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Aug 25, 1530
Ivan IV Born
Ivan IV, or Ivan the Terrible, was born in Moscow, Russia. Ivan had a rough childhood, and was very isolated, lonely, and saw terrible things. When he took the throne at the age of 15, he created laws that clearly defined and punished crimes. He created and used his army of 100,000 men to take over territory. He had a separate police force that punished people due to his paranoia. Overall, he was cruel to his subjects. -
Jul 12, 1561
St. Basil's Cathedral
St. Basil's Cathedral was built by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate Kazan’s invasion and other key victories in the Tatar campaign that expanded Russia's territory. The legend is that the architects were blinded after building it so that they could not recreate the work. This monument showed Ivan's power over Russia and represented his strength. It also was a propagandist symbol that the people should expand and fight for Russia. -
Ivan the Terrible's Death
Ivan died from a stroke while playing chess with Bogdan Belsky. During this time, he suffered from psychological issues, and killed and tortured hundreds of thousands of his citizens and enemies from other countries. He controlled every aspect of life in Russia, and he had his own police state that would arrest and torture citizens that supposedly went against Russian ideals. He ruled over Russia with a very heavy hand, and what he did made him an Absolute Monarch. -
Charles I birth
Charles I had fought against the Parliament for his entire reign, going against them in every aspect. He disagreed with them on several accounts, and eventually, led to Parliament being dissolved multiple times. He ruled as an Absolute Monarch from 1629 until 1640 until Parliament gained control again, and as a result, led to a civil war. Charles I was defeated, tried by Parliament, and was executed. -
Louis XIV born
Louis XIV was born at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. Four years later, he officially became the king of France, but doesn't take the throne until his godfather dies. When he took the throne, he ruled with a heavy hand, suppressing all attempts of revolt, and put the Nobles in his Palace of Versailles to watch over them. He created clearly defined levels of class, putting people in poverty. He created his own army to watch over the people and to fight other countries. -
English Civil War
Charles I, after creating the Long Parliament, could not dissolve what he created because of laws that the Parliament passed. As a result, he went to war with them, later called the English Civil War. It was separated into three wars, Charles I was executed in the first war, and his son was exiled. The Parliament took charge of the government, ending the Absolute Monarchy in England. Being a very powerful country, this started a general decline of the Absolute Monarchy in Europe. -
Charles I Death
Charles I was killed by the Long Parliament army in the first part of the English Civil War. For most of his reign, he battled with Parliament to pass laws and reform England, but during his 11 years reign, he used up England's money to build up his army to attack other countries, make more ships, and taxed the people so that they would fund the government. Charles' struggle for absolute power demonstrates how he was an Absolute Monarch. -
Peter I born
Peter I inherited the throne with his half-brother Ivan at the age of 10, but ruled alone by the age of 24. He wanted to glorify Russia and advanced its technology and development. He traveled throughout Europe to learn about its technologies and ships. He built up his navy and waged war with Sweden for land to build ships. He brings Russia to its full capacity and makes it as powerful as the other European countries. -
Building the Versailles
Louie XIV built the Versailles so that he could watch over the nobles so that they would not run the country. The saying "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" is exactly what Versailles represents. Louis did not want to have the nobles interfering with what he was doing. He kept the nobles as his courtiers and removed their powers and influence over France, giving him absolute power over France. -
Building of St. Petersburg
Peter the Great’s greatest success was taking over areas of the Baltic Sea from Sweden. He then built the city of St. Petersburg as a major port to Europe and to other countries to trade, and from here, he built his navy. He made this the capital of Russia, which greatly increased trade. It also was his major port to Europe. Also, he built up his personal army and constructed grand palaces and churches for his benefit. -
Louis XIV dies
Louis XIV's death led to celebration in France because there was no more oppression and restrictions against the rest of the country. What made Louis XIV an Absolute Monarch was that he controlled all aspects of the government by himself. He led his own army, played a direct role in supervising France's economic policies, and he believed that he had the divine right of God to rule. His saying, "I am the state," along with all these other factors, show how he is an absolute monarch. -
Peter the Great death
Peter I died of gangrene in his bladder. During his reign, he took control over the Church, and while he was not the Pope, it became government property. Schools were also founded to educate people in technology. He applied western economic ideas into Russia. Finally, he modernized the Russian army and made it strong enough to fight other European countries. He brought Russia to power, but in this process, became an Absolute Monarch. -
