Absolutism
...eral to show his military might. By the late 1600’s, France had replaced Spain as the most powerful European nation. It too ruled by Absolute monarchs. Louis XIV who was also known as the sun king inherited the French throne in 1643. He ruled France under absolute rule for 72 years. He continued to strengthen the Monarchy, Taking the sun as a symbol of his power and commanding complete loyalty from his subjects. Any critic who challenged his authority was punished. To control his nobles, Louis built a large palace at Versailles. Leading nobles were forced to spend most of the year residing with the King at Versailles. Everything about the Versailles palace was immense. It faced a huge royal courtyard dominated by a statue of Louis XIV. The palace itself stretched for a distance of about 500 yards. Due to its great size Versailles was like a small city. Having the nobles at the palace increased royal authority in two ways. It made the nobility totally dependent on Louis. It also took them from their homes, thereby giving more power to the intendants. It also gave nobles little opportunity to plan a rebellion. Louis XIV ultimately had a negative effect on France. He forced his country in to war to expand, and bring glory to his reign. In the end Louis and his aggressive actions served to unite Europe against France, leaving his country bankrupt and exhausted. Czar Ivan IV or “Ivan the Terrible” centralized royal power and introduced Russia to extreme absolute power. His harsh ruling style and fits of violence earned him the name Ivan the Terrible. To enforce his will he hired a police force, dressed in Black robes, the agents slaughtered rebellious nobles and destroyed towns suspected of disloyalty. Peter the great ruled Russia as Czar from 1682-1725, Peter worked to centralize Royal power and bring all Russians under his authority; he reduced the power of the nobility and gained the control of the Russian Orthodox Church. Peter helped to Westernize and modern...