Absolutism And Protestantism: The Effects Of The Reformation

1237 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The cause and effects of reformation

The centuries of the 14th, 15th, and the early 16th, are filled with the Reformation and the effects of it; along with war, which was one of the effects of the Reformation. The Reformation caused Protestantism to come about, which greatly affected and caused many wars, such as the Schmalkaldic wars, in which the result was that the leader could decide the religion of their region. This ability would give more absolute power and control to the ruler of a country. These events and others gave away to the emergence of Absolutism, which is the belief that God appoints kings to rule over people and to control all aspects of the government, with no other authority above him, beside God. Absolutist rulers, Louis XIV of France and Philip II of Spain, …show more content…

Louis XIV led his country to being “one faith” by revoking the rights of other religious groups that could have influence in the central government, such as the Huguenots. He did this by signing in the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes, made in 1598, made Catholicism the official religion of France; however it allowed Huguenots the right to worship and to hold office. By revoking the Edict of Nantes, Louis made it so that Protestants could not worship in Catholic France. This helped make “one faith” more attainable and would fortify the political authority of the king. Since many nobles were Huguenots, it made Protestant influence on the government diminish because the nobles rights of holding office were revoked, which again helped lower the power of authority that other groups could have on the king. In contrast, Philip II used force and fear through the Spanish Inquisition to convert people to be catholic. The Spanish Inquisition was originally introduced to Spain in 1478 under the monarchy of Ferdinand and Isabella. It was a violent group that uses different ways of force to force Catholicism onto people. Being Catholic was important to the Spanish people because they had seen themselves as those divinely chosen to save the Catholic Church from protestantism. This driving force in Philip’s nation, gave him the title of the “Most Catholic Church”, which made him the upholder of Catholicism, a role that helped in his battles. In short Catholicism was important to Philip’s rule and his rule and they way he did it was another thing he tried to control by making it “one

Show More
Related

  • Essay On The Effects Of The Protestant Reformation

    474 Words  | 1 Pages

    There are so many causes from the Protestant Reformation. In the Protestant, there was three different sections that got affected more the the others. When the Protestant Reformation happened it affected the Sociality, Political, and Economic the most.

    Read More

  • Sun King Louis Xiv Dbq

    1280 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Edict of Nantes had given Protestants, or Huguenots, in France the ability to practice their religion without fear of violence or persecution. Enacted in the late 1500s in an effort to resemble France after the destruction of the French Wars of Religion, the Edict of Nantes served as a means to unite the French population and end the violence that often accompanied religious persecution. Louis’ decision to revoke such a peace-promoting edict, in an effort to homogenize his country and align his subjects with his own beliefs, clearly illustrates his giving of priority to his own agenda, as opposed to that which would best benefit his country. However, while the claim that the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes was detrimental to French society, seems to be disproven by Doc 6, which essentially asserts that the king’s revocation has resulted in the rapid conversion of “whole towns” and describes the king as “the invincible hero destined to… destroy the terrible monster of heresy”, the author’s inherently biased point of view must be addressed. This description, which could be used as evidence to support the fact that Louis did act in interest of the state, must be taken with a grain of salt as the author himself, a member of the Assembly of the Clergy, does not even have the best interest of the state in mind; rather, he is

    Read More

  • Hernan Cortes's Campaign Against Machu Picchu

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Spain at the time, the church had authority second only to the crown. The position of a Catholic priest was well-nigh unassailable in the world of the Spanish empire. In fact Spanish priests led the Spanish inquisition, purging society in Spain of Jews, unreligious peoples and those who disagreed with the church. A group that was capable of policing society separate from the power of the government and the monarch had a great amount of power in society and people looked up to priests as role models.

    Read More

  • Absolute Monarchy in Different Empires Throughout History

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    Absolute monarchs ruled though the policy of absolutism. Absolutism declared that the king ruled though divine right with a legitimate claim to sole and uncontested authority (French State Building and Louis XIV). On this basis, Louis XIV of France and Suleiman I of the Ottoman Empire were both absolute monarchs. Each ruler believed that his power belonged to him and him alone due to divine right. They showed their absolute power by living lavishly, increased their power by waging wars, and kept their power by ensuring complete loyalty of their subjects.

    Read More

  • Revolt and Anarchy in Seventeenth Century Europe

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beginning very early in the seventeenth century, religious tension was rampant throughout Europe. An example that illustrates the disastrous effects of religious conflicts in Europe that caused a tremendous amount of violence can be seen in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1618, Ferdinand Habsburg a devout Catholic succeeded the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, and set out to unify the empire under the Catholic faith. However, this mission of Ferdinand Habsburg was not accepted by Protestant citizens, which essentially led to the violence to come. In May 1618, a group of Protestant nobles killed two of the king’s catholic officials, which created the spark for Protestants all throughout the Empire to revolt. Instances of religious revolts were reported in Hungary and Bohemia, ultimately creating an exponential effect, and a reason for Protestants to unite and revolt to preserve their faith. This particular historical event later was termed the Defenestration of Prague. However, the violence did not stop there; in fact the violence only multiplied. Religious conflicts continued to occur in Bohemia in the Battle of White Mountain in 1620 in which Frederick V a Calvinist, lost to Fer...

    Read More

  • Absolutism In The 17th Century

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    The fall of Absolutism began in England in the 1600s primarily due to the beliefs and actions of King Charles I and then the corresponding reaction of the English Parliament. “Absolutism is the exercise of complete and unrestricted power of the government” (Grv, David Parker).” Charles I believed that kings ruled at the discretion of God and only had to answer to God for their actions. Parliament served at the King’s discretion and existed to fulfill his agenda. Historically, Parliament could be summoned or dismissed at the King’s will. They had limited power and the King shared little with them as he distrusted their ability to be effective. Rather than work with Parliament to resolve issues Charles remained inflexible and when necessary engaged in alternative measures to achieve his goals.

    Read More

  • Louis XIV

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the seventeenth century there were different types of leaders in Europe. The classic monarchial rule was giving way to absolutist rule. Absolute kings claimed to be ruling directly from God, therefore having divine rule that could not be interfered with. In 1643 Louis XIV began his reign over France as an absolute king.

    Read More

  • Europe after the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter Reformation

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    The period immediately following the Protestant reformation and the Catholic counter reformation, was full of conflict and war. The entire continent of Europe and all of it's classes of society were affected by the destruction and flaring tempers of the period. In the Netherlands, the Protestants and the Catholics were at eachother’s throats. In France it was the Guise family versus the Bourbons. In Bohemia, the religious and political structures caused total havoc for over thirty years; and in England, the Presbyterians thought that the English Anglican Church too closely resembled the Roman Catholic Church. Religion was the major cause of the widespread turmoil that took place throughout Europe between 1560 and 1660.

    Read More

  • Louis XIV: An Absolute Monarch

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    Louis XIV exemplified absolutism, and his ruling set the example for other monarchs throughout Europe. The aims for absolute monarchy was to provide ‘stability, prosperity, and order’ for your territories (458). The way Louis XIV set forth to accomplish this was to claim complete sovereignty to make laws, sanction justice, declare wars, and implement taxes on its subjects. This was all done without the approval of any government or Parliament, as monarchs were to govern ‘by divine right, just as fathers ruled their households’ (458). In Bishop Jacques-Benigne Bossuet’s Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture, he described that absolution was one of the four characteristics imperative to royal authority, “Without this absolute authority, he can do neither good nor suppress evil; his power must be such that no one can hope to escape him” (460). This was epitomized when Louis XIV sought to control the legal system as well as the funding of the financial resources through a centralized bureaucracy for the monarchy. The church was also brought under control, and Louis sought to do away with all other religions by revoking the Edict of Nantes. Political power was given to noblemen, who were seen as ...

    Read More

  • The End of Absolutism in Europe

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the late 17th and early 18th century, many European nations such as France and Russia were absolute monarchies. Even countries such as England had kings who at least attempted to implement absolutism. Indeed the concept of absolutism, where the monarch is the unquestionably highest authority and absolute ruler of every element in the realm, is certainly appealing to any sovereign. However, this unrestricted power was abused, and by the end of the 18th century, absolutism was gone. Absolutism failed because the monarchs' mistreatment of the population caused the people to revolt against their rule and policies. There are many factors which caused this discontent. For one, there was a great loss of human lives. Louis XIV of France participated in four wars, while Peter of Russia ruthlessly executed anyone who stood against his will. Secondly, monarchs attempted to change religious beliefs. This was notable in England where rulers such as James II desired to convert the Anglican nation into Catholicism. Finally, the burden of taxation was more than the population could support. France was brought into huge foreign debt, English kings constantly attempted to raise money, and Peter of Russia increased taxes by 550 percent. These are some of the key reasons why absolutism failed in Europe.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Ap Euro Dbq Absolutism

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    Absolutism was a period of tyranny in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries because monarchs had complete power to do whatever they pleased. Since absolutism is a "monarchical form of government in which the monarch's powers are not limited by a constitution or by the law" essentially there are no boundaries for actions the monarch can and cannot take. The absolutists did not focus on the people under their rule, they ruled by fear and punishment, and believed they were equal to God.

    Read More

  • The Short-Term and Long-Term Causes of the Protestant Reformation

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    The protestant reformation of 16th century had both: immediate and long term effects. Thus, we can see that it was a revolution of understanding the essence of religion, and of what God is. The protestant reformation is said to a religious movement. However, it also influenced the economical, political and social life of people. The most global, short term effect of the reformation was the reevaluation of beliefs, and, as a result, the loss of authority of the Holy Roman Empire. The long term effects were: the emergence of new heretical movements, the declining of papacy, thus the reevaluation of people’s view on the church and life values.

    Read More

  • The Theory of Absolutism

    3286 Words  | 7 Pages

    One of the chief theorists of divine-right monarchy in the seventeenth century was the French theologian and court preacher Bishop Jacques Bossuet (1627-1704), who expressed his ideas in a book entitled Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture. Bossuet argued first that govemment was divinely ordained so that humans could live in an organized society. Of all forms of gov ernment, monarchy, he averred, was the most general, most ancient, most natural, and the best, since God established kings and through them reigned over all the peoples of the world. Since kings received their power from God, their authority was absolute. They were re sponsible to no one (including parliaments) except God. Nevertheless, Bossuet cautioned, although a king's au thority was absolute, his power was not since he was limited by the law of God. Bossuet believed there was a difference between absolute monarchy and arbitrary monarchy. The latter contradicted the rule of law and the sanctity of property and was simply lawless tyranny. Bossuet's distinction between absolute and arbitrary gov emment was not always easy to maintain. There was also a large gulf between the theory of absolutism as ex pressed by Bossuet and the practice of absolutism. As we shall ...

    Read More

  • The Protestant Reformation

    1843 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century is one of the most complex movements in European history since the fall of the Roman Empire. The Reformation truly ends the Middle Ages and begins a new era in the history of Western Civilization. The Reformation ended the religious unity of Europe and ushered in 150 years of religious warfare. By the time the conflicts had ended, the political and social geography in the west had fundamentally changed. The Reformation would have been revolutionary enough of itself, but it coincided in time with the opening of the Western Hemisphere to the Europeans and the development of firearms as effective field weapons. It coincided, too, with the spread of Renaissance ideals from Italy and the first stirrings of the Scientific Revolution. Taken together, these developments transformed Europe.

    Read More

  • The English Reformation

    1412 Words  | 3 Pages

    Though there was no driving force like Luther, Zwingli or Calvin during the English Reformation, it succeeded because certain people strived for political power and not exactly for religious freedom. People like Queen Elizabeth I and Henry VIII brought the Reformation in England much success, however their reasons were based on self-gain and desire for political power.

    Read More

More about Absolutism And Protestantism: The Effects Of The Reformation

Open Document