Slide 1 · States & Institutions of Power
Absolutism Takes Shape in France
After the chaos of the Wars of Religion and the Fronde, Louis XIV built an absolutist state claiming divine right — centralizing power in the monarchy and sidelining the nobility's traditional independence.
Slide 2 · States & Institutions of Power
Versailles & the Domestication of the Nobility
Louis XIV moved the royal court to the Palace of Versailles, requiring nobles to live there under his watch. Elaborate court ritual and dependence on royal favor transformed a once-independent nobility into a controlled, ceremonial class.
Slide 3 · Economic Systems
Colbert & French Mercantilism
Jean-Baptiste Colbert pursued mercantilist policy — state-sponsored manufacturing, tariffs on imports, and colonial trade — to make France economically self-sufficient and fund Louis XIV's wars and court.
Slide 4 · States & Institutions of Power
Habsburg, Prussian & Russian Absolutism
Austria's Habsburgs built a multiethnic absolutist state after repelling the Ottomans, while Prussia's Hohenzollerns fused military strength with bureaucratic efficiency. Peter the Great forcibly westernized Russia and built a new capital at St. Petersburg.
Slide 5 · States & Institutions of Power
England's Civil War & the Execution of Charles I
Conflict between Charles I and Parliament over taxation, religion, and royal authority erupted into civil war. Parliament's victory, followed by Charles I's execution in 1649, showed that even a king could be held accountable to law.
Slide 6 · States & Institutions of Power
The Glorious Revolution & the Bill of Rights
In 1688, Parliament removed James II and invited William and Mary to rule, securing a constitutional settlement. The 1689 Bill of Rights limited royal power and affirmed Parliament's authority over taxation and law — a direct contrast to French absolutism.
Slide 7 · Economic Systems
The Dutch Republic & Commercial Power
Without a centralized monarch, the Dutch Republic thrived through trade, banking, and the Dutch East India Company, demonstrating that economic power and political success did not require absolutist rule.
Slide 8 · Cultural & Intellectual Developments
Baroque Art as Political Statement
Baroque art and architecture — dramatic, grand, and emotionally intense — served absolutist rulers like Louis XIV by visually projecting royal power and divine favor, while also flourishing in the religious art of the Catholic Counter-Reformation.