Powerful Rulers and

Absolute Monarchs

Powerful or Absolute Rulers

Development of Monarchal Governments where rulers had the power

to rule freely, with few or no laws or political opposition against them.

Occurred during the Late Middle Ages till the Age of Revolutions

Based on the foundations of Divine Right of Kings

• Initiated by Pepin the Short in 751 C.E. “Crowned King by the Grace of God”

• Continued through crowing of Charlemagne as “Holy Roman Emperor” (800 CE)

• Promoted the idea that “God intended the Sovereign’s Family to lead the Nation”

• Intended to keep the citizens in line based on their fear of the power of God

• Similar to the Chinese ideology of the “Mandate of Heaven”

• Adopted by Monarchs in England, Spain, France, Prussia, Russia, Austria & Asia

Philip II of Spain (Ruled from 1556 – 1598)

• Married Mary I, Queen of England, in 1554

• Became King at age 29 (Upon death of Charles I)

• Inherited great debt from his father’s reign

• Imposed increased taxes on the Netherlands

• Attempted to limit the power of the nobility

• Struggled against local legislative assembly (Cortes)

• Appointed Royal Agents, loyal Viceroys & Ministers

• Played royal bureaucrats against each other

• Defended Catholic Church in Counter-Reformation

• Dedicated economy to enlarging Naval Power

• Created Iberian Union as King of Portugal in 1581

• Conducted wars against Dutch, French & Ottomans

• Excessive spending caused Spain’s inflation to rise

Louis XIII of France (Ruled from 1610 – 1643)

• Age 8 when he became King in 1610

• Queen Marie de’ Medici acted as Regent

• Louis took control in 1616 at age of thirteen

• Cardinal Richelieu appointed Chief Minister

• Entered Thirty Years War against Habsburgs

• Restricted the Power and Authority of Nobility

• Retracted privileges for the Huguenots

• Personally led troops at Siege of La Rochelle

• Modernized the Port of Le Havre

• Supervised the creation of a Powerful Navy

• Expanded settlements of New France

• Commissioned painters to decorate the Louvre

• Left a high debt for his son to deal with

Louis XIV of France (Ruled from 1643 – 1715)

• Age 4 when he became King in 1643

• Queen Anne acted as Regent until 1651

• Cardinal Mazarin appointed as Prime Minister

• Assumed full control upon death of Mazarin

• Appointed Jean-Baptiste Colbert Finance Minister

• Reformed the system of taxes (under Colbert)

• Appointed Royal Agents known as Intendents

• Reduced the power and authority of the Nobility

• Restructured the Army and Navy (600,000 men)

• Sponsored the building of the Palace of Versailles

• Patron of Arts & Education (Government Schools)

• Engaged in Three Major Wars

• Caused France’s High Inflation to increase

Maria Theresa of Austria (Ruled from 1740 - 1780)

• Became Queen at age 23 (upon death of father)

• Devote Catholic who opposed religious tolerance

• Most Anti-Semitic Monarch of her time

• Created a professional Army of 108,000 men

• Instituted the taxation of the Nobility & Clergy

• Doubled State Revenue between 1754-1764

• Created a Council of State and Bureaucracy

• Created reform regulating wages for serfs

• Created Codex Theresianis to improve Civil Rights

• Outlawed Torture and Capital Punishment

• Established a new Public School system by 1775

• Defended her status in the War of Austrian Succession

• Joined her alliance in the Seven Years War

Frederick II of Prussia (Ruled from 1740 – 1786)

“The Great” • Became King at 28 (upon death of Frederick William I)

• Created a modern bureaucracy

• Appointed Ludwig von Blumenthal as First Minister

• Abolished Torture and Capital Punishment

• Supported Religious Tolerance

• Modernized Prussia’s Industry & Agriculture

• Imposed high tariffs to control foreign trade

• Promoted Architecture (Palace of Sanssouci)

• Promoted Music & Art (Berlin State Opera & Museum)

• Increased the size & expertise of the Army (80,000)

• War of Austrian Succession against Maria Theresa

• Plunged European into the Seven Years War

• Eventually unified the scattered provinces (1772)

Ivan IV of Russia (Ruled from 1547 – 1584)

“The Terrible” • Became Grand Prince of Moscow at age 3

• Mother Elena acted as Regent until 1547

• Crowned Tsar in 1547 at the age of 16

• Revised the Code of Laws

• Created a large professional Army

• Established a council of Nobles (Chosen Council)

• Confirmed the Russian Orthodox Church

• Formed new Trade alliances with the English

• Defeated & annexed Mongol Khanates

• Had St. Basil’s Cathedral constructed in Moscow

• Introduced first laws concerning Russian Serfdom

• Created the Oprichniki (Tsar’s Guard/Secret Police)

• Reduce the power of disloyal nobility (Boyars)

• Imposed brutal reprisals against disloyal Boyars

Peter I of Russia (Ruled from 1682 – 1725)

“The Great” • Chosen to be Tsar at age 10 by the Duma

• Queen Nataliya served as Regent till 1694

• Dedicated to the Westernization of Russia

• Reorganized the Russian Army & Navy

• Fought the Great Northern & Ottoman War

• Reduced the power of the Nobility

• Deprived Boyars from obtaining official offices

• Instituted appointments by merit and service

• Imposed brutal punishment & torture

• Reformed the Russian Orthodox Church

• Reformed tax system to support improvements

• Established St. Petersburg & the Peterhof Palace

• Improved education and promoted art & music

• Excessive spending cause increased inflation

Catherine II of Russia (Ruled from 1762 – 1796)

“The Great” • Peter III & Catherine became rulers in Jan 1762

• Became sole ruler after assassination of husband

• Appointed Nikita Panin as her Foreign Minister

• Expanded Russia by 200,000 square mile

• Led Russia into the 1st & 2nd Russo-Turkish Wars

• Promoted Russia first government currency

• Established the Hermitage Museum of Art

• Promoted the ideals of the Enlightenment

• Promoted ideas of a National Education system

• Maintained stiff controls over Orthodox Church

• Limited influences of Judaism and Islam

• Expanded trade with Asia (China & Japan)

• Signed Military Treaty with Great Britain

Henry VIII of England (Ruled from 1509 – 1547)

• Married Catherine of Aragon & became King (Age 17)

• Patron of Art, Music, Poetry and Literature

• Expanded the Royal Navy from 5 to 53 ships

• Allied England with Spain against France

• He loved Palaces – Having forty-two built

• Appointed Cardinal Thomas Wolsey Lord Chancellor

• Centralized the Government and Royal Courts

• Forced Nobles to pay for Wars and Extravagances

• Caused the English Reformation against Papacy

• Eliminated Royal Advisors who opposed his policies

• Made use of torture and executions against rebels

• Married six women in efforts to gain a male heir

Elizabeth I of England (Ruled from 1558 – 1603) “The Virgin Queen”

• Imprisoned by her sister, Queen Mary I, in 1556

• Became Queen in 1558 at age 25

• Established a bureaucracy of trusted counselors

• Established the Anglican Church of England

• Primarily supported a military policy of defense

• However, supported the Dutch against Spain

• Royal Navy defeated the Spanish Armada (1588)

• Supported the Explorations of Sir Francis Drake

• Established trade relations with Barbary Coast

• Patron of the Arts (especially English Drama)

• Conflicts with Spain & Ireland caused inflation

• Period known as the Elizabethan or Golden Age

Suleiman I of the Ottomans (Ruled from 1520 – 1566)

“The Lawgiver”

• Came to the throne at age 25

• Expanded the Ottoman Empire into Europe

• Conquered Hungary, Middle East & North Africa

• Conducted the Ottoman-Safavid War (1532-1555)

• Created a consolidated code of Ottoman Laws

• Reformed laws protecting both Christians & Jews

• Instituted legislative changes that lasted 300 yrs

• Increased education by building schools / colleges

• Patronage of the arts created a Golden Age

• Accomplished Poet and supporter of Literature

• Renowned sponsor of Architecture

• Restored the Dome of the Rock & Ka’ba of Mecca

Akbar of Mughal Empire (Ruled from 1556 – 1605)

“The Great”

• Succeeded to the throne at age of 14

• Led military expansion over most of Central India

• Established a Centralized Government Bureaucracy

• Eliminated to former tribute system for provinces

• Developed separated Revenue & Judiciary Officials

• Reformed the administration & collection of taxes

• Reorganized the Army (instituted strict regulations)

• Policies promoted the Golden Age of Mughal India

• Sponsored the development of the Mughal Schools

• Established policies of Religious Tolerance

• Patron of the Arts and Literature

• Maintained diplomacy with Portuguese & Safavids

Emperor Zhu Di of China (Ruled from 1402 – 1424)

“Yongle Emperor” • Did not receive title upon death of his father

• Led rebellion against his nephew for throne

• Expert Military Commander of The Art of War

• Seized throne in 1402 upon death of nephew

• Initiated the Extermination of the ten agnates

• Promoted spread of Buddhism & Confucianism

• Supported religious tolerance of other faiths

• Reconstructed the Grand Canal

• Moved the Chinese capital to Beijing

• Directed the construction of the Forbidden City

• Called for construction and repair of Mosques

• Sponsored creation of the Yongle Encyclopedia

• Sponsored the seven voyages of Zheng He

Emperor Kang Xi of China (Ruled from 1661 – 1722)

• Succeeded to the throne at age 8

• Father had appointed four regents

• Had last regent arrested and took control in 1669

• Defeated the revolts of Three Feudal Territories

• Military campaigns against Russia and Mongols

• Appointed Han Scholars as political bureaucrats

• Initially allowed Jesuits, later expelled Christians

• Imported Western Technology through Jesuits

• Sponsored development of Imperial Observatory

• Sponsored publication of the Kangxi Dictionary

• Ordered the compilation of Tang Poetry

• Depletion of the National Treasury due to military campaigns and political corruption

Tokugawa Iemitsu of Japan (Ruled from 1623 – 1651)

• Installed officially as heir to shogunate at age 13

• Fierce rivalry between him & brother occurred

• Assumed role as head of bureaucracy at age 19

• Formally designated as Tokugawa Shogun in 1632

• Created a strong centralized administration

• Appointed childhood friends as advisors / agents

• Used Samurai army to put down Rebellion (1637)

• Officially closed off Japan from the Western world

• Order expulsion of all Europeans from Japan (1639)

• Limited trade to only Chinese & Dutch merchants

• Promoted expansion of traditional Japanese arts

Absolute Monarchs Comparison Essay

Between the fourteenth and the eighteenth centuries,

powerful absolute monarch dominated the political

landscape of many kingdoms and empires around the

world. These rulers controlled their territories with

unlimited authority and power, often plunging their

countries into major conflicts for territorial expansion

and economic domination. Compare and contrast at

least three key absolute rulers from this period and the

key characteristics of their reign and the legacies they

left behind