What?: A time period when monarchs ruled with total control (absolute power)
Where?: Europe, primarily Great Britain (England) and France but Spain and Russia as well
When?: 1500’s to the late 1700’s
Who?: King Louis XIV of France, King Phillip II of Spain and Peter the Great of Russia are the most common examples.
How?: Ruling in conjunction with the Church, Kings were able to consolidate their control over the people.
Why?:Conquering new lands through warfare and colonization made the monarch rich beyond belief so they used their new found wealth to centralize their power.
Importance:
1) Monarchs centralize power uniting nations under one ruler.
2) Monarchs use the Church to keep peasants under control
3) Grand building projects are begun (Palace of Versailles, The Spanish Armada, the city of St. Petersburg)
Related Terms:1) Divine Right, 2) Despot, 3) Monarch/Monarchy