Improved the army’s weapons Brought Russian Orthodox Church under his

control Systemized the law codes to be applied to

the whole realm Revised the tax system; peasants’ taxes

were high

Set up training institutes for aspiring bureaucrats and officers

Built up metal and mining industries Created state-run munitions and shipbuilding

factories

Made cultural changes– Nobles had to shave off beards– Nobles had to wear Western clothes– He provided more education in math and

technology– Welcomed the arts: ballet– Nobles had to learn and speak French

Peter had St. Petersburg built with slave labor and moved the capital there

Peter did not totally Westernize Russia; he was selective

He met with resistance , mainly from the elite Peasants weren’t made to change

Central and Eastern Europe

2 other major ruling families in Central and Eastern Europe;– The Habsburgs of the Holy Roman Empire– The Hohenzollerns of Prussia

See map p. 446

Habsburgs

They possessed the Holy Roman Empire They also controlled Bohemia ( today’s

Czech Republic) , Moravia, Silesia, Hungary, Croatia, Transylvania, the Netherlands, and Lombardy

Roman Catholicism was a common bond, but the population was quite diverse

Unity was difficult

Ottomans tried to take Vienna and failed in 1683

The Hohenzollerns

Had ruled Brandenburg since1471 Inherited east Prussia and other territories within the

boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire However, the House of Hohenzollern did not possess

a crown Frederick William, the Great Elector (r. 1640-1688)

established himself and his successors as the central power of his land

Frederick William, the Great Elector

Frederick William expected obedience from the nobles and in return the nobles should expect obedience from their peasants

It was Frederick I (r. 1688-1713) who received the royal title and crown because he offered his army to the Holy Roman Emperor in the War of Spanish Succession

Frederick I

In return, Frederick could call himself King of Prussia as of 1701

His successor was Frederick William I He made the Prussian military a well-

disciplined mighty army with over 80,000 soldiers by 1740

It was the 3rd or 4th largest army in the world Military matters preoccupied them

Frederick William I

Worldwide Wars

European nations with their colonial empires helped to create worldwide wars

When one European nation fought another European nation, their colonies were obliged to fight each other as well

Often these wars had one name in Europe and a different name in the colonies– Ex: Seven Years War in Europe and the French

and Indian War in America