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Period: Jan 1, 1566 to
James I and VI
James Inherited the throne from Queen Elizabeth in 1603. He was Forced to appeal to parliament for money to pay off debts and he only got ⅕ of what he needed. James made money in ways that anger the commoners, nobility and merchants. People did not like him and he was known as “The wisest fool in Christendom” -
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Cardinal Richelieu
Richelieu was a cardinal who was a master political manipulator, he had allies in predestination and secular circles to increase the power of his patrons, the French monarch. He was elevated to first minister in 1628 and used his influence to make the French monarch an absolute one. -
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Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes was a political philosopher who witnessed the English civil war. He wrote Leviathan, a book where he argues that the period before Government was a state of nature, where people could do what they wanted but had to fend for themselves and the lack of Government lead to lives that were “Nasty, brutish and short”. -
Foundations of Absolutism
Cardinal Richelieu instilled the beginnings of absolutism in France. He used his influence over the young Louis XIII to teach him that the Monarchy was the Embodiment of The French state. -
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Charles I
Charles I was stubborn and unwilling to compromise,Parliament strongly disliked him. Parliament refused to pass the new taxes he wanted and he responded by suspending parliament for his “Eleven Years of Tyranny.” The war in Ireland forced him to restore parliament to help pay for the war. They were bitter and he responded by trying to arrest his opponents. -
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Louis XIII
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Cardinal Mazarin
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30 Years War
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Jean-Baptiste Colbert
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John Locke
John Locke believed in the state of nature, but he believed that humans could eventually come together to form fair, rational societies. He believed that the government's ability to govern came from a social contract, and that people chose to be ruled. -
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James II
James II attempted to return the English faith to the roman catholic church and increase the power of the monarch. He was extremely unpopular due to this and parliament invited William of Orange to invade and he fled and passed the crown with no bloodshed. -
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Louis XIV
Also known as the Sun King, Louis XIV was the man who made France the most centralized nation state in Europe. He caused a massive surge of French nationalism while revamping and powering up the military in peacetime. -
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English Civil War
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Absolutism Defined Louis XIV
Absolute Monarchs claim to have the divinely appointed right to rule. As such, they have absolute control over commoners, nobility and the military and are only answerable to God. They consolidate all power to themselves including church, banks and parliament, and also rule at all levels of government -
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Peter the Great
Peter was a Russian monarch who helped turn Russia into a modern state and away from the feudal nature It had before. He crowned the first Czar at the age of 10, he was opposed at the Noble level and looked for support among the commoners and recruited based on merit. -
Palace of Versailles Opening
The Palace of Versailles was a palace built by Louis XIV on the outskirts of Versailles for a court to reflect his court. It was the ultimate in luxury, with Marble and gold furnished the palace instead of wood and all manner of wonders and delicacies to impress any ruler and show the power of France. -
Edict of Nantes Revoked