Louis XII of France:
His monarchy led to the expansion of absolutism. Louis was
influenced by rulers who favored absolutism. When he became king at age 9, his
mother made all the authorial decisions because he was a minor, she was aided
by Galigai and Concini. Later on Galigai was accused and found guilty of being
a witch, and was executed. Then Concini was suddenly murdered. King Louis now
had more control; the only thing stopping him from receiving more power was his
mother. Louis then sent his mom to a castle in southern France where she lived
in exile. Now that he had total control over the throne, he could do whatever
he desired. Although he soon realized
that if he wanted to achieve absolutism he would need some help. He then asked
the Duke of Luynes and Cardinal Richelieu, who both wanted to achieve
absolutism. They did achieve absolutism together; however they power was
lessened by the French Wars of Religion.
Ivan IV “Ivan the Terrible”:
His childhood was very dark; he had lost both of his parents
when he was less than ten years of age. He was crowned prince when he was three
and his father wanted him to rule the empire. However Ivan was quite young, so
he had help from the boyars. As Ivan grew older the boyars would not let him
rule. They would neglect him and molest him and his brother. They would not
feed them and they were left starved and poor. He was soon fed up with all of
this and denounced all of the boyars for neglecting him and the nation. To scare the boyars he threw the lead boyar into
a heard of hungry hunting dogs. The boyars then let Ivan take his rightful
place on the throne. Ivan was a great
leader for the beginning of his reign; he was kind and very successful. However
when his wife died he turned very angry and violent. He set up an Oprichniki
who would disturb churches during mass and captured and sometimes murdered the
priest by the altar. Ivan held sacrilegious masses that were followed by rape
and torture. Ivan also massacred Novgorod with the Oprichniki. The citizens of Novgorod
were hunted down and killed. The men, women, and children were tied to sleds
and were run down to the freezing river where there were thousands of other
copses. He even came to the point where
he killed his own son, he was also greatly known for manipulating people.
Fredrick III of Prussia:
Fredrick III created a very well organized military. His
great military was the reason he was an absolutist. His life was 100% dedicated
to his military. Every soldier had an organized schedule and vigorous training.
By the end of Fredrick III reign he spent 70% if his budget on only his
military. When he stepped down from the throne he had an issue with finding a
successor that would fill his large shoes. Eventually he decided that his son
would be the right fit.
Kang Xi:
He was the longest ruling emperor in China on what his people
should do. He set a standard behavior throughout his empire. The rules are listed below:
- Esteem most
highly filial piety and brotherly submission, in order to give due
importance to the social relations.
- Behave with
generosity toward your kindred, in order to illustrate harmony and
benignity.
- Cultivate peace
and concord in your neighborhoods, in order to prevent quarrels and
litigations
- Recognize the
importance of husbandry and the culture of the mulberry tree, in order to
ensure a sufficiency of clothing and food.
- Show that you
prize moderation and economy, in order to prevent the lavish waste of your
means.
- Give weight to
colleges and schools, in order to make correct the practice of the
scholar.
- Extirpate
strange principles, in order to exalt the correct doctrine.
- Lecture on the
laws, in order to warn the ignorant and obstinate.
- Elucidate
propriety and yielding courtesy, in order to make manners and customs
good.
- Labor diligently
at your proper callings, in order to stabilize the will of the people.
- Instruct sons
and younger brothers, in order to prevent them from doing what is wrong.
- Put a stop to
false accusations, in order to preserve the honest and good.
- Warn against
sheltering deserters, in order to avoid being involved in their
punishment.
- Fully remit your
taxes, in order to avoid being pressed for payment.
- Unite in
hundreds and tithing, in order to put an end to thefts and robbery.
- Remove enmity
and anger, in order to show the importance due to the person and life.
"Chinese Cultural Studies: Kangxi K'ang Hsi: The Sacred Edict (1670 CE)."Chinese Cultural Studies: Kangxi K'ang Hsi: The Sacred Edict (1670 CE). N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
Ferdinand II of Aragon:
He was pure politician that only got married so he could get
the throne. He did not care about anything except domain and political
power. This made him an absolutist
because he didn’t care about the people he only cared about controlling people
and having power.
My Argument :
I believe that absolutist have only one main focus and whatever that focus is usually effects the empire negatively. For instance, when Ferdinand II focused on politics and power he neglected the people. When Kangxi and Fredrick III focused on the people and military, the government was neglected. When Ivan IV focused on his wife's death he ended up killing thousands of people. Also when Louis XII focused on getting the throne, he neglected his family.
Citations
"ABSOLUTE RULERS IN HISTORY." ABSOLUTE RULERS IN HISTORY. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
"Chinese Cultural Studies: Kangxi K'ang Hsi: The Sacred Edict (1670 CE)."Chinese Cultural Studies: Kangxi K'ang Hsi: The Sacred Edict (1670 CE). N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
"Louis XIII of France." Louis XIII of France. N.p., 2013. Web. 12 May 2014.
Andreyev, Nikolay. "Ivan IV (tsar of Russia)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 11 May 2014.
"World History." World History. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.
Haarman, Susan. "Absolute Terror "Ivan the Terrible"" N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
"ABSOLUTISM OR PARLIAMENTARISM? PART II: THE PRUSSIAN AND ENGLISH OUTCOMES (1570-1746)." ABSOLUTISM OR PARLIAMENTARISM? PART II: THE PRUSSIAN AND ENGLISH OUTCOMES (1570-1746). N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
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