Absolute Monarchs in Spain & France n Preview: –Imagine that you are a monarch in an imaginary country. Write a proclamation to your subjects explaining.

Absolute Monarchs in Spain & FranceAbsolute Monarchs in Spain & FrancePreview:

–Imagine that you are a monarch in an imaginary country. Write a proclamation to your subjects explaining your ideas for governing AND discuss your expectations for them as your subjects

–Read what you wrote—are you an absolute monarch or a limited king?

The Age of Absolutism

Spain and Philip II

The Rise of Philip II of Spain Philip II was born into the

Hapsburg DynastyHapsburg Dynasty the most powerful royal family in Europe

Their grandson, Charles V,

The Hapsburgs became powerful under Ferdinand & Isabella who encouraged overseas exploration of the Americas

Through treaty & arranged marriages, the Hapsburgs took control of the Netherlands,

Austria, parts of Italy, & were always named Holy Roman Emperor

Ferdinand & Isabella’s grandson, Charles V, divided the Hapsburg territories into two

separate kingdoms in 1555: Spain & AustriaCharles V’s son, Philip II,

became king of Spain in 1556

Philip as an Absolute Monarch Philip II controlled every aspect of

governing the Spanish Empire:–He was hard working but never

accepted help from anyone

–He never trusted any of his advisors (“His smile & his dagger were very close”)

Philip’s Accomplishments As king, Philip controlled Spain,

the Netherlands, & colonies in America but Philip took Portugal & its colonies in Africa & India too

This brought Spain great wealth, which Philip used to build a strong army & the Spanish armada

Philip used his navy to defend Catholicism against English Protestants & Ottoman Muslims

Spanish Armada unsuccessfully attacked Protestant England

Catholic Fleets Successfully Defended the Mediterranean Sea from Ottoman

Muslims in the Battle of Lepanto

The Spanish Golden Age of Art Under Philip, Spain entered its

golden age from 1550 to 1650:–Huge supplies of gold & silver

made Spain Europe’s most powerful country (mercantilism)

–Artists like Diego Velázquez & El Greco showed devotion to Catholicism & their king

–Cervantes wrote Don Quixote, the 1st modern European novel

Philip’s Palace: El Escorial

The Decline of Spain Despite his leadership, Spain

declined during Philip’s rule–The influx of gold led to massive

inflation & prices soared; –Spain did not manufacture

anything to sell to it bought all of its goods from other countries

–The Netherlands broke away from Spain in 1579

–In-breeding ended the Hapsburg Dynasty in 1700

The Age of Absolutism

France & Louis XIV

The Rise of Louis XIV of France Louis XIV was born into the

Bourbon Dynasty in France

Before Louis XIV was king, France was deeply divided between Catholics & French

Protestants called Huguenots

In 1572, Catholics led the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of hundreds of Huguenots but failed to assassinate Henry IV who was next

in line to be king

Henry IV was the 1st Bourbon king; He issued the Edict of NantesEdict of Nantes

allowing religious toleration in France

Henry was assassinated in 1610 & his son Louis XIII became king but he was too young so Catholic Cardinal Richelieu ruled for him

Cardinal Richelieu strengthened power of the French king by reducing the power of the nobles & Huguenots

By the time Louis XIII died & his son Louis XIV became king, Richelieu had created an absolute monarchy in France

Louis as an Absolute Monarch Louis XIV believed that he was

the government, “L’etat c’est moi”–Louis weakened the power of

the nobles by excluding them from his councils

–He hired loyal bureaucrats to collect taxes & enforce his laws; He made sure they communicated with him often

–He called himself the Sun KingSun King

Louis XIV’s Accomplishments Louis hired Jean Baptiste Colbert

to oversee the French economy:

–Colbert promoted manufacturing to make France self-sufficient

–He encouraged colonization & settlement in Canada

He created one of the most powerful armies in Europe

France’s Golden Age Louis promoted art not to glorify

God or human potential, but to glorify himself–Playwrights like Molière wrote

comedies–Opera and ballet became

popular–Architecture promoted the

wealth of France

Louis XIV’s Palace: Versailles

The Growth of France From 1667 to the 1680s, Louis

engaged France in wars to expand his territory

In 1700, Charles II of Spain died without an heir & Louis XIV tried to unify Spain & France; Other European nations fought the War War of Spanish Successionof Spanish Succession to keep a balance of power in Europe

Comparing Philip & Louis