Absolute Monarchs

Absolute Monarch- a king or

queen who has unlimited power
and seeks to control all aspects
of society/life
King Suleiman I - Emperor of Ottoman Empire
Charles V
 Charles V Divided His Empire
Philip II (son)
● Spain
● Netherlands
● American
colonies

Ferdinand (brother)
● Austria
● Hungary
● Holy Roman
Empire
1. Monarchs focus on riches
Surprise! People like to be rich, those that are rich like to be more rich.
Kings and Queens are no exception!
A. Silver, Silver, Silver
Inflation- increase in prices and drop in the value of money

Ships of silver coming from colonies = more silver = not as valuable

2. Size of their courts = Facade of Power & Prestige

Original clout chasers

More people you have

around you the better

Feelings of importance

Impressions of power
B. Rich don’t pay taxes!

In Spain, Philip II didn’t make the rich

pay taxes.

● Why do you think he did this?

● What effect would this have on
the regular people?
● What effect would this have on
the government? (hint: what is
the point of paying taxes?)
 3. Bureaucracies created to control government
People like to have positions with official titles. For example, Assistant Financial
Accountant to the Outland Colonies or Official Breadmaker to the Royal Court.

Why would people want these? Who would fill these? Whose gives them directions?
C. Imported Goods
Under Philip II, those in charge of the economy liked foreign goods. They bought
things from France or England and used German and Italian banks.

They did not support their own merchants and artisans.

What effects might this have?

4. Regulate Religion
Remember our friend King Henry VIII from England?

Well he was not alone in wanting to control religion in his country to suit his own
beliefs and/or interests. Monarchs often showed preference to their religions.
 Divine Right
The idea that monarchs are God’s
representatives on earth and are
therefore answerable only to God
D. Netherlands Rebellions
Spain (and Philip II) was Catholic but Spanish Netherlands was largely Protestant.
Duke of Alva was sent to stop Protestant rebellion in Sp. Netherlands.
1568 kills 1500 Protestants and suspected rebels = 11 year war for independence.
 Exit Question:
What type of king/queen would
you be? How would you rule to
ensure that you don’t fall victim
to some of the same mistakes
that King Philip II of Spain
made?