...An absolute monarch is someone who has absolute power among their people. One absolute monarch in history is Peter the Great. Peter was a Russian czar. Peter was considered an absolute monarch because he strengthen the government and reduce nobility. Peter rise to power when Tsar Alexi died so him and his brother Ivan shared the throne until Ivan died. After Ivan’s death, Peter was left as a solo Tsar. Around late 1600s early 1700s, Peter accomplish multiple things as ruler. He led Russia out of medieval times and made it a leading European state. In order for Russia to reach that position he strengthen the military service in Russia by adding a navy, he expanded Russia’s borders, centralize the royal power by buying all Russian institution under his control. He...
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...Catherine the Great, also known as Catherine II, is the longest-ruling female of Russia. She was born on May 2, 1729 in Stettin, Prussia. In 1744, Catherine moved to Russia where she started her relationship with Grand Duke Peter. Catherine and Peter became married on August 21st, 1745 and didn’t exactly have a happy relationship. Once Empress Elizabeth died, Peter inherited the throne and Catherine received the title Empress Consort. Peter was a bad leader, he alienated nobles and angered the Orthodox Church. Within six months of rule, Peter was overthrown in a coup that Catherine was a part of and not long after being overthrown, was murdered. With Peter overthrown, Catherine became the ruler. While in power, Catherine modernized Russia, made Russia a major European power, expanded the borders of Russia, and made reforms in agriculture and education. Though Catherine did many good things for Russia, there were still rebellions. Cossack Yemelyan...
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...oppose religious toleration? What connection did he make between religious unity and political unity? (pg 188) On Page 188 it says the following about King Louis XIV’s views on religions and leading a nation’ “Believing a country could not be governed by one king and one law unless it was also under one religious system…,”. This quote is very important because prior to Louis’s rule the Edict of Nantes was put in place which stated that the French Protestants could practice whatever religion they wanted, so King Louis, being Catholic, wanted his nation to be all one religion. The quote also refers to the unity of the religion in France, which in turn, would unify France under King Louis XIV, according to Louis XIV. What value did Peter the Great of Russia place on military prowess? What does this tell us about his vision of the proper role of national ruler? (pg...
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...Absolutism of monarchs was a very popular trend in the 16th and 17th centuries. Peter the Great, Louis XIV, and the Sultans of the Ottoman empires greatly demonstrated this notion with their complete control over their subjects. This was a revival of this same idea that has existed in the Medieval era with with kings with complete control of several provinces and had knights who defended them. Absolutism was a time of complete tyranny in Europe during this time due to the selfish and vanity of the rulers, the complete dependence on the rulers, and the chaos that resulted in or because of their reign. These absolutist leaders were very prideful putting others down and setting themselves up above them. King James I said "the state of monarchy is the supreme thing upon earth" setting his reign in England above everything else (Doc 2). Some monarchs see their subjects as people who just follow their commands. This allowed for no room to give the monarch advice to help the country if their was another way to help it. Louis XIV of...
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...Peter the Great was the Czar (and later self-proclaimed emperor) of Russia from 1682-1725. At that time, the country was an absolute monarch. Meaning that Peter could do whatever he pleased, whenever he pleased. There were no restrictions to keep him from doing something that violated the rights of his citizens. Though it isn't like anyone would stop him anyway, because he was nearly seven feet tall. The things he did ranged from modernizing the military, to having his own son killed for treason. Peter was born on June 9th, 1672. His father, Alexis, died in 1676. (So when Peter was four years old.) For a while, his half-sister Sophia held as regent until Peter was 17 years old (1689). As a boy, he enjoyed things like sailing and ship-building....
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...stripped the nobles of their power and there land. He also refused to allow the Protestants (Huguenots) to build walls around their towns and cities for protection. France faced all areas controlled by the Habsburg. For the first 12 years the Habsburg dominated but for the last 18 years France won. Prussia was controlled by Frederick II or Frederick the great. He became king in 1749 and he died without an heir. He believed that the fundamental role of government was to expand its territories. He was one of the most powerful rulers of...
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...Theresa is a bad leader because, she was not recognized a monarch by France and allowed the province of Silesia to be captured by France and then failed to recapture Silesia. * Had 16 kids * Refused to allow religious toleration * Imposed financial and educational reforms Frederick II was a good leader because, he was dedicated military tactician and was nicknamed Frederick the great. * Tried to defect to Britain at a young age * Conquered polish territories * German historians made Frederick into a romantic model of a glorified warrior Louis XIV was a good leader, he eliminated the remnants of feudalism and pacified the aristocracy. * Longest ruling monarch of any major country in Europe * Fought in three major wars during his reign * Nicknamed the sun king Phillip II was a good leader, his rule is coined as the golden age of Spain. The expression, "the empire on which the sun never sets," was coined during Philip's reign. * Led the Spanish armada against Britain * Was spoken very highly of by Paolo Fagolo * Faced many constitutional restrictions despite being an “absolute monarch” Catherine the great was a good leader, she is the most renowned female leader in Russian Czar History. * Longest ruling female leader in Russian history * The reign of Catherine is known as the golden age of the Russian Empire * Was a patron of the arts Peter the great was a good leader, he westernized Russia and made countless...
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...Essay: Peter the Great v.s. Catherine the Great Peter the great first took to the throne in 1682 as a ten-year-old boy. Though he lacked proper education at first, he soon gained knowledge and set his sights for modernizing Russia. His ideas, however, were difficult to express, therefore he soon became an autocrat. He gained control over everything from the Russian Orthodox Church to boyars, or landowning noblemen, forcing them into various positions as civilians or military personnel. Forcing the boyars to shave their beads, change their style of clothing and allow women into their parties didn’t please them, however the boyars’ lands and servants were protected by Peter. Peter also ushered in a new generation in academics, creating better education systems and creating more academies. He also fixed up the roads, waterways and canals to help with his modernization of Russia. (Ellis & Esler, 168-169) Though his ideas proved to be good ones, he had a terrible tolerance for rebels, often torturing them and displaying their corpses on the outside of his palace walls. His army became the largest in Europe, he “Built a world-class navy from scratch,” and sought to extend the borders of his kingdom. He fought against the Ottoman Empire to gain a route for trade with the west that wouldn’t freeze over, but suffered defeat at their hands. ( Ellis & Esler, 169-170) Peter’s army went to war with Sweden in 1700, again suffering many defeats, but finally nine years later he won seizing...
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...happiness. How did these monarchs differ from earlier unenlightened monarchs of the past? The difference lay in tempo. These new despots acted abruptly and desired quicker results. They were impatient with all that stood in the way of their reforms. In addition, they justified their authority on the grounds of usefulness, not divine right. These new monarchs were rational and reformist and they regarded political change as possible and desirable. Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, and Joseph II are good examples of Enlightened Despots. Frederick II (Frederick the Great), the most famous Prussian absolute monarch and a military genius, pursued an aggressive foreign policy. In 1740 he seized from Austria the province of Silesia. His action culminated in a major European conflict, the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), in which he was pitted against a powerful European coalition of Austria, Russia, and France. Frederick, aided only by England, barely managed to retain Silesia. In 1772 Frederick shared in the first partition of Poland by annexing western Poland. Frederick the Great was an almost perfect example of the enlightened despot. He was familiar with the ideas of the eighteenth-century reformers and a friend of Voltaire. Many of the philosophers, including Voltaire, felt progress could come faster if the government were directed by a reasonable, benevolent, enlightened despot, who would make his state's welfare his/her highest aim. Frederick the Great was just such a man. ...
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...councils of state and insisted on taking a personal rule in many of their decisions. He selected councilors from the recently ennobled or the upper middle class to ensure his own absolute power. Louis never called a meeting of the Estates’ General, therfore depriving nobles of united expression or action. Louis also did not have a first minister. Despite his claims to absolute authority, Louis was obliged to rule in a manner consistent with virtue and benevolence according to his status as a divine ruler. He had to uphold the laws introduced by his royal predecessors. In addition, Louis also relied on the collaborations of nobles, who maintained tremendous prestige and authority in their ancestral lands. 12. Scholars characterize the art and literature of the age of Louis XIV as French classicism. The artists and writers of the late seventeenth century imitated the subject matter and style of classical antiquity. Their work resembled that of the Renaissance Italy; French art possessed the classical qualities of discipline, balance, and restraint. With Versailles as the center of European politics, French culture grew in international prominence. French became the language of polite society and worldly diplomacy, gradually replacing Latin...
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...1. Absolute Monarch-form of government where the monarch (usually a king or queen) has absolute power; monarch has unrestricted political power over the sovereign state and it’s people; usually born into power 2. Age of Reason-18th century movement that followed after the mysticism, religion, and superstition of the Middle Ages 3. Agrarian-cultivated land; person who advocates a redistribution of landed property, especially as part of a social movement 4. Akbar The Great (Mughal India)-Mughal emperor from 1556-death; extended power over most of India Continent; united Muslim and Hindu peoples with his policy of religious cooperation 5. Atheists-person who lacks the belief in the existence in God’s or a God 6. Batavia, Indonesia-Fort established in 1619 as headquarters of Dutch East India Company operations in Indonesia; today the city of Jakarta. 7. Calvin, John-1509-1564. French theologian. Developed the Christian theology known as Calvinism - believed in predestination and a strict sense of morality. Attracted Protestant followers with his teachings. 8. Cash Crop-readily salable crop that is grown and gathered for the market (vegetables, cotton, tobacco) 9. Circumnavigation- travel all the way around the Earth 10. Colonization-physical process whereby the colonizer takes over another place, putting its own government in charge and either moving its own people into the place or bringing in indentured outsiders to gain control of the people...
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...In Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, monarchs and rulers sought to increase their power both domestically within their own states and internationally by adding to their territories and populations. Both in merging their power internally and expanding their power externally, they employed three features of state-building: control, extraction, and integration. In the late 1700s, both the Industrial revolution and French revolution of 1789 strengthened the awareness in European minds not just that Europeans were different from the rest of the world, but also that Europeans were “progressing” promptly while the rest of the world seemed to be deteriorating, that Europeans were somehow exceptional—better, even—than the rest. Nineteenth century...
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...Tony Gersick Rough Draft for Peer Review Dr. MacEwan 10 April 2016 The fourteenth century proved to be a traumatic century for the Catholic Church. Starting in the 1290’s the relationship between the King of France, Philip IV, and the Papacy was dissolving due to the attempts by the French crown to control the clergy in France. The French crown achieved its goal with the influencing and persuasion of the papacy to settle in the French city of Avignon and election of a new French pope. Throughout the fourteenth, and into the fifteenth century, the French crown and the church influenced each other in many significant decision making moments that brought historical changes upon both parties. The Papacy settling in Avignon was a result of Philip the Fair’s problem with the pontificate of Boniface VIII and was the onset of French secular involvement in the church. When Philip gained power at the tender age of 17 he was determined to strengthen the monarchy any ways possible. He wanted to change France to the most powerful centralized state in Europe being a feudal country. This meant that the crown had to be the dominant authoritative presence in France, and throughout Philip’s early quest to achieve this dominance he was constantly detested by the Papacy. Pope Boniface VIII was elected 1294 after his predecessor, Celestine V, abruptly resigned as pope. Once elected Boniface brought the Papal Curia back to Rome after Celestine V put the papal court under the patronage of the...
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...Catherine the Great the new “Semiramis of the North,” after the legendary founder of Babylon noted for her beauty, wisdom, and sexual excesses. Despite the notoriety she gained for her sexual escapades, Catherine's importance to the flowering of Russian literature was immense. One of her driving ambitions during her thirty-four-year reign was to advance Russian culture, and she patronized Russian authors and artists accordingly. Possessed of a self-admitted “mania” for writing and eager to provide models for the literary culture she sought to develop, Catherine produced reams of writing, including voluminous correspondence with Voltaire and other Enlightenment notables, passionate love letters, lively memoirs, political tracts,...
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...Paper Catherine the Great Catherine II was originally born Sophie Augusta Fredericka in 1729. She was born to a noble family in and raised in Germany then call Prussia. She was born a princes and was raised as such. Sophie was considered as an immensely beautiful princes. However her family was considered as minor and as poor by royal family standards. What they did have was an important connection to the Russian Empire. Sophie left for Russia in 1744 to meet Empress Elisabeth at the age of 15. As with most princesses of the time she was married off to increase political and family ties. In Sophie’s case this was to Peter III. Grand Duke Peter was the nephew to the Empress and heir to the throne of Russia. Other than meeting Empress Elisabeth and Peter III her childhood was relatively dull. The first time Sophie met Peter she was not fond of him. She described him as being “small and infantile and talked about nothing but soldiers and toys”. He was far too childish for her. In addition Peter would drink in excess at the mere age of 16. Although she disliked him, Sophie’s marriage to Peter was her first step in becoming Catherine the Great. She unlike Peter immediately immersed herself in the Russian culture. She also converted from German Lutheran to Eastern Orthodoxy and thus she was reborn and renamed Catherine. Catherine was an intellect who learned the Russian language swiftly. The newlyweds were nothing alike. Even on their wedding night Peter stayed up all night drinking...
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