The Age of Absolutism

The Age of Absolutism

• The Age of Absolutism was a period in European history when nations were governed by absolute monarchs, who had total control over their nations.
• Key characteristics of absolute monarchs include centralizing political control, believing in Divine Right, and believing their power was unlimited.
• Absolute monarchs did not share power with anyone else and made laws without the consent of the people.

Absolute Monarchs

• Peter the Great was the absolute monarch of Russia, who westernized Russia to strengthen his nation.
• Louis XIV was the absolute monarch of France.
• Philip II was the absolute monarch of Spain.
• Henry VIII was the absolute monarch of England.
• Suleiman the Magnificent was the absolute monarch of the Ottoman Empire.
• These monarchs helped expand their nations' territories by taking over neighboring lands.

The Scientific Revolution

• The Scientific Revolution was a sudden and dramatic change in how people viewed the world, using science and reason to explain how the world worked.
• Key people of the Scientific Revolution include:
  • Copernicus, who developed the Heliocentric Theory that the planets revolve around the sun.
  • Galileo Galilei, who proved Copernicus was correct and was put on trial by the Catholic Church.
  • Sir Isaac Newton, who developed calculus and the theory of gravity.
  • Johannes Kepler, who helped discover how planets move.
  • Descartes, a mathematician, scientist, and philosopher.

Effects of the Scientific Revolution

• The Scientific Revolution resulted in the spread of new ideas throughout Europe.
• It challenged the traditional authority of the Catholic Church, as European scientists proved many Church teachings were incorrect.
• The new ideas of this period directly led to the Enlightenment.

Learn about the period in European history when nations were governed by absolute monarchs, their characteristics and key features.