2. • Write a ½ page response to the following:
• Pretend you just became King or Queen of your
country. Write the first speech to the people of
your country telling what your plans are to make
your country the best and most powerful. What
are you going to do to solve all the conflicts?
What are you going to do with the tax money?
Don’t forget to mention Divine Right from last
classes reading.

3. • Think about the monarch that you have
researched. Go back to Bellwork #1 and add a
paragraph to your speech as King/Queen
addressing the following issues you may face
as King/Queen:
– Will you build colonies? Why or Why not?
– Plans for your army.

4. Europe 1500-1700

6. Characteristics of New Absolute Monarchs
1. Complete control
2. Local Nobility brought under King
3. Hereditary Monarchy was public order
4. No more Medieval Feudal System
5. Claimed to Rule by Devine Right
6. Built Huge Armies
7. Raised High Taxes
8. Make own laws

7. • Power Grew out of the Middle Ages:
–Decline in Feudalism
–Rise of Cities
–Growth of Nations
–Growing Middle Class backed
the monarchs
–Churches began to lose their
authority

8. No restrictive
representative
Divine Right body
Characteristics of an
Absolute Monarch
No limitations on
Power High taxes & huge
armies

9. Examples of
Absolute
Monarchs
Peter the Great of Russia
Philip II of Spain
Louis VIV of France
“The Sun King”
Frederick The Great of Prussia Maria Theresa of Austria

10. Louis XIV – The Sun King
 Believed in divine right.
“L’etat, c’est moi.” I am the state.
 Made French army the strongest
in Europe
 France was the wealthiest
country in Europe under Louis
XIV
 Louis XIV spent huge amounts of
money
 Built Versailles.
 War of Spanish Succession

11. Palace of Versailles
Expanded from a hunting
lodge in 1669.
 Became the symbol to
European monarchs of
the wealth and power of
the king of France.
Seat of French
government for nearly
over 100 years.
Its upkeep consumed as
much as 25% of the
income of France.

12. • 2,000 acres of grounds
• 12 miles of roads Palace of
• 27 miles of trellises
•
•
200,000 trees Versailles
210,000 flowers planted every year
• 80 miles of rows of trees
• 55 acres surface area of the Grand Canal
• 12 miles of enclosing walls
• 50 fountains and 620 fountain nozzles
• 21 miles of water conduits
• 3,600 cubic meters per hour: water
• 26 acres of roof
• 51,210 square meters of floors
• 2,153 windows
• 700 rooms
• 67 staircases
• 6,000 paintings
• 1,500 drawings and 15,000 engravings
• 2,100 sculptures
• 5,000 items of furniture and objects d'art
• 150 varieties of apple and peach trees

13. Philip II of Spain
• Sought to expand Spanish
influence – ruled Spain when
the empire was at its height.
Included the Spanish New
World
• Devout: tried to strengthen
Catholic church
• Centralized royal power
• Married Mary I of England –
returned England to
Catholicism
• Invaded England with Spanish
Armada against Elizabeth I –
He lost most of the Armada.

14. Spanish Empire under Philip II

16. Peter the Great of Russia
• Goal = westernize Russia.
• Forced powerful boyars to bow to
his will.
• Built modern Western city for
Russian capital – St. Petersburg.
• Spread serfdom.
• Studied Western technology.
Worked in a shipyard
• Extended Russian territory – to
Pacific Ocean.
• 1700: Fought Sweden for control
of Baltic. Gained several Baltic
ports

17. Russia under Peter the Great

18. Maria Theresa of Austria
 Fought Frederick II of Prussia
for control of Hungary and
Silesia
 Reorganized the government
 Enlightened Despot
 Eased tax burden on her
people
 Gave more rights to her
subjects
 Gave birth to 16 children while
in power (Marie Antionette)

19. Frederick II of Prussia
Attacked
Austria, sparking the
War of Austrian
Succession
Unified Prussia, part
of the Holy Roman
Empire, into one
nation

20. • Monarchs used $ from their colonies
to pay for their ambitions
• Gov’ts built large armies and raised
tax making citizens uneasy
• Monarch increased their power to
maintain order
• Goal = free themselves from
limitation and representative bodies
like Parliament