3.1 European Rulers

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 2

The time of Regents and Monarchs

1600-1700

Discuss in pairs:

What?

Where?

When?

3.1 European Rulers

Lesson objectives

- What absolutism is

- How European kings (like the French and English) became so powerful
- How the Dutch Republic had a different form of government 

Summary - Discuss the text in pairs:

In the 17th century, many states are increasingly centrally governed. Monarchs took more and more power to themselves. In the long run, the monarch ruled absolute: his will was above the law. 

Theories arose to defend this absolutism. Thus the power of the monarch would have been given by God. The monarch was accountable to no one except God.

What does it mean:

- centrally governed

- he monarch ruled absolute

Persons this section

Louis XIV

France 1643 - 1715

Maurits van Oranje-Nassau

Stadtholder of the Republic of the United Netherlands

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt

High regent of the Republic of the United Netherlands

William III

England 1688- 1702

Which ruler , do you think, had absolute power?

1. Louis XIV
2. William III
3. Maurits van Oranje-Nassau
4. Johan van Oldenbarnevelt

What is absolutism?

1. God has the ruling power
2. The king is the supreme ruler
3. The king has unlimited power
4. God and the king rule together

• I'm like the sun: I'm the centre of everybodies universe."

• "It's legal because I say so."

• "L'etat c'est moi"

• "My reign is Gods will and the people have to listen to me."

Read 3.1

Exercises: 1 to 7

Put the terms with the right country

Dutch Republic 

France 17th century 

States General

The governor and the highest regent have a lot of authority

Almost all nobility lives with the king

Droit divine

Republic

Absolutism

Grandeur and Wealth

Lodewijk XIV in power

As king, Louis XIV took all decisions, ministers were allowed to give him advice. According to Louis XIV, kings got their power from God (droit divine) and God could only judge their deeds. They didn't have to answer to anyone else for that. Thus Louis XIV defended absolutism, in which power was limited by nothing and no one.

Thus Louis put an end to the independence of the high nobility, 

he also set up a large and well-organized army for France and even banned Protestantism (1685) which forced the French Huguenots to flee.

Palace Versailles. The palace had 226 houses and twice as many apartments for one person. It is estimated that between 3,000 and 10,000 courtiers lived in Versailles daily at the end of Louis XIV's reign

French Huguenots (Calvinists) on the run - 1688.

Painting by Charles le Brun (most important court painter of Louis XIV) from 1677, entitled 'Apothéose de Louis XIV'. The original meaning of the word 'apotheosis' is: elevation to the rank of the gods.

The Republic

In the 17th century, the Netherlands was a republic: the Republic of the United Netherlands. The highest government in each region was the States. The regions worked together in the States General, which took decisions about foreign policy and the army.

 

Administrators in the cities, regions, States and States General were called regents. Often these were a few wealthy families. Such a rule by a privileged upper class is called an oligarchy.

In the Republic:

1. The States had no influence and the State Gernal was very powerful
2. The stadholder took all important decisions and the States General gave him advice.
3. The states were very independent, but they took some decisions together in the States General.
4. All important decisions were taken in the States meetings of the States

Grootste religies in Europese gebieden
- Europa 2018

Absolute rulers and religion

The countries where one religion predominates are also the countries where an absolute monarch reigned in the 17th century.

STATES- General 

• Army
• Foreign Affairs (BuZa) 

stadholder

• High Command Army and Fleet 
• Supreme Court supervisor 

GRAAFSCHAPPEN (counties) 

• nobility in the countryside 

VROEDSCHAPPEN

• Regents ruling in the cities 

Appoints

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Independant States

• own government 
• own courts of law 

Appoints

Grand Pensionary 

• Secretary of State-General 
• Contacts with foreign countries (diplomacy) 

Gives advice

The Stadtholder and the Highest regent 

Two powerful men in the Republic were the stadtholder (commander in chief of the army and navy) and the highest regent (chairman of the States of Holland in the States General).

At the beginning of the 17th century a fierce power struggle arose between Stadholder Maurits van Oranje and Grand Pensionary Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. In 1618 Maurits had the Grand Pensionary arrested and executed. Later, around 1650, another battle arose. After that, the regents had had enough of the stadtholders and a stadtholderless era was instituted.

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt was raadpensionaris van de Staten van Holland tijdens de Tachtigjarige Oorlog. Hij werkte lange tijd samen met Maurits van Oranje, maar werd persoonlijk slachtoffer van een door Maurits beheerst politiek proces dat leidde tot zijn executie.

Maurits van Oranje, prins van Oranje en graaf van Nassau was stadhouder en legeraanvoerder van de Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden. 

Na de dood van stadhouder Willem II in 1650, moest Willem III nog geboren worden. Regenten gebruikte dit moment om de macht van de Oranjes te minderen. In een bijzondere vergadering van de Staten-Generaal (de Grote Vergadering) werd afgesproken om geen nieuwe stadhouder te benoemen. - Dirck van Delen, Grote Vergadering 1651, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

'In the days of regents and princes, the Republic was an oligarchy.'
Explain this sentence, use the word "regents" in your answer.

Netherlands in the 17th century -> Republic

-> controlled by regents

Often consisting of a few wealthy families (oligarchy)

Two mighty regents were:

-the Stadhouder (commander-in-chief of the army)

-the Grand Pensionary (representative of the region of Holland)

-> power struggle

Maurits van Oranje (stadholder) against Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (grand pensionary)

     -> van Oldenbarnevelt executed.

Finally:

stadtholderless era

Regents = overheidsbestuurder

Oligarchy = regering door een kleine groep bevoorrechte personen.

Stadhouderloos tijdperk = tijd zonder stadhouder (van 1651 tot 1672)

Aantekening

Explain why Stadholder Prince Maurits had Grand Pensionary Van Oldenbarnevelt arrested and put to trial

Read the source.
What is the opinion of Huygens?

1. Frederik Hendrik een geode opvolger van Maruits is, want hij noemt Frederik Hendrik onoverwinnelijke schipper zonder weerga.
2. Frederik Hendrik een goede opvolger van Maurits is, want hij vindt Frederik Hendrik een sterke en besluitvaardige leider.
3. Frederik Hendrik een slechte opvolger van Maurits is, want hij zegt dat de schepen en wapens niets staan te doen.
4. Frederik Hendrik een slechte opvolger van Maurits is, want hij zegt dat Frederik Hendrik staat te dutten en voorkomt dat er wordt aangepakt.

Sleep de woorden naar de juiste plekken in de zinnen

1. De meeste landen in Europa werden in de 17e eeuw bestuurd door een [..................1...................]
   
   
2. Nederland was geen koninkrijk, maar een [..................2...................]
   
   
3. De Republiek der Verenigde [..................3...................] bestond uit zeven zelfstandige [..................4...................]
   
   
4. Elk gewest werd bestuurd door de [..................5...................] waarin vertegenwoordigers van de [..................6...................] en de                       [..................7...................] zaten
   
   
5. In Den Haag kwamen vertegenwoordigers van de gewesten samen in de [..................8...................]
   
   
6.  Daar beslisten zij over [..................9...................] en [..................10...................]

Gebruik deze woorden

Staten-Generaal

Staten

vorst

republiek

adel

Nederlanden

gewesten

steden

het leger

de buitenlandse politiek

Welke zin is ONJUIST?
Lodewijk XIV maakte van Frankrijk een absolutie monarchie waarin:

1. De koning alle beslissingen nam.
2. De koning verantwoording aflegde aan de Staten-Generaal
3. De macht van de koning door niets en niemand werd beperkt
4. Ministers dienaren en adviseurs waren van de koning

• The special place from a political point of view and the economic and cultural flourishing of the Dutch Republic (Golden Age)§3.2 & §3.4

What does it mean?

The crown is the symbol of the absolute monarchs of this time. The Amsterdam 'herenhuizen' in the background were inhabited by the powerful citizens, the regents, who had taken over the power of the monarch in the Republic.

• The striving of monarchs for absolute power (absolutism)§3.1

The scientific revolution

• §3.5

Trade capitalism and the beginnings of a world economy

• §3.3