Absolute Monarchy

The last Module ended with the Scientific Revolution in Europe. The main intellectual idea of the Scientific Revolution was that the universe was logical and predictable. Nearly everything could be understood through scientific research. But was seemed neither logical nor predictable, and certainly not trusted, were monarchical leaders. As a result of the Protestant Reformation, religious authorities lost some, or all, political power (even in Catholic countries) in Europe. Monarchs grew in power. As a result of the Age of Exploration, European leaders became increasingly competitive and felt the need to show off or prove their country’s worth.

The Divine Right of Kings: King Louis XIV (14th) of France

This culminated in the idea of “Divine Right” – when coronated, the leaders were blessed by religious leaders, and therefore, anything they did must be approved by God himself (otherwise, wouldn’t God have struck them down?). Kings who believed in their divine right to rule also centralized power: they influenced laws, taxes, and justice.

French king Louis XIV ruled for a whopping 72 years. In his time as king, he built the opulent Palace of Versailles while forcing France into 5 costly wars. He also expelled Protestants (called “Huguenots”). He lived up to his nickname of “the Sun King” and made the nobility move to the Palace of Versailles and compete to perform menial tasks for him. By keeping potential rivals focused on outdoing each other, he kept his throne secure. Louis XIV’s actions also earned him a lot of criticism.

Image note: the image at the top of the page is a portrait of Louis XIV, showing off his expensive fabrics and wig. It was painted by Hyacinthe Rigaud in 1701.

Tsar Peter I (the Great) of Russia

When Tsar Peter I, also called Peter the Great, took Russia's throne in 1682, Russia was relatively isolated, and more influenced by two long-gone empires (the Byzantines and the Mongols) than any other group. Tsar Peter met some Europeans in Moscow and was inspired to travel the continent.

He came home with radically European ideas: he wanted to update his court, increase areas of education, expand Russia’s borders, create a navy, and adopt mercantilism. He forced the noblemen to shave their beards, change their clothes, and socialize with noblewomen.

Peter also encouraged new engineering projects – the most impressive was the palace of the new capitol, St. Petersburg. He expanded his borders through trade and war. He ruled through fear and bribery: he spread serfdom throughout Russia (even though it was long gone in Europe) and killed thousands who disagreed with his policies.

Image note: the image to the left is a portrait of Peter the Great. It was painted by Paul Delaroche in 1838.

The Great Palaces: France and Russia

A drawing of the Palace of Versailles in France — The Palace of Versailles and the famous attached gardens were commissioned by Louis XIV. Versailles is located about 12 miles west of Paris. Louis moved his court to the palace in 1682, making it the *de facto* capital of France.

A replica of Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. — A replica of the Peterhof Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great. The palace was designed in a European style and is sometimes called the Russian Versailles. Peter began construction of the palace in 1714 and it was completed in 1725. Architects: Jean-Baptiste Le Blond and Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Baroque style.

[CC BY 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION