Absolute Monarchy

Charles V begins rule of the Holy Roman Empire

Feb 24, 1519

Charles was king of Spain. In 1519, the throne of the Holy Roman Emperor became vacant. He was elected to become a next Holy Roman Emperor.As a result, his holdings expanded to parts of Italy, Austria, and various German states. The resulting empire was so vast that Charles liked to say the "sun never st" over it.

Ivan IV becomes czar of Russia

Jan 16, 1533

Ivan the Terrible, or Ivan IV, was the first tsar of all Russia. During his early reign, Ivan acquired vast amounts of land through ruthless means, creating a centrally controlled government. However, during the 1560s, Ivan changed. It was during this time that his strict policies and violent actions sealed his reputation as Ivan the Terrible. He killed his own son who was next in line to be czar. His reign ended in 1584.

Spain under Philip II

Dec 17, 1556

Phillip was king of Spain after Charles V gave up his thrones. Spain reached the peak of its grandeur during the reign of Philip II. The prosperity was the steady stream of gold and silver that flowed from its American colonies. During his reign, Spain had several wars with England. After Spain defeated, a Spanish empire declined.

Queen Elizabeth

Dec 17, 1558

Elizabeth became queen after Mary I died. She is known as a great ruler. She didn't marry because marriage could limit her freedom. Still, she managed to talk Parliament into approving the funds she needed. She listened to others opinion. She let the members of Parliament speak their minds without fear of punishment. She was clearly in charge.

Charles I

Jun 20, 1603

Charles became king after James I died. He was popular at first, but his marriage with a Catholic woman put England in hard time. He had some troubles with Parliament. Parliament refused to give him money several times since Charles refused to sign in the document. The conflict grew bigger, the war broke out between Charles and Parliament. As a result, Charles I was killed.

Louis XIII and Richelieu

Dec 17, 1610

Louis was a king of Frace. He had a chief minister named Cardinal Richelieu. Louis was a relatively weak ruler, but Richelieu was determined to strengthen the monarchy. They reduced the power of the Huguenots to increase their power. They also saw the nobles as a threat, punished who suspected to plan revolts.

The Monarchy of Louis XIV

Dec 17, 1642

Louis XIV became king with his mother as regent at a very young age. He was raised to be king, he was supremely confident in his ability to rule. He declared that he would run the government himself. He built an enormous palace at Versaille. He demanded that he be in charge of all military, political, and economic initiatives. He chose the sun as his personal symbol, thus became known as the Sun Kang.

England under Cromwell

Oct 19, 1653

After Charles I denied, Cromwell was given the title Lord Protector of England. He ran the government based on the commonwealth. He denied monarchy in England. He was a skilled leader, but he demanded complete obedience. He had to deal with foreign issues too.

Peter the Great

May 8, 1682

Peter became czar of Russian after 70 years since Ivan IV died. During his reign, Peter westernized Russia bringing elements of western culture. He even himself went to western Europe to see what Russia needed. He supported education because he believed that Russians needed to learn more. We made several reforms too.

Catherine the Great

Apr 12, 1761

Catherine became czarina after Peter III died. She saw herself as the true successor of Peter the Great and worked to build on his westernization efforts. She even built a bronze statue of him. She believed a strong and wise ruler could improve life for his or her subjects. She reformed Russia's legal and education systems and removed restrictions on trade. However, she had internet conflicts which distracted her plans.