Modern European History I HIS-106

1. Modern European History IHIS-106 Unit 4 The rise of western Europe 1640-1715

2. Balance of Power • One of the major concerns of Europe beginning in the second half of the 17th century dealt with the balance of power in Europe • Many leaders were fearful of what was going to happen to the Spanish empire • Spain was already in the process of self-destructing • In 1665 Charles II took the Spanish throne • He had been sickly and a bit insane since childhood, mainly due to too much inbreeding in the Habsburg line • He was also impotent which meant that there would be no direct heir to the Spanish throne when he died

3. Balance of Power • One of the people most interested in taking advantage of this situation was King Louis XIV of France • He was looking to extend his power to include the Spanish territories • Not only would he have supremacy over most of Europe but in the New World as well • He did have a potential claim, albeit a distance one, to the Spanish empire as he married Charles’ sister, Maria Theresa • To bring about this end, he involved France into a series of wars

4. Balance of Power • If Louis had succeeded, this would have tipped the balance of power in Europe well into his favor • This was not a popular idea with the rest of the leaders of Europe • In the previous hundred years, the threat of Habsburg dominance over Europe was tempered by France • France set a precedent of allying itself with other smaller powers to help off-set the dominance of the Habsburgs • This is why they were willing to ally themselves with what would seem like natural enemies (e.g., the Protestants)

5. Balance of Power • Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, keeping the balance of power was a high priority for most of Europe • The purpose was to keep one state from dominating and preserving the overall “liberties of Europe” • This was very effective because of the large number of states in Europe that could be used as an ally, including even the small states like the Netherlands • As Louis XIV began to show his aggression in Europe, it was the Dutch who began to challenge the French

6. The Dutch Republic (c. 1658)

7. The Dutch Republic • After signing the Twelve Years Truce in 1609, the United Provinces of the Netherlands (aka the Dutch Republic) entered into a century of prosperity • By 1600, the Dutch Republic had over 10,000 ships • During the 17th century, the Dutch set up colonies all over the world and dominated shipping • The Dutch East India Company was successful at opening up Dutch markets throughout the Far East including Japan • The Dutch West India Company created the colony of New Netherlands with New Amsterdam as its capital • They also heavily settled South Africa

8. The Dutch Republic • With this prosperity, there is also the rise of the banking industry • The Bank of Amsterdam was created in 1609 which helped to standardize the currency • Amsterdam became the financial center of Europe for the next 200 years • The country as a whole enjoyed freedoms as well • While Calvinism was the dominant religion, most religions were tolerated in the Republic including Jews, Mennonites and other Christian sects • There was also an intellectual and cultural renaissance during this period

9. The Dutch Republic • The government of the United Provinces was a republic • The central power was the States General (Staten Generaal) that had been around since the 1580s • It was made up of representatives from the seven provinces and each province had one vote • They were responsible for governing the Republic from military needs to foreign policy to granting charters to trading companies • Each province had its own assembly with an elected stadholder in charge

10. The Dutch Republic • Most of the politics was controlled by the burgher class • These were the wealthy merchants • One of the most powerful families in the Republic was the house of Orange • They were usually turned to in times for leadership, especially since they provided for most of the military • Usually the stadholder was elected from this house • When William II of Orange died in 1650, no new stadholder was elected for 22 years • Instead, the Republic was run mainly by the burghers

11. William II of Orange and Mary Stuart

12. Trouble with England • In the middle of the 17th century, England was looking to expand its overseas presence • At the time, England was angry with the Dutch for not allying with them to seize control of Spanish and Portuguese possessions overseas • In 1651, it passed the Navigation Act • This act banned the use of foreign ships from shipping goods outside of Europe to England or its colonies • It also banned foreign ships from shipping goods to England from the rest of Europe • It was specifically designed to hurt the Dutch since their economy was based on shipping

13. Trouble with England • From 1652 to 1674, the Dutch became involved in three separate wars • The First Anglo-Dutch War (1652-1654) was mostly fought at sea • It began when English ships attacked Dutch merchant ships • In the end, the Dutch were forced to state that they would respect the Navigation Act • It also included a secret Act of Seclusion which stated that the Dutch would not allow William III of Orange from becoming stadtholder

14. Trouble with England • However, this peace does nothing to end the rivalry between England and the Dutch Republic • The Dutch continued to trade to English colonies • Because of this, the English wanted to put an end to dominance of Dutch shipping • However, England had cash problems between the two disasters of 1665-1666 • This was due to the Great Plague and Great Fire of London • The English were forced to finance their navy with goods and supplies captured from Dutch ships

15. Trouble with England • Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665-1667) • At the beginning of the war, the English were successful • However, the English were quickly running out of money and started talks with the Dutch for peace • In June 1667, the Dutch attacked the English fleet in port at Medway, destroying it • Treaty of Breda - July 31, 1667 • The English were able to keep New Netherlands • They had taken the colony in 1664 • The Navigation Act was modified to allow the Dutch to ship goods from Germany to England

16. Trouble With French • As the Dutch were being terrorized by the English at sea, the French were a threat on land • Louis XIV began attacking the Spanish Netherlands • As his troops got closer to the Dutch Republic, the Dutch were willing to turn aside their dispute with the English to get help against the French • Forming the Triple Alliance, the Dutch, English and Swedish were able to push back the French the first time in the War of Devolution • On the second attempt, during the Franco-Dutch War, Louis was able to occupy three of the seven Dutch provinces

17. William III Prince of Orange

18. William III of Orange • It is with this war that the Dutch called for a young William the III of Orange to take control as stadtholder • William III of Orange was born eight days after his father’s death in 1650 • He was plain, well educated man who preferred a nice simple life • Six of the seven provinces elected him as stadtholder and he was able to organize the Dutch resistance to the French • Little did anybody know that he would turn into Louis XIV’s greatest enemy

19. William III of Orange • To deal with this threat from France, William allied himself with Denmark and Brandenburg • This alliance was successful and Louis was forced to sue for peace • William also gained a strong alliance by marrying Mary Stuart in 1677 • She was the niece of King Charles II of England • In 1689, after the Glorious Revolution, William and Mary became the monarchs of England • As king of England, William becomes an even greater thorn in Louis’ side

20. Elizabeth I (1588-1603)

21. England in the 17th Century • During the 17th century, the English were not as involved in affairs on the continent • Mainly this was due to internal discord including a civil war and a revolution • Part of the problem involved a political struggle between the kings and Parliament • The house of Stuart took control of England with the death of Elizabeth I in 1603 • This royal house of Scotland attempted to invoke the divine right of kings which was resisted by Parliament

22. England in the 17th Century • The other part of the problem was based on religion • While Elizabeth solidified the Church of England, there were still two radical religious groups: the Catholics and the Puritans • The Catholics wanted greater freedom and less persecution • The Puritans wanted greater control through Parliament • Problems between the English monarchy and Parliament had their origins during Elizabeth I’s reign • She ruled as the complete authority in England for most of her reign

23. Origins of The English Civil War • However, in the 1590s that had to change due to a number of financial crises: • The cost of the war with Spain • Widespread crop failures • Rebellion in Ireland • An antiquated taxation system that could not keep up with the growing debt • In 1601, when Elizabeth asked for money for the Irish rebellion, she was forced to make concessions with Parliament • For example, she had to agree to not grant any further monopolies and revoke any that had been granted illegally

24. Origins of The English Civil War • While Parliament was demanding of Elizabeth to grant them more power, over the years it had developed a very personal relationship with her • This meant they were willing to work with her • When Elizabeth died in 1603, she did not have a direct heir • Since there was no one left in the house of Tudor to take the throne, it passed to her cousin James Stuart • James I was not going to be willing to work with Parliament after he takes the throne

25. James I (1603-1625)

26. James I (1603-1625) • James I was the son of Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnly • Most of the English considered him to be a “foreigner” • He was from Scotland and had a very strong accent • Also, many English considered the Scots to be “barbarians” • While he was highly educated and good natured, he possessed little dignity, had ungracious manners, a blundering tongue, and he drooled when he spoke • Henry IV of France called him the “wisest fool in Christianity”

27. James I (1603-1625) • James did have a strong background in politics as he had been ruling as James VI of Scotland • All of his learning though was in Scotland so he was ignorant of the English laws and traditions • When he inherited the English throne, he also inherited the problems with the Catholics and the Puritans • Both of these groups had been upset with the Elizabethan Compromise

28. Gunpowder Plot conspirators

29. James and the Catholics • Many Catholics believed that when James came to England, he would allow more tolerance of the Roman Catholics • His mother had been Catholic • Shortly after he took the throne, he lowered the recusancy fines • It had been £7000 (~$2 mil.) in 1603 and was lowered to just £1500 (~$440,000) in 1604 • However, there were some Catholics who felt he was not doing enough

30. James and the Catholics • In 1603, Catholics participated in the Bye and Main Plots • Bye Plot plan consisted of kidnapping the king to force him to repel anti-Catholic legislation • Main Plot plan consisted of killing the king and replacing him with his Spanish cousin Arabella Stuart • Both plots were foiled • In response, James called Parliament to raise the recusancy fines again

31. James and the Catholics • On November 5, 1605, the Gunpowder Plot was exposed • Guy Fawkes had been caught in the basement of Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder • It was discovered that a group of Catholics had decided to blow up the King and Parliament • With these findings, James ended any tolerance he had of the Catholics • In 1606 he enacted the Oath of Allegiance which required all to deny the pope’s authority over the monarch

32. John Rainolds • Puritan leader • (1549-1607)

33. James and the Puritans • Another religious minority affecting English politics were the Puritans • The original Puritans were Protestants fled England during Mary’s reign and spent time in Geneva where they embraced Calvinism • They had returned to England during the early years of Elizabeth I’s reign • Their main belief was the “regulative principle” • This meant that if a practice has no basis in the Bible, it should not be part of the church • They sought to “purify” the Church of England by getting rid of these unnecessary practices

34. James and the Puritans • The Puritans did want to work with the monarch and “fix” the Church of England • Those Calvinists who lost faith with the monarch during Elizabeth’s reign became known as “separatists” • When James ascended to the throne, the Puritans had hoped he would implement reforms • Specifically, they wanted the Church of England to become more Calvinistic • They wanted to simplify the church system and get rid of any semblances to Catholicism

35. James and the Puritans • One demand they made of James was replacing the current episcopal system with a Presbyterian model • This is where ministers and elders were the leading administrative figures instead of the bishops • They also wanted a new translation of the Bible • The Bishops’ Bible, in use since 1568, supposedly contained mistranslations • Also, they wanted the Bible to reflect more Calvinistic ideals, including replacing the word “church” with “congregation”

36. James and the Puritans • James met with the Puritans at the Hampton Court Conference in January 1604 • However, he made sure that the Puritans in attendance at the Conference were the moderate ones • James told the Puritans that he was going to keep the bishops • This was mainly because the bishops were appointed by the king and major supporters of monarchical authority • He also required them to adhere to the Thirty Nine Articles put forth during Elizabeth’s reign

37. James and the Puritans • James did grant one major concession: a new translation of the Bible • This became known as the King James Version of the Bible • James appointed 47 translators to work on the new Bible but made sure they were all from the Church of England • He also made sure that the new Bible supported the episcopal system of church administration • By making this concession, he gained support of the moderate Puritans • At the same time, however, he alienated himself from the radical Puritans

38. John Whitgift • Archbishop of Canterbury • 1583-1604

39. James and Parliament • When James took the throne in 1603, he immediately clashed with Parliament • The main issue was over the divine right of kings • Divine right of kings claimed that kings received their authority directly from God • It also meant that the kings were above secular law and the will of the people • This included believing that the king is above any legislative branch • In his True Law of Free Monarchies (1598), James supported divine right • This was going to cause tension between James and Parliament

40. James and Parliament • In 1604, James wanted to complete a legal union between England and Scotland • However, many MPs were against such a union • When James tried to bring forth legislation for the union, they voted against it • Part of this had to do with their loyalty for England, but another part had to do with the legal nightmare associated with such a change • In October, James issued the royal declaration Proclamation concerning the Kings Majesties Stile • With this, he assumed the title King of Great Britain

41. James and Parliament • Another key issue was the country’s debt • When Elizabeth had died, she had left the country £400,000 in debt from various wars • When James took the throne, he continued to spend money • Many saw him as incompetent with the country’s finances • By 1606, the debt was up to £600,000 • Parliament did have an advantage over James: it had money while he did not • Per the Magna Carta (1215), it was the gentry who collected taxes, not the king, and they made up Parliament • Also, the king could not collect any special taxes without Parliament’s approval

42. James and Parliament • By 1610, the country was in bad financial shape • That year, Secretary of State Robert Cecil proposed the Great Contract • It would grant James £600,000 to pay off his debts and an additional £200,000 a year to cover his expenses • In return, James would give up his right to Purveyance and Impositions • Purveyance is the right of the Crown to collect certain goods for the running of the royal household • During James’ reign, it amounted to about £40,000 a year • Impositions were the Crown’s collection of duties on imports • Parliament believed this was illegal as the king did not receive Parliament’s approval to collect it

43. James and Parliament • James refused to agree to the Contract • In December 1610 he dissolved Parliament • This was mainly due to the restrictions Parliament wanted on Impositions • He recalled Parliament in 1614 to try to get additional funds out of them • Parliament felt that James did not need the money as the Anglo-Spanish War had ended • They blamed his lack of funds on his own incompetency so they tried to push the Grand Contract again • James dissolved Parliament after just eight weeks

44. James and Parliament • James did not call Parliament back for another seven years • In the meantime he used his friends to run the government for him • In 1615, he also began selling peerages to the highest bidder in an effort to raise money • A new landless title of Baronet was available for £1,095 • The title of Baron could be bought for £8,000 and Earl for £10,000 • In 1603, there had been 59 peers but by 1625 there were 121

45. James and Parliament • In 1621, James was forced to call Parliament • His son-in-law, Frederick V of Palatine, required military aid during the Thirty Years War • As the king did not have the finances to support this, he needed Parliament’s approval • Parliament was willing to send some aid to Frederick • However, Parliament also wanted a declaration of war against Spain • James believed that Spain could be a source of income • He wanted to marry his son Charles to the Spanish princess, Maria, therefore receiving a large dowry

46. James and Parliament • Parliament instead requested that Charles marry a Protestant instead • James responded by dissolving Parliament again • James continued to negotiate with Spain • However, Spanish dragged out negotiations • They argued that Charles would have to convert and repeal all anti-Catholic legislation • The real reason was to keep England out of the war on the continent

47. James and Parliament • In January 1623, Charles traveled to Spain incognito to help push the marriage proposal • However, Maria refused to see him and the Spanish decided to up the ante of the bargain • For the marriage to occur, Charles would not only have to convert to Catholicism but also live for a year in Spain • Charles now wanted to align England with France against the Habsburgs but James still refused to declare war • On March 27, 1625, James died • His health had been failing for over a year

48. Charles I (1625-1649)

49. Charles I and Parliament • Charles was arrogant and like his father believed strongly in the divine right of kings • From the very beginning of his reign he had issues with Parliament • In May 1625, Charles married Henrietta Maria • She was the daughter of Henry IV of France and was a Catholic • Parliament was against the marriage • Charles attempted to seek funds to aid Frederick of Palatine • Parliament only agreed to give £140,000 to fund a naval attack against Spain’s colonies

50. Charles I and Parliament • One bone of contention was Charles’ friend and favorite, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham • He had arranged Charles’ marriage to Henrietta Maria • There were rumors that Buckingham was going to send the navy to assist France against the Hugenots • Parliament then went on to limit the Tonnage and Poundage Tax the Crown could collect • Historically, Parliament did not vote to give the king a specific amount of money, but instead voted to give him money from certain taxes • As a way to control the king’s spending, this Parliament voted to grant the king the taxes for one year rather than for life