Reading Questions
Objective #1 Explain how rulers used a variety of methods to legitimize and consolidate their power in land-based empires from 1450 to 1750.
England
Explain how each of the following would contribute to democracy in England?
France
What was Le Fronde? How did it facilitate Absolute Rule in France?
Explain how the following helped King Louis XIV consolidate and legitimize his rule
England
Explain how each of the following would contribute to democracy in England?
- Magna Carta
- Parliament
- justices of the peace
- English Bill of Rights
France
What was Le Fronde? How did it facilitate Absolute Rule in France?
Explain how the following helped King Louis XIV consolidate and legitimize his rule
- intendants
- Palace of Versailles
Europe and centralization of power
The Black Plague, the Hundred years war and many peasant revolts saw an end to the Middle Ages in Western Europe. European monarchs attempted to centralize power by controlling taxes, paying soldiers and creating bureaucracies that took power away from the landed nobles. Although England's monarchs like King John I attempted to centralize power, they were unable because of previous efforts by the nobles like the Magna Carta, the Parliament, and Justices of peace. However, in France, King Louis XIV was able to centralize and legitimize his power after putting down a rebellion, creating a system of intendants, and constructing the Palace of Versailles.
England
By 1450 England already had a long tradition of representation. In 1215 the English nobles forced the king to sing the Magna Carta providing special rights for only the nobles. By 1298 England had a full functioning Parliament or representative body that looked out for the interests of the Catholic Church and the nobles. By 1361, England had Justices of the Peace, officials elected by the landed elite to be judges. Many of them also served in parliament.
King Charles I came to the throne in 1625 believing that he ruled by Divine Right and not by the will of the people.He abolished Parliament and tried to raise taxes on the nobles. Consequently a civil war broke out. After the Civil War. Charles I was beheaded, new monarchs were installed by the nobles, a Constitutional Monarchy (government where the monarch had to obey the laws) was set up and the English Bill of Rights was written. The 1689 English Bill of Rights guaranteed more rights for the nobles. The English tradition of representation would influence the American Revolution. |
France
In contrast, Absolute Rule in France took a different shape. Louis XIV, who also believed in the Divine Right of kings, tried to centralize power by trying to institute new taxes on the nobles. The nobles attempted to keep their traditional feudal rights and rebelled. Nobles then began to terrorize the country side. That rebellion was called Le Fronde and would last from 1648 to 1653. After reorganizing the army so that they would only answer to him, the rebellious leaders of Le Fronde were defeated.
The victory over the rebellion facilitated Absolute Rule in France. Louis XIV further centralized rule by creating a bureaucracy that included royal intendants or administrators in charge of tax farming similar to the Ottomans. The intendants further eroded the power of the nobility since the king did not have to rely on the nobles to voluntarily give him taxes from their estates. He further consolidated power by requiring the nobles to live in his Palace of Versailles. The palace served two purposes. One was to keep control over the nobles. The second was to legitimize his rule through architecture. Similar to many other rulers, the palace was meant to express the power and grandeur of Louis the XIV "The Sun King" France would further expand creating a Sea Based Empire which we will see in Chapter 4. |