Chapter 16: The Royal State in the Seventeenth Century

• Theory of Monarchy
  • All nobles were equal in theory
  • In practice, they were divided by wealth and office
• The King’s authority was solidified through supporting the nobility
• Direct relatives of the king were considered the highest nobles
• “Great Nobles” = Dukes, Earls, Counts, etc (Upper Nobility)
  • Ammasses a lot of wealth
  • Either lived or visited court for long periods of time
  • Had direct access to the king
• Middle Nobility
  • Had enough wealth to visit court (weren’t able to stay)
  • Lived in the countryside
  • Connected the upper nobility with the people
• Lower Nobility
  • Had enough wealth to avoid labor
  • Couldn’t afford to visit court (had to rely on Great Nobles)
  • Connected the upper nobility with the people
  • Nobles increased their power through Royal Offices and Pensions
• The 16th century government was very weak
  • Didn’t have the ability to enforce policies
  • No police
  • No important bureaucracy
  • Moral Authority was used to lead
• Moral Authority
  • Showed that the King’s will was that of the people and should be followed
  • King began to be seen as a divine figure
• The law was an expression of the will of the King
  • Justice was done in the name of the King
• French absolutism was a response to social, economic, and political changes
• State power was expanded through the extension of the legal system, war, and taxation
• The King’s court was where decisions were made and was made up of the king and his “favorites”
• Cardinal Richelieu ruled for Louis XIII who became King at a young age
• Wealth was closely connected to the accumulate of gold and silver
• Versailles
  • Once a hunting lodge
  • Turned into a palace and the center of royal court by Louis XIV
  • Was a display of royal authority and power
  • Became a symbol of Louis XIV’s power and strength
  • Was a place of prominence for the nobles
  • Louis gained total control as nobles were too preoccupied with the hierarchy of Versailles
• French monarchy was bankrupted due to foreign wars
• France became a leading nation in Europe
  • French became an international language
  • Became the commercial powerhouse
  • France was economically weakened due to wars
• Difficult times came to pass due to the decline of the general government
  • War
  • Poor harvests
  • Riots
• Rebellions took place in places such as France and Spain
• The English Civil War was an example of rebellions
  • Conflict between Charles I and the Parliament
  • Scots and Parliament fought over religion
• Glorious Revolution (1688-1689)
• Frederick William built a large army to protect Prussia
  • Prussia became a centralized and militaristic state
• Austrian Empire consisted of Czech, Hungary, Transylvania, Croatia and Slovenia
  • All the different nationalities made centralization difficult
• Peter the Great became Tsar in late 17th century
  • Wanted to westernize Russia in order to make Russia a great state and military power
  • Attempted to introduce a form of mercantilism which wasn’t effective
• The powerful military was expensive, westernized culture only spread to the wealthier classes, and the usage of force only caused distrust in the Tsar
  • These reforms both hurt and helped the Russian people

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