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Feb 28, 1500
Charles the Fifth Born
Charles the fifth was born on February 28, 1500 in Ghent, Belgium. He began ruling over the Netherlands at only age 15. After the death of his maternal grandfather he assumed the right to rule over Spain. Being very unfamiliar with the culture and language, Charles did not establish a strong government in Spain. He left behind a very disappointed people when he won the election as king of Germany after his paternal grandfather’s death. Most of his electoral votes were bought. He later attacked t -
Feb 23, 1527
Sack of Rome
In 1527 Charles the fifth led the Sack of Rome. With 12,000 troops thousands of churches, palaces, and houses were completely destroyed. Charles displayed an amazing ability, partially because of his heritage, to take and show control over many areas of Europe. Only an absolute monarch can manipulate people to be declared ruler over multiple countries. -
Aug 25, 1530
Ivan IV Born
Ivan IV or Ivan the Terrible, born August 25, 1530 as the first tsar of Russia, was a ruthless ruler with a strict expansionist policy. He created a centrally controlled Russian state with a strong military dominance. His rule put Russia into create political and social chaos, which would only be fixed a century after his death by Peter the Great. His mental health added to the chaos as he would enter uncontrollable fits of rage. Even with these destructive happenings, Ivan was still able to est -
Feb 23, 1552
Ivan Expands Into Mongol Territory
One of the major events that Ivan helped to cause was the overtaking of Mongol territory in 1552 and 1556. Ivan used his absolute power to ruthlessly crush the Tartar khanates of Kazan and Astrakan. Even though his efforts were successful, his devotion to his expansion project caused his country’s economy and culture to be disrupted. This would eventually cost popularity of the people. -
Sep 21, 1558
Charles the First Death
Charles the first of Spain died in September 21, 1558. Through taking control over many countries, his absolute power was shown. -
Ivan IV Death
Ivan died in 1584 due to an apparent stroke and left his country in a state of disarray along with political and scars. His absolute monarchy was mainly characterized by a an expansionist policy with a heavy policing presence. His want for control with his ruthless police and his great efforts to expand his country was the highlight of his absolute monarchy. -
Louis XIV Born
Louis XIV was born September 5, 1638 in Saint-Gemaine-en-Laye, France. Louis was known for a rather aggressive foreign policy especially due to his frequent engagements in wars. This eventually cost him the support of his people. Still, his reformations allowed for France to be pulled from its deficit by implementing better finance laws including taxation reformation, industrial growth, and government stability. -
Franco-Dutch War
Louis exerted his power quite harshly through his overbearing approach to foreign policy. One of the more disastrous foreign relations disaster started with his engagement in the Franco-Dutch War which occurred from 1672 to 1678. This war was meant to reposition Louis as a major European power after his failed attempt to claim Spain as his wife’s inheritance. The Franco-Dutch War was also a disaster since France’s territorial gains made surrounding nations feel threatened, band up and attack Fra -
Peter the First Born
Peter the first of Russia, born on June 9, 1672 at Pyotr Alekseyevich in Moscow, was a Russian Czar with ambitious dreams. He dedicated his life to modernizing Russia with the rest of the Western world. He gained new territory, developed a powerful navy, organized a stronger army, and took out religion in education. He also found innovative scientists to help the country mirror Western civilization, and reorganized the form of government. Although a lot was accomplished, he had to raise a lot of -
Peter Builds New Russian Capital
In 1703 Peter declared the building of a new capital on the Gulf of Finland. He really had little reason to justify this rather than he didn’t like Moscow as a child and he wanted a European paradise. It was a tremendous burden on the country both with labor and finances. Only a monarch would be able to get a city merely for his own pleasure. By 1712 it was already Russia’s new capital. -
Louis XIV Death
Louis’s death on September 1, 1715 coincided with debt and famine that he had brought to his country. He was noted for using his absolute monarch power to enact Catholicism as the only religion by destroying and Protestant schools and churches and generated public hostility since he was said to put his personal interests above the country’s interests. -
Peter the First Death
Peter the First died on February 8, 1725 without leaving an heir to his throne. He was an absolute monarch because all of his rules were enforced. He had a vision of exactly what he wanted the country to look like, and Peter the First was only able to make all of his drastic changes, making many of the Russians suffer, because he had absolute power.