Development of Absolute Monarchies in France and Spain - Essay Example

Absolutism Table of Contents Role of the Reformation in the Development of Absolute Monarchies in France and Spain 3 2. Similarities Between the Courts of Philip II and Louis XIV 3 3. How Frederick William I Helped Frederick the Great Become an Effective King of Prussia 4 4. Why Philip II Was Intolerant of Muslims and Jews in His Native Spain 5 5. The Edict of Nantes: Impact on French Protestant Huguenots, Why Henry IV Signed It 5 6. Creator of ‘Army of Giants’, Fit With Prussia Rule Master Plan 6 7. Use of ‘Poor Laws’ and ‘Statute of Apprentices’ by Elizabeth I to shift responsibility to Territory’s Local Areas and Away from the Monarchy 6 8. Key Differences in the Ways Elizabeth I and Louis XIV Promoted ‘Cultural Awakening’ in Their Countries 6 9. Treaty of Utrecht, How It Checked the Power of Spain and France 7 10. How ‘The Great Elector’ Frederick William Secured the Power, Independence of the German Sates and Prussia 7 11.As First Woman Emperor of Hapsburg, The Actions of Maria Theresa Pertaining to Improving Austrian Conditions, Conditions of the Rest of the Empire 8 12.The Huguenots- Identity, Reason for Persecution, Final Fate 8 13. How Ivan IV Consolidated Boyar Domination 8 14. Three Accomplishments That Made Russia Great, and Which Earned Peter the Title Peter the Great 9 15. Why Peter the Great Established St. Petersburg 9 16. Why Catherine the Great is the Last Great Absolutism Age Great Monarch 9 References 10 1. Role of the Reformation in the Development of Absolute Monarchies in France and Spain One can say that absolutism rests on the foundation of the Reformation’s effects on the societies of France and Spain, or that the effects of the Reformation paved the way for absolute monarchies to take root in those two countries/societies. The nature of absolute monarchism is the consolidation of economic, cultural and political power in the hands of the king or queen and their families and children. This was made possible by some of the most fundamental contributions of the Reformation, which includes the shift in the religious influence bearing down on enlightened classes of those societies away from the Catholic Church and towards more individualistic and personal, as well as more direct forms of relating with God. The Reformation would then enliven and attract the Spanish and the French to religious participation, which would then in the proceeding age be used to control and to subjugate those populations via measures to impose discipline under the guise of religious activity. This would then pave the way for monarchies being facilitated in their drive to consolidate power and to stifle opposition from different factions of French and Spanish societies, having also endeavored to subjugate the religious hierarchies to the power of the monarchies (Pearson, 2010; Pearson, 2010b; Pearson, 2010c). 2. Similarities Between the Courts of Philip II and Louis XIV The two courts emphasized grandeur and the projection of the power of the monarchy through architecture, through the patronage of the artistic outputs and the products of their culture, and through a projection of monarchical power via the attempt to grow their respective territories. Both emphasized for instance the grandeur of their bases of power, Philip II in El Escorial and Louis XIV in Versailles. Both also conducted their office with machinations designed to further strengthen their hold on power and to perpetuate their rule over the other stakeholders in their respective societies ((Pearson, 2010; Soylent Communications, 2014; PBS, 2014). 3. How Frederick William I Helped Frederick the Great Become an Effective King of Prussia One can say that it was the work of Frederick William in being able to consolidate power in Prussia and in being able to project and grow the power of Prussia over its neighbors in Europe, to transform the territory into a truly great European power, that allowed Frederick the Great, who basically inherited his father’s work and its fruits, to rule Prussia in an effective manner. Without his father it is doubtful that Frederick the Great would have been able to do his work unimpeded by the obstacles that his father had cleared for him, when it was his father’s turn to do so. The father vigorously and tirelessly pursued the war effort with Sweden over the span of three decades, for the purpose of strengthening the Prussian territory and its citizens. He would also set Frederick the Great for an effective rule by maneuvering to secure the future of Prussia and Brandenburg via marriage with the ruling family in the Netherlands. He also bequeathed to Frederick the Great the work that he did to shore up the Prussian Army and to use that army to secure internal peace and stability in the territory (Gale Cengage Learning, 1994); History Learning Site, 2014). 4. Why Philip II Was Intolerant of Muslims and Jews in His Native Spain Spain was in essence the center of power of Philip II, and in the name of being able to concentrate power unto himself, he had to make sure that all of the religious outliers to the religion that he himself wanted to promulgate. The Jews and the Muslims in Spain, by deviating from the religion of mainstream power, posited threats to the stability and security of the reign of Philip II, in essence. This meant that Philip II had either to covert the Muslims and Jews into Christianity, or else that they should be expelled from the Spanish country. It is noteworthy that since the Church had been effectively in the control of Philip II, that the church would then leverage its official status to marginalize the Jews and the Muslims and to press for the terms within which they were to be expelled (Boase, 2002). 5. The Edict of Nantes: Impact on French Protestant Huguenots, Why Henry IV Signed It The literature states that the Edict of Nantes was a way for the two warring religious groups, the mainstream French Catholics and the Protestant French Huguenots, to achieve peace and end a protracted civil war that had divided France for many years. One goal for Henry IV, a Protestant who later converted to Catholicism, was to effect the union of France and to fortify his own hold on power and the power of the monarchy. That said, the other goal of Henry IV it is said is to neutralize the militant Huguenots and to maneuver them out of their disruptive activities and into peaceful coexistence with the majority French Catholics. The impact on the Huguenots is that they lay down their arms and left their fortifications, and some semblance of integration with the rest of French society (Cavendish, 1998). 6. Creator of ‘Army of Giants’, Fit With Prussia Rule Master Plan It was Frederick William I who created the so-called ‘army of giants’ or the Potsdam Giants, a designation for a special group of very tall men that Frederick William I handpicked from various parts of his territory and in various parts of Europe in order to form a kind of personal regiment for display. There was no immediate need for the Potsdam Giants to be deployed in actual wars, due to the preciousness that was associated with the group by Frederick William I and to the special attachment of Frederick William to the group that he consciously nurtured and designed. Their role at the height of their existence is precisely to project pomp and power to the rest of Europe. It was Frederick the Great who would go on to slowly dissolve this group when he assumed power and took over from his father (The Mad Monarchist, 2009). 7. Use of ‘Poor Laws’ and ‘Statute of Apprentices’ by Elizabeth I to shift responsibility to Territory’s Local Areas and Away from the Monarchy In essence the poor laws and the statute of apprentices had the effect of making the heaviest burdens to society stationary and rooted to the counties and geographies where they are located. This physical detainment meant that the responsibility for caring for the poor and the marginalized would fall on the local governance units, rather than on the monarchy. In this way, the monarchy itself was relieved of the responsibilities of looking after and spending for these sections of society (The Workhouse, n.d.). 8. Key Differences in the Ways Elizabeth I and Louis XIV Promoted ‘Cultural Awakening’ in Their Countries Louis XIV had the motive of consolidating the power of the throne under his stewardship by promoting the arts and the generation of the artifacts of culture with the throne as the patron, guaranteeing that the emancipation of the people culturally would have the imprimatur or the go ahead of the crown too, which would implicitly act as a kind of censor steering the development of culture and art to its best interests and preservation (Pearson, 2010). While Elizabeth also promoted the arts, she seemed to have done it out of a sense of real appreciation for beauty and for the enjoyment of art for its own sake, and the artistic and cultural output of her reign had the quality that reflected this intent (Briscoe, 2011). 9. Treaty of Utrecht, How It Checked the Power of Spain and France The Treaty of Utrecht in essence stopped France’s expansionary drive via the terms of the treaty wherein France ceded its North American land claims to Great Britain, even as that ceding and the terms of the treaty itself was fraught with loopholes and led to further conflict. The union of France and Spain was also halted by this treaty, guaranteeing a halt to their rising power (Access HT, 2013). 10. How ‘The Great Elector’ Frederick William Secured the Power, Independence of the German Sates and Prussia Frederick William shored up the power of Prussia by quelling internal dissent and fortifying its military power in order to bolster it and to secure the means by which it can secure its independence as well as the independence of the German states. He fought a long war with Sweden and also machinated to secure the future of the crown by trying to marry into the Netherlands nobility. These efforts are indicative of the kinds of political maneuverings and efforts of Frederick William to secure the future of Prussia (Gale Cengage Learning, 1994); History Learning Site, 2014). 11.As First Woman Emperor of Hapsburg, The Actions of Maria Theresa Pertaining to Improving Austrian Conditions, Conditions of the Rest of the Empire In the later years of her reign, Maria Theresa turned away from concerns relating to territory and the wealth of the empire to humanitarian concerns. In particular, she turned her attention to improving the lot of the marginalized serfs. In this regard she enacted measures to ease the financial sufferings of the serfs via the Robot Patent, an attempt at social reform to benefit the poor (Vinsko, 1998). 12.The Huguenots- Identity, Reason for Persecution, Final Fate The Huguenots were the French Protestants during the time of the rule of Henry IV and prior, who despite being small in numbers in comparison to the majority Catholic French people pressed for reforms and eventually went into conflict with the mainstream. They were persecuted precisely for their radical break with the rest of French society. In the end they were dispersed into other parts of Europe (Cavendish, 1998). 13. How Ivan IV Consolidated Boyar Domination Ivan IV was the rightful heir to the Russian throne, after the death of his father left him as heir, but the boyars made a figurehead of him as a boy while they had their designs on securing power. Ivan secured domination of the Boyars by calling a meeting in 1543 and fed the Boyar leader to the dogs. In this way he asserted his right and gained the throne (MU.edu, n.d.). 14. Three Accomplishments That Made Russia Great, and Which Earned Peter the Title Peter the Great Peter the Great vastly expanded Russian territory through protracted and prolonged wars and conquest, in the process making Russia a major power in the west. He established the industrial base of the Russian economy. He also instituted education of the secular kind in Russia, laying the foundation for an educated Russian society in the process (TV Novosti, 2011). 15. Why Peter the Great Established St. Petersburg Peter the Great longed to build a new utopian city of his dreams. He also had a profound distaste for Moscow, and had a vision to build a new city that would be the seat of his power. This would be a city to be situated along the Finnish Gulf. Started in 1703, he got his wish and the city rose to be the new capital of his empire in 1712 (TV Novosti, 2011). 16. Why Catherine the Great is the Last Great Absolutism Age Great Monarch It was during the time of Catherine the Great that Russian space continued to grow and to add new geographies, to the credit of Catherine, who presided over the successful expansion into the Crimea, Lithuania, Belarus, and further territories to the south and to the west. This would turn out to be the zenith of Russian expansion of geography and influence. In this way she is the last great monarch of the age of absolutism, after which the tide turned against the age (BBC, 2014). References Access HT (2013). Treaty of Utrecht. Canada History. Retrieved from http://www.canadahistory.com/sections/eras/england%20arrives/Treaty%20of%20Utrecht.html BBC (2014). Catherine the Great. BBC History. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/catherine_the_great.shtml Boase, R (2002). The Muslim Expulsion from Spain. History Today. Retrieved from http://www.historytoday.com/roger-boase/muslim-expulsion-spain Briscoe, A. (2011). Elizabeth I: An Overview. BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/elizabeth_i_01.shtml Cavendish, R. (1998). The Edict of Nantes. History Today. Retrieved from http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/edict-nantes Gale Cengage Learning (1994). Frederick the Great. Biography in Context. Retrieved fromhttp://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=K12-Reference&prodId=BIC1&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE|K1616000224&mode=view&userGroupName=gotitans&jsid=5633cffbcedad2511715dde8d1058c27 History Learning Site (2014). Frederick William. HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. Retrieved from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/frederick_william.htm Mu.edu (n.d.). Absolute Terror: Ivan the Terrible. Academic.mu.edu. Retrieved fromhttp://academic.mu.edu/meissnerd/ivan-terrible.htm PBS (2014). Philip II. When Worlds Collide. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/kcet/when-worlds-collide/people/philip-ii.html Pearson (2010). Chapter 15: Absolutism and State Building in Europe, 1618-1715. The West: Encounters & Transformations Levack et al. Concise Edition. Retrieved from http://wps.ablongman.com/long_levack_wc_1/43/11052/2829515.cw/index.html Pearson (2010b). Chapter 14: The Age of Confessional Division, 1550-1618. The West: Encounters & Transformations Levack et al. Concise Edition. Retrieved from http://wps.ablongman.com/long_levack_wc_1/43/11052/2829479.cw/index.html Pearson (2010b). Chapter 13: The Reformation of Religion, 1500-1560. The West: Encounters & Transformations Levack et al. Concise Edition. Retrieved from http://wps.ablongman.com/long_levack_wc_1/43/11052/2829442.cw/index.html Soylent Communications (2014). Philip II. NNDB. Retrieved from http://www.nndb.com/people/229/000092950/ The Mad Monarchist (2009). Royal Guardians Profile. The Potsdam Giants. The Mad Monarchist. Retrieved from http://madmonarchist.blogspot.com/2009/05/royal-guardians-profile-potsdam-giants.html The Workhouse (n.d.).The Old Poor Law. Workhouses.org.uk. Retrieved from http://www.workhouses.org.uk/poorlaws/oldpoorlaw.shtml TV Novosti (2011). Prominent Russians: Peter I the Great. Russiapedia. Retrieved from http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/the-romanov-dynasty/peter-i/ Vinsko, B. (1998). Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria. Kings.edu. Retrieved from http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/mariatheres.html Read More

 

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