Absolute Basics
What is Absolutism
A system of government where one ruler holds total power.
Which French king was known as the “Sun King”?
Louis XIV
What item often represents royal authority and power?
A crown or scepter.
What do we call a government led by a king or queen?
A monarchy.
What time period came before the Age of Absolutism?
The Renaissance or Reformation
The belief that kings got their power from God
Divine Rights
What grand palace did Louis XIV build to show his power?
The Palace of Versailles
Why did monarchs build large palaces like Versailles?
To show wealth and control nobles.
What word means a ruler with unlimited power?
An absolute monarch.
Why did monarchs gain more power after the Reformation and wars of religion?
The church lost power and people wanted stability.
In an absolute monarchy, who makes the laws?
The monarch
Which Russian czar modernized Russia and built a new capital city?
Peter the Great.
What title did Russian rulers use that means “King”?
Czar (or Tsar).
Name two absolute rulers from Russia
Peter the Great and Catherine the Great
Which king of England caused the entire country to convert to Protestant?
Henry VIII
Name one reason monarchs wanted absolute power.
To control nobles, protect their country, or create stability after wars.
Which monarch said “I am the state”?
Louis XIV.
How did portraits of monarchs help maintain their power?
They showed the king as strong, god-like, and in control.
What does “centralized power” mean?
All power is controlled by one person or place.
Wars such as the Thirty Years War showed the power struggle between which two sects of Chrisianity?
Protestants and Catholics
What was one negative effect of absolutism on the people?
Heavy taxes, loss of rights, or lack of representation.
Absolutists/Dictator that lived from 1900-Present
King Jong Un, Hitler, Fidel Castro, etc.
What was one way monarchs used art or architecture as propaganda?
Commissioning grand paintings, statues, or buildings to glorify their rule.
What is the name of the rebellion that started Louis XIV's disdain against nobles?
The Fronde
How did the failures of absolutism lead to the Enlightenment?
People began questioning monarchs’ power and wanted government based on reason and rights.