Absolutism In The 19th Century

Alyssa Lee
Global History 2
Absolutism Paper
Absolutism means that the ultimate authority is in the state rested in the hands of a king who claimed to rule by divine right. Age of Absolutism was between 1610 and 1789. Absolutism is a term used to depict a type of monarchical power that was not at all restrained by institutions, for example, legislatures, social elites, or churches. Kangxi, Suleiman, and Peter the Great were all shining examples for absolutist rule.
One of the absolute rulers was Kangxi, Kangxi was associated with the coming to power of professional bureaucracies, professional armies, and the state laws. As absolute monarchs they spent significant sums on flamboyant homes for themselves as well as their nobles. It is mandatory
St. Petersburg. In 1725 the construction of Peterhof, a palace near Saint Petersburg, was completed. Peterhof (Dutch for "Peter's Court") was a grand residence, becoming known as the "Russian Versailles". It is a masterpiece of architecture, landscape design, and fountain engineering. The Samson Fountain which depicts the strongman tearing apart the jaws of a lion is especially noteworthy. It symbolizes Peter's victory over Sweden at the battle of Poltava in 1709, a battle which helped secure once and for all Russia’s hold on this region The Summer Palace of Peter the Great was built between 1710–1714 in the northeast corner of the Summer Garden that sat on an island formed by the Fontanka river. It is a charming baroque overlooking the Gulf of Finland, which demonstrates his restrained, European taste Peter implemented sweeping reforms aimed at modernizing Russia.[8] Heavily influenced by his advisors from Western Europe, Peter reorganized the Russian army along modern lines and dreamed of making Russia a maritime power. He faced much opposition to these policies at home, but brutally suppressed any and all rebellions against his authority: Streltsy, Bashkirs, Astrakhan, and the greatest civil uprising of his reign, the Bulavin Rebellion.Widespread objections of his policies including a tax on beards and long robes, which not only implemented social modernization forcing people to shave and adopt
Also they often painted him with his Bashlyk, or traditional hood, which showed that he was of the highest social rank. Another painting depicts Suleiman meeting with the King of Hungary in 1556 and Suleiman is sitting cross legged on his throne. He loved the arts in general. Suliman’s second largest mosque was built in 1550-1557 in Istanbul. He also built the Sehzade Mosque which was completed in 1548. All of the palaces that he had built were very geometric. They had square bases with many domed roofs. While these rulers might not have had the same tastes in art or architecture, they all thought similarly and used them to display their power. Suleiman boasted, “I am the sultan of sultans and the strongest ruler, the loftiest king who defeats the kingdoms around the world, and the shadow of Allah in the Earth, am the son of Sultan Selim...and I conquered with my fire-scattering sword…” He also said, “What men call sovereignty is a worldly strife and constant war; worship of God is the highest throne, the happiest of all estates.” Suleiman believed that to be a ruler he had to constantly be gaining more land, through war after war. Suleiman’s actions were true to his words. Before his rule, the Ottoman Empire stretched from modern day Egypt to Palestine to Turkey and Greece. He expanded his empire, almost doubling its size, to include what is now Algeria, Libya, the Red Sea and Persian Gulf