Part+3

The rise of Spain and Portugal By: Sarah Kadura In the late 1400s, Spain and Portugal often claimed the same newly discovered lands. To solve these conflicts, Pope Alexander VI issued an imaginary line from north to south through the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The Pope gave Spain the rights to all newly discovered lands west of the line and Portugal could claim discoveries east of the line. The Treaty of Tordesillas between Spain and Portugal moved the line farther west. In 1500, the Portuguese navigator Pedro Cabral set sail westward for India. His fleet of 13 ships was blown off course and the Portuguese made landfall on the coast of what is now Brazil. Cabral was able to claim the incredibly rich area of Brazil for Portugal under the Treaty of Tordesillas. Over time, Spain took control of most of Central and South America. They also claimed the Philippines. Portugal claimed the Brazilian coast lands on the eastern and western coasts of Africa and lands in Asia and the East Indies. The great Portuguese empire declined almost as rapidly as it had grown. The government didn’t have the financial wealth to support such a large empire. Portugal had such a small population that it couldn’t replace the losses it suffered as a result of exploration and colonization. In 1580, Spain annexed Portugal. Portugal’s trade was greatly restricted and its overseas colonies were neglected. Only Brazil and Angola survived as major Portuguese colonies. Spain became very powerful after conquering the Aztecs of Mexico in 1521, the Incas of Peru in 1533 and Portugal in 1580. The New World provided Spain with huge amounts of treasure and resources. In the 16th century 150,000 kilograms of gold and 7.4 million kilograms of silver were shipped to Spain. Although a lot of money was being shipped to Spain, the Spanish kings faced financial problems because of the cost of fighting wars. In 1640, Portugal rebelled against Spain’s rule. Spain formally recognized Portugal’s independence in 1668. In the 17th century Spain ceased to be such of a big power of the world. Spain had lost a war to France in 1659 and was forced to give up land to France.

Sources: Lambert, Tim. "A Short History of Spain." //A World History Encyclopedia//. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. . "Voyages of Portugal and Spain." //Holt World History: the Human Journey.// Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2003. 392-99. Print. McAlister, Lyle N. //Spain and Portugal in the New World, 1492-1700//. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1984. Print.

Rise of Russia 1450-1750 By: Amber Garthwaite Absolute states were characterized by strong, ambitious dynasties. It was a strong nobility with ties to rulers who granted concessions and privileges in exchange for cooperation. The ruler contained increasingly centralized and efficient bureaucracy able to extract revenue. Absolute states were characterized by deployment of large standing armies capable of maintaining or expanding territories. Absolute monarchs extended their authority within their territories by expanding structure of the state. Having cooperation from high powering people who supported their policies and decisions helped in the strengthening of the Russian monarch. Ivan the terrible expanded the Russian empire. He was known for his brutal conquering tactics. He controlled all of the trade enterprises. Ivan dealt with powerful class of Russia’s aristocrats, Boyars. The Boyars had been a problem for the kings and emperors because they would try and take over land. Ivan handled the aristocrats by having many of them killed. Peter the Great took over Russia after Ivan. He used military reform, building infrastructures, expansion of territory, and reorganization of bureaucracy and relocation of capital to strengthen the Russian monarchy. He forced Russian upper class to practice European manners and appropriate French as the language of social life. Peter greatly increased Russian monarchy. Catherine the Great took over Russia after Peter died and she strengthened it even more. Centralization of authority in Eastern Europe left nobles with even more authority than they had in west allowing Russian lords to increase their wealth and power. Royal decrees in Russia limited the rights of peasants to move. Peasants lost their freedom in Russia. Because of all these reasons feudalism was decreasing in Russia.

Sources:  Kamen, Henry. "Russia." //Who's Who in Europe 1450-1750//. London: Routledge, 2000. 2-12. Print. Merriman, John. //A History of Modern Europe From the Renaissance to the Present//. London: Norton &, 2004. Print.

 ** France ** By: Kristen Eiles Before the start of absolute monarchies, France was torn apart from the religious wars. Citizens had no respect for law or order, feudal nobility seized control, and finances of the central government were in chaos. This changed in 1593 when Henry of Navarre (King Henry IV) became king and was determined to make a change. His goal was to strengthen France and have it become a supreme power in Europe. King Henry IV restored the authority of the central government, curtailed power of nobility, launched a comprehensive economic reconstruction program, and dealt with the religious turmoil that had been tearing the country apart. Although he did all this, he never got to live out his dream because he was killed as he was preparing for war. Even though King Henry died, his dream did not. After King Henry’s death, his son Louis XIII became king. Louis XIII had a chief minister Cardinal Richeliev. He ruled the land and increased the power of the crown for Louis XIII. Cardinal Richeliev ordered that the Huguenots could not build walls for cites. He also said that all nobles had to destroy their castles, because he did not want them hiding within the walls. He also used people from the middle classes to work in the government. This cut the noble’s power. In 1643, at age five, Louis XIV, became the king. Since he was too young to be able to rule, Cardinal Mazarin ruled for him until he was 23. When Louis was able to make his own decisions about political things, he became a powerful leader with total control. He was able to freeze the nobles out of the government. Louis gave more power to the government officials and made sure the nobles only answered to him. He made sure nobles had to depend of his favor in order to advance in society. He worked extremely hard to increase the wealth of France. During Louis XIV reign, his chief minister of finance, Jean Baptistc Colbert tried to build French industry. His goal was to convince French people to only buy French-made goods and not to buy goods from any other country. Also he urged people to settle in the new French colony in Canada. Louis XIV made France the most powerful nation in Europe. France had more people and a larger army than any other country in Europe. After winning wars against neighboring countries Louis became bolder and tried to seize more land. After a while other countries got tired of France’s power and some countries got together and tired to stop France. Frances final war was with Spain. They wanted to unite their throne, but some countries felt threatened and fought against them. The result was that both countries were forced to give up some of their American and European colonies to England. Sources Vidljinovic, Zoki. "Absolute Monarchy." //Then Again. . .// David W. Koeller, 17 Nov. 1997. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. . "Absolute Monarchs in Europe, 1500-1800." Web. 01 Mar. 1011. .