I thought it would be a good idea if you had the chance to see what some sophomores wrote on the recent Chapter 5 Test. The following are answers to questions 11-16, royal Families and the Essay on gaining and keeping power.
Royal Families
11. Hapsburg: Austria, Spain, Holy Roman Empire
Maria Theresa (Austria)
- had many children
- married for love
- successfully defended Silesia from Prussia, but later lost it in a treaty
- proved that women could be strong rulers
Philip II (Spain)
- became rich from gold/silver from Americas
- built ships with money and attacked England (Spanish Armada) but failed because of weather
- attacked Dutch
- had to declare Spain bankrupt several times
12. Bourbon: France
Louis XIV (France)
- had surgery to remove kidney stones
- built court Versailles
- controlled nobility by housing at his court
- was frightened as a little kid, so he became determined to be absolute monarch
- supported the arts (opera & ballet)
- also called the Sun King
13. Hohenzollern: Prussia
- Frederick the Great (Prussia)
- watched his friend be beheaded as a young boy
- built strong military army (standing army)
- appointed landowners to high position (officers) and therefore they were loyal to him
- started 7 Years' War by attacking Saxony
- allied with Great Britain
14. Romanov: Russia
Ivan the Terrible (not from that family, but married someone from the Romanov family)
- decreased power of land owners
- killed his eldest, strongest son
- married Anastasia from Romanov family
Peter the Great
- embarked on the "Great Embassy"
- introduced westernization
- controlled Russian Orthodox church
- hired European officers to train his army
- imposed taxes
- built capital called St. Petersburg
15. Stuart: England
Charles I
- always in need of money for his court and wars
- constantly dissolved Parliament
- imposed heavy taxes
- engaged in English Civil War
- captured and beheaded on a cold day
- allowed one walk with his dog before executed
- publicly executed
- wore extra undergarments so he wouldn't shiver
Charles II
- converted to Catholic on death bed
- known as Merry Monarch
- son of Charles I
- Apple Day because he hid in an apple tree to escape the Puritans
16. In this paragraph I will identify some ways and examples in which monarchs gained absolute power. First, they used the rising of cities. Frederick the Great made Prussia and cities within it rise again from the Thirty Years' War by creating a standing army and gaining the land of Silesia. Second, the wealth of the colonies was used by Jean Baptiste Colbert. He encouraged France's colony to move to Canada for the fur trade. This brought much wealth. Third, the growth of national kingdoms. Philip the Second made his kingdom grow by invading the Spanish Netherlands and gaining 12 towns. The breakdown of church authority was used by Peter the Great. He took on the job of the patriarch of the church to get more power. In the decline of feudalism, Louis XIV decreased the power of the nobles by removing them from the council meetings and making them commute regularly with him. Someone who used the growth of the middle class was Peter the Great. He introduced potatoes, newspapers, allowed women to come to social gatherings, and changed clothing styles all in efforts to make the middle class grow. Lastly, revolts were a change for monarchs to gain power. An example of revolts is one against Cardinal Mazarin. People didn't like his increase in taxes or increase in government control.
In this next paragraph I will discuss how the monarchs used the power they gained. First, they regulated social and religious gatherings. For example, Cardinal Richelieu forced the Protestants to break down their walls to regulate what they were doing and prevent them from going against him. Second, they created new governments and bureaucracies. As an example, Cardinal Richelieu gave more power to government agents. this gave them power to change the government. In the decreasing of the power of the nobles, Louis XIV would make nobles live at the palace. this also gave inendants more power and less to the nobles. He also would exclude them from council meetings. Lastly, the increasing the size of the court is grandly represented by Louis XIV and the Palace of Versailles. He is very well known for his grand palace. He made sure his estate was well known for being big. this showed his power.