The Age of Absolutism

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The Age of Absolutism

• When kings and queens had absolute power!

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What does absolute mean?

• Something that does not depends on anything else
  and is beyond human control
• Absolute Loyalty
• Absolute Silence
• Absolute Truth

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Absolute Power?

• Monarchs who have complete control of government
  and people.

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Absolutism?

• It is a hard concept for Americans.
• Since 1787 we have always put limits on power.
• Power is temporary and checked by dividing power
  between branches of government and THE PEOPLE.

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Why would you give that much power to one person?

• Divine Right Theory
• God chooses our rulers.
• Chosen by God, a monarch is accountable only to
  Him, and need answer only before God for his
  actions.

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Why would you give that much power to one person?

• It was in your blood.
• Blue Blood in English.
• Other languages have the concept too
• Sange azul (Spanish)
• Sang Bleu (French)

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Other cultures have the concept of blue blood

• Hungarian kékvéru
• Icelandic blátt blóð
• Italian sangue blu
• Latvian zilas asinis
• Lithuanian melynas kraujas
• Macedonian ???? ???
• Persian Najabat or ?????
• Polish blekitna krew
• Portuguese sangue azul
• Romanian sânge albastru Russian ??????? ?????
  (golubaya krov)
• Serbian ????? ??? (plava krv)
• Slovak modrá krv
• Slovenian modra kri
• Swedish blått blod or blåblodig
• Turkish Soylu

• Bulgarian ???? ???? (sinya krav)
• Catalan sang blava Czech modrá krev Croatian
  plava krv Danish blåt blod
• Dutch blauw bloed Estonian sinivereline
  Filipino/Tagalog dugong bughaw
• Finnish siniverisyys German blaues Blut Greek
  ?a?a??a?µat?? (galazoaímatos)

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Where does the concept of blue blood come from?

• First Reference Visigoths in the 9th Century
  Spain.
• Used to hold up their sword arm before battle to
  show the blue veins on their paler skin than the
  more olive skinned opponents.

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Some Royal Families believed there was a sign
of Gods will on them.

• The Merovingians (ruled France 400 700) had
  people believing they were descended from Jesus
  and Mary Magdalene.
• A birthmark identified their divine blood and to
  harm them was to harm God.
• Covered the birthmark but never cut their hair
  so people could see they were different.

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Blue Blood meant Nobility and Privilege

• Rulers typically commanded resources from the
  lower ranks of society
• Food
• Money
• Labor.
• Religious or political power as well.

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To defy a king was to defy God!

• We know how that often ended!

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Nobles also had similar powers

• They could tax the people, collect rents and food
  but didnt owe anything back to the people
  beneath them.
• Droit de Seigneur an example of how much power a
  noble had over their peasants, tenants, and
  people.
• Right to tax, right to hunt, right to land,
  rights to a bride on the wedding night.

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Time Period of Absolutism

• 1550 1800
• Transition from Feudalism to Modern Times.

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Feudalism

• Loyalty to one another.
• Peasants gave oaths to the noble.
• Vowed to work so many days for the lord or give a
  certain share of their labor or crops.
• The noble vowed to protect them if there was an
  invasion and manage the estate so everyone would
  have something to live on.

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Feudalism

• The noble swore loyalty to the king / queen.
• Promised to fight for the ruler to protect the
  country.
• The king promised to reward the noble with land,
  wealth, and protection from invasion.

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So why absolutism?

• The last time a king actually went into battle
  was Henry VIII.
• When kings began hanging back and letting others
  do the dirty work the loyalty oaths werent the
  same.

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So why absolutism?

• Nobles werent spending time at their feudal
  homes.
• Showing concern for those beneath them was a
  lack of class.
• They collected taxes and spent a fortune on
  surrounding themselves with beauty while others
  starved.

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Why Absolutism? FF to Queen Elizabeth

• Elizabeth I (Tudor) ruled England from 1558
  1603.
• She died childless and the last Tudor.
• Who should be next?

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As Elizabeth was dying she named her cousin to
succeed after her.

• James of Scotland.
• Elizabeth had made him an orphan by beheading
  his mother years before!
• Mary Queen of Scots.

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King James

• Religious problems resurfaced.
• This time it was Protestant v. Protestant
  particularly PURITANS.
• Wanted to purify the Church.
• Problems with the Bible.
• Problems with church ceremonies and how churches
  looked.

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King James thought if he showed understanding

• It would bring people together.
• Brought Protestants together to create The King
  James Bible.
• Used in many Protestant religions today.

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Do you think it worked?
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The other problem for King James

• PARLIAMENT
• A group of nobles, merchants and churchmen who
  tended to rubberstamp what kings did.
• But King James Parliament thought they had better
  ideas than their king about what was good for
  England.

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The English Parliament

• Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Parliament
  building to have Catholics take over England
  again.
• Found just before he lit the fuse.

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Guy Fawkes Day

• Or Bonfire Night.
• November 5 every year.
• Combination Halloween night with some
  anti-Catholic feeling.

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King James died in 1625

• His son Charles became king.
• NOT a good choice for a king.
• Wanted everything his way.
• His wife didnt help!
• Henrietta Marie urged him to be a bully.

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Henrietta Marie

• Proud of her French Catholicism and looked down
  on Protestants and the English.
• Refused to be crowned Queen in a Protestant
  ceremony.
• Urged her husband not to compromise.

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King Charles

• Imprisoned his enemies without trial or cause.
• Spent the nations money on palaces and art.
• Showed sympathy for Catholics in a radical
  Protestant land.

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King Charles and his Parliament

• 1629 Charles is out of money.
• Had to call on Parliament to raise taxes so he
  could continue his lifestyle.

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King Charles and his Parliament

• Parliament agreed to get more money for the king
  - BUT .
• Wanted him to sign a PETITION OF RIGHT.
• The king would agree to
• Not jail people without a trial.
• Not try to tax the people without Parliaments
  consent.

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King Charles?

• He signed the Petition.
• Agreed to not tax without Parliaments consent.
• Not to jail people without a trial.

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King Charles?

• After he got his money
• He dissolved (disbanded) Parliament.
• Ruled by himself for 11 years.
• Kept arresting people without a trial.
• Began putting Catholic ceremonies in Anglican
  churches.

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King Charles is in over his head.

• 1640 he is a war he needs money for.
• Calls Parliament back.
• This time, Parliament isnt so nice!
• The LONG PARLIAMENT 1640 1653.
• Refused to leave when the king saw they werent
  going to give him money.

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The English Civil War

• 1642 King Charles comes with his army to force
  out Parliament.
• Parliament members escaped out the back door and
  went to raise their own army against the king.

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The English Civil War

• 1642 1651
• Cavaliers v. Roundheads.

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Cavaliers

• The rich nobles
• Proud of their plumed hats and long hair.
• Good at dueling with swords, pistols and horses.
• Thought their blue blood meant they were natural
  leaders for the battlefields.
• Strong loyalty to their king.

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Roundheads

• Tended to be country gentry, town merchants, and
  Puritans.
• Roundheads because they wore their hair short and
  close to the head so their helmets fit better.
• Used guns and chose leaders based on skill rather
  than social class.

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The Roundheads get a leader

• Oliver Cromwell
• Came from lower gentry.
• Good general who created a disciplined fighting
  force with skill making someone get promotions,
  not social class.
• 1647 captured the king!

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What happened to King Charles?

• Parliament couldnt trust him to make any
  agreement and stick to it.
• But he is a Blue Blood Royal.
• To kill a king is to kill God???

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They executed King Charles in 1649
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The reaction of Europe

• Kings had been assassinated or killed in battle.
• But commoners deciding to kill a king??
• Parliament and Cromwell wanted to say that not
  even a ruler can claim absolute power.

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Cromwell and the Commonwealth

• Parliament abolished the monarchy.
• Made Cromwell the Protector of England

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Oliver Cromwell

• Strict Puritan
• Forced his ideas of religion on the people.
• No wearing of bright colors.
• No lace or adornments.
• Women covering hair.
• No celebrations like Christmas or Easter too
  Catholic.
• Laughing on Sundays or singing anything but a
  hymn a crime.

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Cromwell

• HATED Catholics.
• Thought they were the children on Satan.
• Executed them.
• Went to Ireland and murdered thousands in battle,
  executions, and policies to force them to give up
  their religion.

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Oliver Cromwell and the Levellers

• Group of people that had fought in Cromwells
  army who wanted equality for all men to LEVEL
  the social classes.

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People were terrified!

• Cromwell found and executed the leaders of the
  Levellers.
• But he did allow all Protestant religions.
• Allowed Jews back into England after being
  banished for 350 years.

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Cromwell dies

• 1658
• His son Richard and Parliament tries to continue
  but people wanted a king back.

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Enter Charles II

• Return of Charles II the eldest son of the
  executed king.
• Return to Royal Right.
• A king was only answerable to God.

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The Age of Absolutism

• Because of what happened in England, the thought
  in Europe was that the king had to be ABSOLUTELY
  in control and brought order for everyone.

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Absolutism

• Depended on everyone knowing their place and
  following it without question.
• Music followed that ideal.
• Religion followed that ideal.
• Art followed that ideal.

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Next

• Absolute Monarchs
• The Good
• The Decent
• The VERY BAD.