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Absolutism and the end of Hispanic Dominance - Coggle Diagram
Absolutism and the end of Hispanic Dominance
ABSOLUTISM AND THE PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM
ABSOLUTISM: FRANCE UNDER LOUIS XIV
the authoritarian monarchies of some kingdoms developed into absolute monarchies.
They supported the belief that the king held absolute power over everybody else.
main proponents of absolutism:
Thomas Hobbes
Hobbes believed that absolutism was the result of a social pact between subjects and a monarchy, in order to guarantee peace and stability
Jacques Bossuet
Bossuet believed that kings had a divine right to power
ABSOLUTE MONARCHIES
an ideology defending the king’s supremacy over all others
growing centralisation of political and administrative decisions in the royal courts and the monarchy’s governmental bodies
a permanent army of professional soldiers, under the orders of the king
a royal treasury able to raise revenue
marginalisation of the courts and parliaments of the estates of the realm
courts and parliaments of kingdoms were sometimes resistant to the absolutist tendencies of the monarchs
rivalry between courts and parliaments sometimes resulted in submitting to a pact because of the limitations of the power of each side
most representative example of an absolute monarchy is Louis XIV of France
The Fronde
series of civil wars with
the king and his supporters on the other. The king’s side won
the nobility, cities and provinces with their parliaments fighting on one side
Louis XIV ordered the construction of a great Royal Palace of Versailles
where the royal court would be based
he governed France through a system of councils from there
THE PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM IN ENGLAND
other territories where the monarch’s power was controlled by courts and parliaments
Venice
The Dutch Republic
England
England
to protect against the absolutist pretensions of the monarchy
the Stuart dynasty tried to disassociate itself from Parliament, and establish an absolute monarchy, causing the English Civil War
After the victory of the Parliamentarian army, led by Oliver Cromwell, Charles I was executed, and a republic was declared under Cromwell’s dictatorial leadership
When Cromwell died, James II became king and, tried to impose absolutism
This led to a new confrontation with the Parliament, resulting in the Glorious Revolution
James II was overthrown, and the Parliament chose Mary II and her husband, William III of Orange as the new monarchs
They were selected on the condition that they would sign the Bill of Rights, which limited the monarch’s power and recognised the rights of the individual
establishment of a constitutional or parliamentary monarchy
English constitutional monarchy
Monarch
Head of state
called Parliament into session
appointed the government
submitted laws for aproval
directed foreign policies
controlled the Church of England
Parliament
Controlled the monarchs
approved new laws
approved new taxes
controlled government duties
submitted complaints to the monarchs
Consisted of two chambers called houses
The House of Commons
The House of Lords
CHANGES IN THE 17TH CENTURY
Population
A rising death rate in Europe put a stop to the population growth of the 15th and 16th centuries
four main reasons for the high death rate
Wars
Poor hygiene
Poor harvest
Epidemics
Society
major international wars and severe economic problems
Many revolts protested military conscription and the fiscal policy of the monarchies, which increased taxes to finance their armies and win wars.
Tax revolts often coincided with food riots
large peasant revolts
economy
Mercantilism
school of economic thought that emerged in France, formulated by Jean-Baptiste Colbert
central principle was that the wealth and the economy of France should serve the state
the more precious metals a kingdom owned, the more powerful it would be, and that a monarchy’s economic policy should focus on that aim
promote craftwork and export products abroad
mports had to be limited, so import tariffs were increased
Agriculture: crisis & changes
after a few years of good harvests, yields decreased
irrigation became more widespread
Crops brought back from America, such as maize and potatoes, also helped to improve the situation
Global trade routes and chartered companies
Atlantic triangular trade
trading system operated from the late 16th to early 19th centuries
Chartered companies worked in and around the West Indies and the East Indies
they exchanged silver for spices
triangular flow of trade was established in the Atlantic
Using the trade model developed between the Hispanic Monarchy and its American viceroyalties in the 16th century, kingdoms such as Portugal, England, France and the Dutch Republic traded with their colonies
chartered companies were created in
France
England
Denmark
Dutch Republic
The textile sector
evolved in a similar way as the agricultural sector
performed better in the Atlantic region than in the Mediterranean
craft sectors grew because they began to export to the American and Asian markets
dispersed rural industry also grew, because its products were less expensive than those produced by guilds in cities
THE FIGHT FOR EUROPEAN DOMINANCE
The Thirty Years' War
17th century
conflicts between the most important European monarchies continued as they tried to achieve dominance over the continent
There was a period of peace until 1618, when the Thirty Years’ War began
began in the Holy Roman Empire for religious reasons
The conflict was between
Catholics
Protestants
In 1621, the Twelve Years’ Truce between the Hispanic Monarchy and the Dutch Republic ended
The Dutch Republic decided to support the rebel Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire, and the war with the Hispanic Monarchy was reignited
These protestant kingdoms also became involved
Denmark (1625)
Sweden (1631)
France (1635) also supported the Protestants
The Thirty Years’ War was no longer a religious conflict; it became
a fight to make the Hispanic Monarchy recognise the Dutch Republic’s independence
another struggle for European dominance between France and Spain
the Peace of Westphalia was signed in 1648
the Peace of Westphalia brought about a series of major changes in Europe, the most important being:
the right to religious freedom in the Holy Roman Empire
a formal recognition of the independence of the Dutch Republic
a modification of the borders of the Holy Roman Empire, as France and Sweden received territories
France and the Hispanic Monarchy continued the war until 1659, when the Peace of the Pyrenees was signed
The end of Hispanic dominance in Europe was confirmed. The Thirty Years’ War caused great destruction and many deaths
Historians estimate that between one and two million people died, and that 40% of those were civilians.
The French Dominance
the second half of the 17th century
under Louis XIV’s reign
a period of French dominance
coincided with the implementation of the absolutist system
The French monarchy used its
large financial resources
to form a powerful army
used that army to start new wars to gain more territories, mainly at the expense of the Hispanic Monarchy
demographic resources
aggressive policy resulted in the formation of international coalitions against France
these coalitions did not prevent France from gaining new territories
HISPANIC KINGDOMS IN THE 17TH CENTURY
THE POLITICAL SITUATION
Hispanic 17th-century monarchs introduced a new way of governing
by appointing validos
king’s favourites
were delegated power over government matters
most important validos
the Duke of Lerma under Felipe III
Spain made peace with England
the Twelve Years’ Truce with the Dutch Republic
accused of using his power to make himself, his family and collaborators rich, and was dismissed
the Count-Duke of Olivares under Felipe IV
much less stable
tried to make the monarchy more absolutist by reducing the power of institutions in its various kingdoms
numerous failures and the monarchy’s decline led to his dismissal
he proposed economic and military reforms, such as the Union of Arms
the courts of Aragón and Valencia agreed to provide what the monarchy requested
conflicts with the Catalan population after the conflict with France in the Thirty Years’ War meant that many troops were moved to Cataluña
The reign of Felipe IV
The Catalan Revolt
The Portuguese Revolution
Separatists Conspiracies
Territories lost
numerous European territories were lost to France during Carlos II’s reign
the kingdoms of the Crown of Aragón and the territories of the Cantabrian coast began to recover economically
problem of succesion
Carlos II had no children
the candidates to succeed him
Charles of Austria
Philip of Anjou
Carlos II chose Philip of Anjou as his successor
The War of the Spanish Succession (1700–1713)
THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION
expulsion of the moriscos
policy of religious uniformity begun by the Catholic Monarchs was fully implemented with the expulsion of the moriscos (1609–1614)
created instability on the Peninsula
to protect the prestige of a monarchy that presented itself as a defender of Catholicism
The moriscos made up a considerable proportion of the population in the kingdoms of
Valencia
Aragón
Andalucía
Feudal states
many noblemen were opposed to their expulsion, so they were given financial compensation in exchange
their expulsion had severe repercussions in the territories where they lived
Economy
economic problems that began in the last few decades of the 16th century continued throughout much of the 17th century, made worse by wars and high taxes.
agricultural sector
faced problems similar to the ones in other parts of Europe
in various parts of the Iberian Peninsula, crop yields started to increase towards the middle of the century
Various regions of Cataluña specialised in growing pulses and grapes for wine
From Galicia to Guipúzcoa, the agricultural sector grew significantly, because corn, pulses and forage were introduced
This meant that land no longer had to be left fallow, and livestock, which fed on traditional pasture as well as new crops, became larger
Trade
with America was affected by war
ports and galleons used to transport goods were attacked by English, French and Dutch pirates
the main problem was the diminishing shipments of silver from America
Between the beginning of the century and 1650, the amount of precious metals that arrived had been reduced by half, and general trade traffic had decreased by 60%
collapse of trade with America affected western Andalucía in particular
port of Sevilla was an inland river port, so goods arriving from and going to America began to be loaded and unloaded in Cádiz because it was easier to do so
Society
Economic problems and various plague epidemics throughout the century, increased the number of disadvantaged people
Golden Age literature and art provide an excellent insight into the different social groups in Hispanic kingdoms
social groups that were affected
Pícaros and mendigos survived off charity, by being servants and by robbing or scamming people.
Poor hidalgos were impoverished members of the lower nobility who refused to work.
Bandits or outlaws worked in gangs, sometimes with noblemen, to rob people on the road.
