9-9 and 9-10-2020 classwork

 9-10 and 9-11-2020 SECTION 37 

Divine right absolute monarchs Philip the second Louis the 14th Peter the Great Akbar the great 37

Divine Right Absolute Monarchs

As Europeans obtained great wealth by controlling trade

with the Americas, European Monarch-kings let the

power get to their heads. They became

Absolute Monarchs claiming Divine right:

“God-given Power”.

Phillip of Spain: Ruled in the late 1500s.

His empire covered much of the new world. He named

the Asian islands the Philippines after himself! In America,

Spanish colonists and slaves grew sugar, coffee, tobacco and cotton on

plantations. King Phillip collected a portion of profits for everything. He

claimed 1/5th of every pound of gold from Mexico. To guard their interests

in the Caribbean, South American and South Pacific, Phillip commanded the

greatest navy in the world The Spanish Armada.

Louis the 14th Absolutist of France called himself the “Sun King”. He believed

all the power radiated from him like light from the sun. His favorite saying was

“I am the State” I guess It means he is the government of France. He spent

the equivalent of two billion dollars to build one of the grandest palaces in all

Europe; the Palace of Versailles. This Palace had more than 2,000 rooms and

1,500 fountains. The total square footage of 19,000 acres, makes it larger than the

island of Manhattan... big.

Peter the Great Czar of Russia. After taking Power in 1682, Peter made several

tours of West Europe. He returned to Russia determined to westernize his people.

Remember, Russians were pulled to the east by the Mongols in the 13th century.

Peter would work to change all that.

First, Peter required Russian noblemen to shave their beards to appear

west-European. He adopted western-style military and began recruiting from

the lower social classes. This strengthened the army’s loyalty to him alone.

Lastly, he took a warm water port from the Swedes. This enabled Russians

to trade with the west all year round! One of the new shipments coming into

St. Petersburg was... Potatoes! This new world crop really took off in Russia,

improving diet and increasing population. Peter the Great

(and Katherine, the Enlightened after him)

westernized Russia.

The last Absolutist you ought to know was

Akbar the Great. He led the Mughal Empire

of India in the late 16th century. Akbar was loved

for his tolerance and just rule. Late in his reign, he

commissioned the building of the Taj Mahal; one of the

world’s most beautiful architectural wonders.

LIST 3 FACTS FOR EACH 

1  King Phillip of Spain

FACT 1

FACT 2

FACT3 

2  King Louis XIV

FACT 1

FACT 2

FACT3 

3  Peter the Great

FACT 1

FACT 2

FACT3 

4  Akbar the Great

FACT 1

FACT 2

FACT3