- Western Europe from 1450-1750 saw the rise of absolutism in countries like France, Spain, England, and the Netherlands. Absolute monarchs believed they ruled by divine right with unlimited power. - In France, Cardinal Richelieu helped centralize power for King Louis XIII. Louis XIV later epitomized absolute rule, believing "I am the state." He moved the capital to Versailles to control nobles. - In England, the Tudors brought stability after the War of the Roses. Elizabeth I established Protestantism and defeated the Spanish Armada, securing England. The Stuarts' divine right views led to conflicts and the English Civil War between Parliament and Charles I,

1. Western Europe:
England, Spain, France,
and the Netherlands
c. 1450 - 1750

2. Absolutism:
a political system in which there
is no limit on government
power

4. Divine Right of Kings:
the belief that sovereigns are
representatives of God and
derive their right to rule directly
from God

5. Balance of Power:
a theory of international
relations that asserts that the
most effective check on the
power of a state is the power of
other states

6. England  Tudor stability
Spain  unification by marriage
France  Valois consolidation of power
HR Empire  decentralization
The New Monarchies
of the 1400s

7. England,
1485
The War of the Roses,
a long, terrible civil war
waged for control
of the English throne,
comes to an end.

8. The victorious Henry Tudor is crowned Henry VII.
He and his descendants rule England for the next 118 years.

9. Henry VIII

10. 1547:
Henry VIII dies
Succeeded
by:
Edward VI

11. Succeeded by:
Mary I
1553:
Edward VI
dies

12. 1558:
Mary I dies
Succeeded by:
Elizabeth I

13. Elizabeth I
Queen of England
(r. 1558-1603)

14. Elizabeth was a powerful
monarchy despite facing
many challenges due to
prejudices against women.

15. “I know I have the body of a
weak and feeble woman,
but I have the heart and
stomach of a king.”
– Elizabeth I

16. Elizabeth:
1.firmly established
Protestant
Christianity in
England
2.encouraged English
enterprise and
commerce
3.defended the nation
against the powerful
Spanish Armada

17. During the 1200s, English Parliament had emerged. Parliament was an
important step in the development of representative government.

18. Nobles and church officials formed the House of Lords while
townspeople formed the House of Commons.

19. Elizabeth consulted
with Parliament
but if she did like
their advice, she
dismissed the
assembly.

20. She expanded her control
over the country by
increasing the authority of
local county sheriffs loyal
to her.

21. The Golden Age
Elizabeth’s reign was noted for the English Renaissance,
an outpouring of poetry and drama led by William
Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, and Christopher
Marlowe that remains unsurpassed.

22. William Shakespeare
(1564-1616)
• English playwright and
poet commonly
recognized as the world’s
greatest dramatist
• The most widely quoted
author in history
• Author of Hamlet, Romeo
and Juliet and Macbeth

23. Spanish Kingdoms
Prior to Unification in 1469

24. Charles V
(r. 1516-
1556)

25. Empire of Charles V

26. Philip II
(r. 1556-1598)

27. The Spanish Hapsburgs & Europe (1556)

28. The Empire of Philip II

29. ► c. 1600 – 1750
► Bright colors, deep darks.
► Absolutism – art and architecture
meant to awe and impress
► Counter-Reformation art – appeal
to spiritual emotion for the
illiterate masses
Baroque Art & Architecture

30. El Escorial – 26 miles NW of Madrid

31. El Escorial Palace
built 1563-1567
built 1563-1567

32. El Escorial Statistics
 15 cloisters
 16 courts
 14 entrance halls
 13 oratory
 300 cells
 86 stairways
 9 towers
 9 pipe organs
 232 chorus books
 73 statues
 More than 1,600 scenes
 11 cisterns
 88 fountains
 2,673 windows
 1,200 doors

33. The Library
Inside the
Monastery
• 4,700
manuscripts
[many
illuminated].
• 40,000 printed
books.

34. Philip II’s Chapel

35. Stairwell
Inside the
Escorial

36. The Crypt Area

37. Church of
Santiago de
Compostella,
Spain

38. “The Assumption
of the Virgin Mary”
Egid Quirim Asam,
1692-1750

39. “Salome with the Head of the Baptist”
by Caravaggio

40. “The Dead Christ Mourned”
Annibale Carracci, 1603

41. “The Elevation of
the Cross”
by Peter Paul
Reubens
1610-11

42. “Las Meninas”
Diego Velázquez
1656

43. “The Ecstasy of
St. Theresa of
Avila”
by Gianlorenzo
Bernini
1647-52

44. St. Peter’s
Basilica,
Vatican
City
by
Gialorenzo
Bernini

45. Philip II was the king of Roman
Catholic Spain, the most
powerful empire in the world.
However, he could not stop a
revolt of his Protestant Dutch
subjects in the Netherlands.

46. The
Netherlands:
The “Low
Country”
People = Dutch
Holland = Hollanders
Flanders = Flemish
Walloonia = Walloons

47. Union of Utrecht, 1579
War of Independence, 1581-1609

48. This Dutch revolt was being supported
by Elizabeth’s Protestant England.
Elizabeth Receiving the Dutch Ambassadors

49. Philip decided to
squash the Dutch
revolt by first
conquering England.
He also hoped to
reconvert England to
Catholicism.

50. Philip II began preparing an immense
invasion fleet for an attack upon England.

51. On August 8, 1588, the English met the
Spanish armada at the Battle of Gravelines.
The English sailed ships set on fire against the enemy,
producing panic that broke the Spanish formation.

52. The badly damaged Spanish fleet was forced to sail
north around Scotland and Ireland to return home.
Only 67 of the original 130 ships reached home in
Spain, and most of these were in poor condition.

54. England was
once again
safe. The
victory
stimulated
English
nationalism,
secured English
Protestantism,
and made the
English navy
the world’s
finest fleet for
centuries.

55. For Spain, it
was a
demoralizing
defeat that
nearly
bankrupted
the treasury.
The Spanish
Empire went
into decline.

56. English merchants and explorers were able to
pursue greater overseas colonization and empire.

57. Sir Francis Drake
Sir Walter
Raleigh

58. 1603:
Elizabeth I dies
Succeeded
by:
James I

59. The Stuart Dynasty
The Stuarts had ruled Scotland
since 1371.
When Elizabeth died childless in
1603, James Stuart, her cousin,
succeeded her as the first king of
both England and Scotland.

60. James was a strong
believer in the divine
right of kings.
He replaced the feudal
power of the nobility
with a strong central
government.
His views brought him
into conflict with
Parliament.

61. James I’s speech to the
House of Commons:
“I am surprised that my
ancestors should ever be
permitted such an
institution to come into
existence. I am a
stranger, and found it
here when I arrived, so
that I am obliged to put
up with what I cannot
get rid of!”

62. James was a Protestant. His severe treatment of Roman
Catholics led to the notorious Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
A group of prominent
Roman Catholics
conspired to kill James
and destroy
Parliament, eliminating
the entire English
government.

64. 1625:
James I dies
Succeeded
by:
Charles I

65. Like James I,
Charles I’s belief in
the divine right of
kings also brought
him into
continuous
conflict with
Parliament.

66. The Petition ofRights, 1628
• In return for money to fund hiswars, Charles I agreed: no imprisonment
without due cause, no taxationwithout Parliament’s consent, no quartering
of soldiers in private homes, no martial law during peacetime.
• Ignored it, dissolved Parliament.

67. In 1629, Charles dismissed Parliament and
had key leaders arrested. He governed solo
for the next 11 years.

68. Finally, in 1640, financially exhausted, the
king recalled Parliament to raise funds to
fight a rebellion in Scotland.

69. Meanwhile, a second
rebellion broke out in
Ireland.
Charles I asked Parliament
to raise an army, under his
control, to put down the
Irish revolt.

70. Parliament refused the
request and instead
presented the king with a
list of demands for reform.

71. Charles tried unsuccessfully to arrest the
parliamentary leaders who opposed him.

72. The English Civil War
The king was forced to flee London. Both sides raised
armies and civil war broke out in 1642. Supporters of
Parliament were called Roundheads, and those of the king,
Cavaliers.

73. Eventually, Charles I was captured by Parliamentary forces
and placed on trial. On January 2, 1649 he was beheaded as
a tyrant, murderer, and enemy of the nation.

74. During the English Civil
War, Oliver Cromwell
was a Puritan who rose
to power because of
his natural military
genius and forceful
personality.
He became the leader
of the Parliamentary
New Model Army.

75. After Charles’ execution,
Parliament established the
Commonwealth, or
republic, headed by
Cromwell.
His government enjoyed
little support, even from
those who had fought
against the king.

76. 1649:
Charles I
beheaded!
Succeeded by:
Oliver
Cromwell

77. Cromwell’s efforts to
establish stability after
15 years of civil war
came to nothing.
His successes were
mostly military.
Cromwell reconquered
Ireland and Scotland,
made England a feared
military power in
Europe, and expanded
its overseas empire.

78. The Restoration
After Cromwell’s death,
England had not yet
recovered from the civil
war and was in a poor
state.
In 1660, Parliament
requested Charles II, son
of Charles I, to retake the
English throne and
restore the monarchy.

79. 1658:
Cromwell dies
Succeeded
by:
Charles II

80. Charles II
King of England, Scotland, and
Ireland (1660-1685)
Charles II’s reign marked a
period of relative stability
after the upheaval of the
English Civil War though
London suffered two
catastrophic events.

81. Great LondonPlague, 1665

82. Great LondonFire, 1666

83. 1685:
Charles II dies
Succeeded
by:
James II

84. James II
King of England,
Scotland, and Ireland
(1685-1688)

85. James was a Roman Catholic.
In 1688, the birth of a son
seemed to ensure a Roman
Catholic succession.

86. To ensure a Protestant
kingdom, James' opponents
asked William of Orange,
James’ son-in-law and the
Protestant leader of the
Netherlands, to steal the
English throne from James.

87. William landed in England in November 1688 and marched on
London. James’ army abandoned him and the king fled the
country. The Glorious Revolution was completely bloodless.

88. 1688:
James II
overthrown
Succeeded by:
William and Mary

89. Parliament crowned
William and Mary,
James’ Protestant
daughter, on the
condition that they
agreed to the English
Bill of Rights.

90. This document helped make
Parliament more powerful than the crown.

91. After the death of Mary
in 1694, William ruled
alone.
As a foreign, invited
king, William was largely
powerless.

92. It was not William but Parliament that brought about the
reforms during his reign: the passing of the Bill of Rights, the
establishment of the Bank of England, the introduction of
ministerial responsibility in government, and the
encouragement of a free press.

93. The most important British governmental leader was no
longer the king but the Prime Minister. The supremacy of
Parliament over the king continued.

94. Seesaw of King and
Parliament:
1603-1689

95. France
after the
Hundred
Years’ War

96. In the 1500s, terrible civil wars were fought between
Catholics and Protestants, called Huguenots, over
religion.

97. Finally, Henry IV, the
leader of the French
Huguenots, became king of
France.

98. To ease political tensions,
Henry re-converted to
Catholicism.

99. In 1610, Henry was
murdered. His eight
year old son became
Louis XIII.

100. Most of his reign was
dominated by an
advisor, Cardinal
Richelieu.

101. Cardinal Richelieu:
(1585-1642)
Richelieu broke the
power of the great
noble families of
France - making the
king an absolute
ruler.

102. Richelieu laid the
foundations for the
France’s 17th-century
greatness.

103. “A Bust of
Cardinal
Richelieu”
by Bernini

104. Richelieu established France as the
premier military power of Europe.

105. Richelieu encouraged French
exploration and colonization in
the Americas, the Caribbean,
and India.

106. After Richelieu, a French
king came to power who
would grow to embody the
very essence of Absolute
Monarchy:

107. Louis XIV
“The Sun
King”
(1643-1715)

108. Louis ruled France
for 72 years, the
longest reign of any
monarch in European
history!

109. Louis ruled France
for 72 years, the
longest reign of any
monarch in European
history!

110. Louis believed
strongly in the
divine right of
kings.
He famously
stated:
“L’etat, c’est moi.”
“I am the state.”

111. “A Bust of
Louis XIV”
by Bernini

112. During his reign, he
expanded the power
and effectiveness of
the French central
government.

113. Louis XIV

114. His personal symbol was the sun, modeling
himself after Apollo, the powerful, radiant
Greek god.
Throughout France, the grandeur of the king was
the theme of sermons, poems, and drama.

116. In 1682, Louis XIV transferred the
capital from Paris to Versailles.

117. The high ranking nobles of France were
forced to reside at Versailles where the
king could easily control them.

119. • 2,000 acres of grounds
• 12 miles of roads
• 27 miles of trellises
• 200,000 trees
• 210,000 flowers planted every year
• 80 miles of rows of trees
• 55 acres surface area of the Grand Canal
• 12 miles of enclosing walls
• 50 fountains and 620 fountain nozzles
• 21 miles of water conduits
• 3,600 cubic meters per hour: water consumed
• 26 acres of roof
• 51,210 square meters of floors
• 2,153 windows
• 700 rooms
• 67 staircases
• 6,000 paintings
• 1,500 drawings and 15,000 engravings
• 2,100 sculptures
• 5,000 items of furniture and objects d'art
• 150 varieties of apple and peach trees in the Vegetable Garden
Versailles Statistics

135. The King’s Bed The Queen’s Bed

136. Baroque Furniture

137. Baroque Furniture

141. Louis fulfilled his role as
“The Sun King” by
offering guests at
Versailles elaborate
fireworks displays.

142. In 1662, at Louis’
command, Paris earned its
nickname, “The City of
Lights,” when it offered
the world’s first street
lamps allowing late night
outings to the theater,
opera, and lavish parties.

143. Louis set European
trends. Other monarchs
imitated his style and
competed with
developments in France.

144. France struggled for
military supremacy.
Although it had the
largest population in
Europe, France was
surrounded by
enemies.

145. Louis quadrupled the
size of the army and
led France through
almost forty years of
constant warfare. The
fighting was largely a
stalemate.

146.  Franco-Dutch War
(1672-78)
 Nine Years’ War
(1688-97) vs. Grand
Alliance halting
“Universal
Kingship.”
 War of Spanish
Succession (1701-14)
installed grandson as
Philip V of Spain
 Treaty of Utrecht
(1714)

147. "Landscape with Peasants," Louis Le Nain, circa
1640
Nobles in Louis’ France were not
taxed. Commoners carried the entire
tax burden.

148. "Landscape with Peasants," Louis Le Nain, circa
1640
The cost of Louis’s luxuries and wars caused great
hardship to the ordinary people. Many suffered
starvation, fled France, or lived in terror of
persecution.

149. Louis outlived his son, his
three grandsons, and his
oldest great-grandson!

150. Finally, Louis XIV was
succeeded by his second
great-grandson, Louis
XV!

151. Louis XV inherited the
most powerful state in
the Western World - but
France was bankrupt
and deeply in debt.

152. Louis XV [r. 1715 – 1774]

153. The
Netherlands
(1609)

154. 17c: “The Dutch Golden Age”
Art = Protestant baroque – secular Protestant work
ethic
Society = middle-class success
Politics = Constitutional federation of trading city-
states led by merchant oligarchs
Religious radicals = toleration
Intellect = universities, philosophers, Sci. Rev.
Technology = Merchant ships, tele & microscopes
Economy = Dutch EIC and WIC, farmers

155. The Dutch Federation
REGENTS
• provincial level
• held virtually all the power
• strong advocates of local independence
STADHOLDER
• States General representative from each province
• responsible for defense and order
STATES GENERAL
• federal assembly
• foreign affairs (war)
• all issues had to be referred to the local Estates

156. The Night Watch – Rembrandt, 1642

158. 17c Dutch
Global Commerce

160. Dutch East India
Company, 1602

161. Dutch East
India Ship,
mid-17c

162. Return of the East India Fleet, 1599

163. The Dutch in Japan, 18c

164. The Dutch in Japan, 18c

166. View of Delft, Vermeer,1660-61

167. Dutch
Delftware
English Delftware

168. 18c Delftware Tobacco Jars

169. Sampling Officials of the Drapers Guild,
Rembrandt, 1662

170. The Lace Maker,
Nicolaes Maes

171. The Lace
Maker
Jan Vermeer,
1669-1670

172. The Account
Keeper
Nicolaes Maes,
1656

173. A Woman
Holding a
Balance
Jan
Vermeer,
1662

175. Amsterdam Stock Market (Bourse)
Emmanuel De Witte, 1653
Jewish refugees helped found it in 1602.

176. Upper-class Homes, Amsterdam
Early 1600s

177. Patrician Houses, Leiden

178. The Leiden
Baker
& His Wife
Jan Steen

179. The Music
Lesson
Jan
Vermeer,
1662-1665

181. University of Leiden, 1575

182. University of Gröningen, 1614

184. (detail) Anatomy Lecture of
Dr. Nicolaes Tulp – Rembrandt, 1632

185. René
Descartes

186. Dutch Optics:
The Telescope
Most agree that the
telescope was invented by
Hans Lippershey in 1608.

187. Astronomical
Pioneer:
Christiaan
Huygens
R Explanation of Saturn’s rings.
R Wave theory of light.

188. Anton van Leeuwenhoek:
The Microscope & the Discovery of Micro-
Organisms

189. End of the Golden Age
First Anglo-Dutch War: 1660-1665
Second Anglo-Dutch War: 1665-1667
Third Anglo-Dutch War: 1674-1678

190. Anglo-Dutch Wars, 1660-1678

191. End of the
Golden Age
Franco-Dutch War,
1672-1678