Chapter 17: The Age of Absolutism 1550 1800

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Chapter 17 The Age of Absolutism1550 - 1800

• Section 1 Extending Spanish Power

The Spanish Empire of Philip II
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• Setting the Scene
• "It is best to keep an eye on everything,
  Philip II of Spain often saidand he meant it. As
  king of the most powerful nation in Europe, he
  gave little time to pleasure. Instead, he plowed
  through a mountain of paperwork each day, making
  notes on even the most trivial matters.
• Philip's determination to "keep an eye on
  everything" extended far beyond trivia. It helped
  him build Spain into a strong centralized state.
  By the late 1500s, he had concentrated all power
  into his own hands. Over the next 200 years,
  other European monarchs would pursue similar
  goals.

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I. Charles V and the Hapsburg Empire

• By the 1500s, Spain emerged as the first modern
  European power

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I. Charles V and the Hapsburg Empire

• Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand expelled
  Muslims and Jews and enforced religious unity

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A. Wearing Two Crowns

• 1519 - Charles V became king of Spain and Emperor
  of the Hapsburg Empire - the Holy Roman Empire
  and the Netherlands

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A. Wearing Two Crowns

• Charles was involved in constant warfare,
• fighting Protestants and the Ottoman empire

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B. An Empire Divided

• 1556 - Charles V gave up his titles, divided his
  empire, and entered a monastery

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B. An Empire Divided

• He left the Holy Roman Empire to his brother
  Ferdinand and the rest to his son Philip

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II. Philip II and Divine Right

• Philip centralized power, became an absolute
  monarch, and claimed that he ruled by divine
  right

El Greco - The Dream of Philip II 1579
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II. Philip II and Divine Right

• He defended the Catholic Reformation and fought
  the spread of Protestant religions

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III. The Wars of Philip II

• At the battle of Lepanto in 1571, Spain defeated
  an Ottoman fleet in the Mediterranean

The Battle of Lepanto, marking the end of the
Ottoman Empire as the dominant naval power in the
Mediterranean
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A. Revolt in the Netherlands

• Philip battled Protestants in the Netherlands,
  but in 1581 the northern provinces became the
  independent Dutch Netherlands

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B. Invading England

• 1580s - England's Queen Elizabeth I was Philips
  chief enemy and he prepared an armada to invade
  England

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B. Invading England

• 1588 - the Spanish Armada was defeated by English
  ships and was scattered by a sudden storm

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B. Invading England

• The defeat ended Philips plans to invade and
  ended Spanish naval supremacy

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IV. Spains Golden Age

• The century from 1550 to 1650 is often called
  Spain's siglo de oro, or "golden century"

Diego Velasquez Coronation of the Virgin
1641 - 42
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IV. Spains Golden Age

• Philip II was a patron of the arts and founded
  academies of science and mathematics

Universidad de Salamaca is the oldest university
in Spain (est. 1230) and one of the three oldest
in the world. It is the alma mater of numbers of
historical characters, including Columbus, who
came here to learn more about geography.
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A. Painters

• Famous painters of this period were El Greco
  ("the Greek), and Diego Velazquez

The Burial of Count Orgaz El
Greco, 1586
Las Meninas Diego Velazquez,
1656
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B. Writers

• Writers included playwright Lope de Vega and
  Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote

Miguel de Cervantes (1547 - 1616)
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V. Economic Decline

• In the 1600s, Spain declined because of weak
  leadership and economic problems

Two Spanish Kings (allegorical and does not
depict real people) Alonso Cano, 1639-1641
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V. Economic Decline

• Gold and silver from the Americas led Spain to
  neglect farming and commerce and caused soaring
  inflation

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V. Economic Decline

• The expulsion of Muslims and Jews deprived the
  economy of skilled artisans and merchants

Edict to expel Jews from Spain in 1492 by the
monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella
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V. Economic Decline

• By the late 1600s, France had replaced Spain as
  the most powerful European nation