Absolutism and Constitutional Ism
Absolutism and Constitutional Ism
uis XIV who he admired and aiding his fellow Roman Catholics
o England hoped Mary, James II’s Protestant eldest daughter to succeed the
throne
Mary married William III of Orange, Europe’s opposition to Louis XIV
o Unfortunately, James’ 2nd wife gave birth to a son – a male heir
Parliament opposition invited William to invade England
To preserve its “traditional liberties” - Anglican Church and
Parliament
o William arrived with this army in 1688
Received considerable popular support
James II fled to France, proclaimed William III and Mary II the new
monarchs
Completing the “Glorious Revolution”
o William II and Mary II
Recognized the Bill of Rights – limited the monarchs’ power and
guaranteed the civil liberties of English privileged class
Subject to law
Ruled by consent of Parliament – called session on every 3 years
Bill of Rights – prohibited Roman Catholics from occupying the English
throne
Toleration Act (1689) – permitted worship by all Protestants and outlaw
only Roman Catholics and those denied the Christian Doctrine of Trinity
Did not extend full political rights to person outside the Anglican Church
o John Locke’s “Second Treatise of Civil Government”
Defended idea that government resided in the consent of the governed
Opposed Tory support for absolutism and absolutist political though on
the continent
o Revolution of 1688
Peaceful event
Recent scholarship disclosed considerable resistance in Scotland and
Ireland
Resulted in significant loss of life
Conversely events in England were driven by
Long recognized actions of political elite
A genuinely popular resistance to James II
Tin Bao Luu AP European History Absolutism and Constitutionalism
Jansenists
o Adhered teaching of St. Augustine
o Apposed Jesuits’ Teaching of freewill which original sin
had corrupted human kind so they did nothing good nor
contributing anything to their salvation
Progressed among prominent families – convent at Port-Royal
Augustinian theology resembled Calvinism
Lived extremely pious and morally austere lived
o Resembled English Puritan
Associated with opposition to royal authority
o Involved in the Fronde
Pope Innocent X
o Declared heretical five Jansenists theological proposition (grace and
salvation)
o Banned Jansen’s Augustinus
Pope Clement XI issued bull Unigenitus – condemned Jansenists
Louis permitted papal bull banning Jansenism
o Closed down Port-Royal Community
o Ordered French Church to accept the bull despite opposition
o Turned his back on the long tradition of protecting Gallican Liberties of
French church
o Fostered within the French Church a core of opposition to royal
authority
After Louis died
Parlement and French judicial bodies reasserted
authority in opposition to the monarchy
Sympathized Jansenism because of common resistance
to royal authority
Revocation of Edict of Nantes
o After the Edict, 9/10 of French population was Catholic and 1/10 was
Huguenots which was declining
o Catholic remained hostile with Huguenots and supported their persecution as
pious and patriotic
o After Peace of Nijmegen, Louis launched a campaign against Huguenot
This was influenced by his pious Catholic 2nd wife
Hounded Huguenots out of public life
Banned from government office
Excluded from profession like printing and medicine
Quartered troops in Huguenot towns
Revoked Edict of Nantes
Closed Protestant churches and school
Exiled protestant minister
Used financial incentives to encourage convert to Catholicism
Protestant children were baptized by Catholic priest
Non-converts were forced into slaves
Tin Bao Luu AP European History Absolutism and Constitutionalism
o Austrian Hubsburg
Started to consolidate their power outside of Germany
o Prussia under Hohenzollern dynasty
A factor in north German politic
Major challenger to Habsburg domination of Germany
o Russia under Romanov Dynasty
A military and naval power of first order
1. Poland: Absence of strong central authority
After King John III Sobieski rescued Vienna from Turkish siege
o Endanger aristocratic independence
Failed to establish a centralized government
o Distrust and division among nobles
o Sejm – central legislative body
Nobles + specific representatives of towns
Liberum veto: a practice of disbanding this diet because of
opposition of any member who had been bribe by a foreign power
Exploding diet
Unsatisfied group of members
2. Habsburg Empire and the Pragmatic Sanction
Austrian Habsburg was on their own because of the decline of Spanish power
Habsburg family retain control of Holy Roman Empire
o Depended less on army
o Depended more cooperation of various political bodies in the Empire
Large German units Saxony, Hanover, Bavaria, Brandenburg
Small German cities, bishopric, principalities, territories
o Consolidated power and influence within hereditary possession outside
Holy Roman Empire
Crown of Saint Wenceslas, kingdom of Bohemia, Duchies of
Moravia and Silesia, Crown of Saint Stephen ruling Hungary,
Croatia, Transylvania
o Treaty of Rastatt – receiving former Spanish Netherlands and Lombardy
northern Italy
o Ruling primarily on territories outside Germany
Territories rule by different title – king, archduke, duck
o Needed corporation of local nobility (not always forthcoming)
Tin Bao Luu AP European History Absolutism and Constitutionalism