Absolutist Approaches to Power Chapter Notes | AP European History - Grade 9 PDF Download

Introduction

Absolutism defined a transformative era in European governance, where monarchs wielded supreme authority, claiming divine right to rule without earthly checks. This chapter notes explores the development of absolutism in France under Louis XIV and in Russia under Peter the Great, highlighting their efforts to centralize power, transform economies, and reshape societies. It contrasts absolutism with earlier monarchies and examines its lasting impact on state-building and individual liberties.

Absolutism and the Divine Right of Kings

• Absolutism was a governing system where a monarch held complete sovereignty, asserting that their authority came directly from God, making them answerable only to divine will. 
• This doctrine, known as the Divine Right of Kings, granted monarchs total control over legislation, taxation, and military forces, often sidelining traditional institutions like parliaments and assemblies.

Note: Unlike the Renaissance New Monarchs, who shared power with nobles and the church while establishing centralized governance, absolutist rulers like Louis XIV and Peter the Great expanded these foundations to achieve near-total personal dominance over their states.

Foundations of Absolutism in France

Before Louis XIV, earlier Bourbon kings laid the groundwork for absolutist rule by strengthening royal authority.

• Henry IV (r. 1589–1610) restored stability after the French Wars of Religion. His Edict of Nantes (1598) granted religious tolerance to Huguenots while upholding Catholicism as the state religion.
• Alongside his finance minister, the Duke of Sully, Henry revitalized France’s economy by promoting agriculture, reducing national debt, and constructing infrastructure like roads and canals.
• To secure funds and loyalty, Henry sold noble titles, creating a new class of elites, the Nobles of the Robe, who aligned with the crown.
• After Henry’s assassination, his son Louis XIII (r. 1610–1643) ascended, but Cardinal Richelieu, his chief minister, held significant control.
• Richelieu centralized royal power by curbing noble influence and weakening the Habsburgs during the Thirty Years’ War, despite France’s Catholic alignment.
• He introduced the intendant system, deploying royal agents (intendants) to govern provinces, collect taxes, and enforce royal policies, answering solely to the monarchy.

These measures diminished the autonomy of local nobles, setting the stage for Louis XIV’s absolutist regime.

Louis XIV: The Sun King

Louis XIV’s reign (1643–1715) represented the zenith of French absolutism. His famous declaration, “L’État, c’est moi” (“I am the state”), encapsulated his absolute control over France.

• Louis relocated the royal court to the opulent Palace of Versailles, requiring nobles to reside there under his oversight. Through elaborate rituals and etiquette, he kept them occupied, reducing their political influence while elevating royal prestige.
• To enforce religious unity, he issued the Edict of Fontainebleau (1685), revoking the Edict of Nantes and suppressing Protestantism. This led to the exodus of thousands of skilled Huguenots, harming France’s economy long-term but strengthening Louis’s control over the nobility.
• Economically, Louis relied on Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who pursued mercantilist policies to boost France’s wealth and reduce reliance on imports.
• Colbert promoted domestic manufacturing, built infrastructure like roads and canals, imposed tariffs on foreign goods, and expanded the French navy.
• His aim was to achieve a favorable balance of trade, increasing France’s reserves of gold and silver, a core tenet of mercantilism.
• Militarily, Louis expanded France’s standing army and waged wars to extend its borders, particularly in the Spanish Netherlands. These conflicts, however, depleted the treasury and united European powers against France.

Peter the Great and Russian Absolutism

In contrast to Western Europe, Russia in the late 17th century was relatively isolated and less developed. Peter the Great (1682–1725), a Romanov ruler, embraced absolutism to modernize and Westernize Russia.

• After his Great Embassy tour of Western Europe, Peter returned committed to reforming Russia’s military, economy, and society.
• He established a robust central bureaucracy, modernized the army with Western training, conscription, and advanced weaponry, and created a navy to access European trade routes.
• To signify Russia’s transformation, Peter founded St. Petersburg in 1703 on newly acquired Baltic land, designing it as a Western-style city and making it Russia’s new capital, his “window to the West.”

Peter’s social reforms further reflected his absolutist approach:

• He compelled the boyars (Russian nobles) to serve in the military or state administration, reducing their independent power.
• He mandated Western dress, required noblemen to shave beards, and expanded social freedoms for women, moves that clashed with traditionalists but aligned Russia with European norms.
• Economically, Peter developed iron and shipbuilding industries, established state-controlled factories, introduced a poll tax, and placed the Russian Orthodox Church under state authority.
• Through wars like the Great Northern War against Sweden, Peter expanded Russian territory, securing its place among Europe’s great powers.

Legacy of Absolutism

Absolutism marked a significant departure from the limited monarchies of the Renaissance. While New Monarchs centralized power through negotiations with nobles and the church, absolutists like Louis XIV and Peter the Great claimed total authority, reshaping society, economy, and religion according to their vision.

Note: Although both systems sought stronger states, absolutism concentrated power more fully in the monarch’s hands, often at the expense of individual freedoms and national resources due to extensive warfare and centralization.

Key Terms

• Absolutism: A political system where a monarch wields supreme power, often justified by divine right.
• Divine Right of Kings: The belief that monarchs receive their authority directly from God, accountable only to Him.
• Intendant System: A French bureaucratic system where royal officials governed provinces, bypassing noble authority.
• Palace of Versailles: The grand residence built by Louis XIV to centralize power and control the nobility.
• Edict of Fontainebleau: Louis XIV’s decree revoking the Edict of Nantes, outlawing Protestantism in France.
• Jean-Baptiste Colbert: Louis XIV’s finance minister who advanced mercantilist policies to strengthen France’s economy.
• Mercantilism: An economic strategy focused on maximizing exports and accumulating gold and silver to bolster state power.
• Boyars: Russian noble class whose influence was curtailed by Peter the Great’s reforms.
• St. Petersburg: The new capital founded by Peter the Great, symbolizing Russia’s Westernization.
• Great Northern War: A conflict where Russia defeated Sweden, gaining Baltic access and elevating its European status.