European Monarchies, Colonial Systems & Enlightenment

European Absolute Monarchy and Its Impact

In the 15th century, many European rulers increased their own power and weakened the nobles. In the early 17th century, Cardinal Richelieu felt nobles were still too powerful. Louis XIV invited nobles to live at his court at Versailles to exert more control over them.

Spain's Path to a Unified Nation

King Philip V abolished the special laws of the Crown of Aragon. He introduced Castilian law throughout Spain and made Madrid the capital. He also created intendentes, powerful civil servants.

Social Hierarchy in the Spanish Indies

The social structure in the Spanish Indies was a caste system based on your race and place of birth, with different rules for each group. As people of different races married and had children together, the number of castes increased.

Societal Structure: The Three Estates

Society was largely divided into three estates:

1. The Clergy
2. The Nobility
3. Everyone else

The Monarch: Held absolute power, controlled all aspects of government, and had the most privileges.

The First Estate (Clergy): The Catholic Church had its own courts, received tithes, owned large estates, and the clergy paid very few taxes.

The Second Estate (Nobility): Nobles also paid very few taxes, held many powers over their vassals, and received various taxes and fees from them. Under feudalism, the main role of the nobility was to protect ordinary people and provide armies for the king.

The Third Estate: This group included illiterate peasants living in great poverty, urban workers, and rich, well-educated people in the bourgeoisie. They shared a similar legal status but had much less political power and paid far more taxes.

Economic Systems: Mercantilism & Triangular Trade

Most countries believed in mercantilism, the idea that countries became rich by accumulating precious metals. The Triangular Trade was a key part of this economic activity:

1. Guns and cloth were exported from Europe to Africa.
2. The guns and cloth were exchanged for slaves, who had been captured by rival tribes.
3. The slaves were taken from Africa to the Americas. This leg of the journey was called the Middle Passage.
4. Slaves were exchanged for sugar, coffee, cotton, and tobacco. These products were then taken back to Europe.

Enlightenment Thinkers and Ideas

Montesquieu's Separation of Powers

Montesquieu (1689-1755) suggested that the executive, legislative, and judicial powers of government should be separated.

The Encyclopaedia Project

The Encyclopaedia, a significant work of the Enlightenment, was edited by Denis Diderot.

Enlightened Despotism: Charles III of Spain

Charles III, the fifth son of Philip V, exemplified enlightened despotism. When he became King of Spain, he had already ruled the Kingdom of Two Sicilies for 25 years. He implemented a great number of reforms:

• He provided hospitals, built canals, and invested in agriculture and manufacturing.
• He made work honorable, encouraging nobles to participate actively in the economy.
• He reduced the power of the Church, limited the Inquisition, and expelled the Jesuits from Spain.
• He encouraged the teaching of practical subjects.

The War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714)

In 1700, Charles II of Spain died without an heir. Though Spain had declined in the 17th century, it remained a very important country. The succession crisis involved two main claimants:

• Philip of Anjou (Bourbon dynasty): Charles II had named Philip, Duke of Anjou, as his heir. He was supported by most of Castile.
• Charles, Archduke of Austria (Habsburg dynasty): Other European powers feared that France would become too powerful if Philip became King of Spain. He was supported by most of Aragon.

This disagreement led to the War of the Spanish Succession, which involved most of Western Europe. In the end, Philip of Anjou became the first Bourbon king of Spain, known as Philip V.

The Treaty of Utrecht (1713)

The Treaty of Utrecht marked the end of the war with significant consequences:

• Spain lost the Spanish Netherlands and all its Italian territories, mostly to Austria.
• Britain gained control over Gibraltar and Minorca.
• Spain granted Britain the asiento – a monopoly over the slave trade between Africa and the Spanish colonies. This was very valuable, as the slave trade was highly profitable.

The war and its aftermath helped bring about the birth of Spain as a single, unified country.