Absolute monarchs, and how England's Parliament limited the king

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to E, summaries in our words, written today, except card E. Card A (Russia): Peter the Great lived from 1672 to 1725. He became tsar in 1682 and shared the throne with his half-brother Ivan V until 1696. A Russian navy was created in the 1690s. His Great Embassy left Moscow in March 1697; he was in England from January to April 1698. He founded St. Petersburg in 1703 and defeated Sweden at Poltava in 1709. His laws were often based on foreign models such as Sweden: in 1721 the Spiritual Regulation abolished the office of patriarch and set up the Holy Synod, and in 1722 the Table of Ranks set the state's hierarchy of ranks. Card B (a research guide's judgment): By shifting Russia's "eye" toward Europe, Peter divided its history into "before" and "after." He remains a polarizing figure, and his reign is one of the great turning points in Russian history. Card C (England): Parliament passed the Bill of Rights in December 1689. William and Mary, joint monarchs, had sworn in April to govern by the laws Parliament agreed on. Historians note that Parliament changed over a number of years after 1688. Card D (France): Louis XIV ruled from 1643 to 1715 by divine right, answerable to no one but God. His court at Versailles kept nobles close to him. In 1685 he revoked the Edict of Nantes, ending religious toleration. Card E, two invented readings, made up for this sheet and not from any historian. Reading X: "In this age, monarchs gained power by changing how the elite lived and served, so Peter and Louis XIV were alike." Reading Y: "England's settlement of 1689 shows a different path, because the limits on the crown were written into law."

2. 1.

   Card B calls Peter's reign a turning point and Peter a polarizing figure. Ari asks how both can be true.

   • Historians can agree something changed and still disagree about whether the change was good
   • Disagreement means the turning point was exaggerated, since real turning points are not disputed
   • Card A lists a few acts, so calling the reign a turning point is opinion alone
   • Card B shows Peter caused later Russian history, since it splits that history into before and after
3. 2.

   Card A says Peter's laws were often based on foreign models; card B says he turned Russia's "eye" toward Europe. Bo asks what the two cards add up to.

   • Together they show the Great Embassy of 1697 planned the later laws, since it came first
   • Both point to Europe as a source of ideas, but only card A names laws that borrowed them
   • Both name Sweden as the model, so the "eye" that card B mentions meant Sweden
   • Together they show Russia copied Europe in all areas of life, not only in law
4. 3.

   Reading Y says England's 1689 settlement was a different path because limits were written into law. Jun asks which cards best support Y against reading X.

   • Card A's Table of Ranks, since written ranks limited the tsar's own power
   • Card C's oath and Bill of Rights, set against card D's answerability to God alone
   • Card D's revocation of 1685, since it later led England to write down its limits
   • Card B's turning-point judgment, since a turning point shows a different path
5. 4.

   Reading X says Peter and Louis XIV gained power by changing how the elite lived and served. Kira asks which pair of facts fits X best.

   • Peter's navy and Louis XIV's finances under Colbert, since both reorganized state tools
   • Peter's Holy Synod and Louis XIV's divine right, since both put religion under the ruler
   • Peter's victory at Poltava and Louis XIV's revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685
   • Peter's Table of Ranks, which set how the elite served, and Louis XIV's Versailles
6. 5.

   Readings X and Y are invented. Luz asks which question would let a historian choose between them.

   • Which ruler reigned longest, since long reigns give the most time to change things
   • Did England's limits on the crown hold, and did Peter's and Louis XIV's changes last?
   • Which reading was written first, since the earlier writer would have seen events more clearly
   • Did Peter visit England, since a visit would show he copied England's limits on the crown?
7. 6.

   A student says: "All three monarchs gained power the same way." Using cards A, C and D, Milo asks how the claim fares.

   • It holds in part, since the three rulers swore an oath, as card C shows for England
   • It fails: the cards show three routes, laws and ranks, divine right, and an oath
   • It holds, since each ruler's power rested on the support of the nobles at court
   • It holds until 1689, when England alone changed by writing its limits into law
8. 7.

   A student says: "The Bill of Rights ended royal power in England." Using card C, Noah asks how the claim fares.

   • It goes too far: joint monarchs still reigned under an oath, and Parliament kept changing
   • It fails, since Louis XIV ruled longer than William and Mary and kept his powers
   • It holds, since the Bill in December came after the oath in April and replaced it
   • It holds, since the Bill of Rights is the last event that card C reports for England in 1689
9. 8.

   A student says: "Foreign models make rulers stronger." Using card A, Pia asks how the claim fares.

   • It holds, since Peter beat Sweden at Poltava and Sweden was a model for his laws
   • It holds, since card B calls the reign a turning point after he turned to Europe
   • It fails, since Louis XIV on card D used foreign models in 1685 and grew weaker
   • It goes beyond card A, which shows Peter borrowing, not that borrowing strengthens rulers
10. 9.

    Peter shared the throne with Ivan V from 1682 to 1696 and ruled until 1725. Ren asks what a count of Peter's years alone can and cannot show.

    • 29 years alone, so the reforms began after 1696, when sole rule began
    • About 29 years alone: time to reform, but no proof that sole rule caused reform
    • 14 years alone, since 1682 to 1696 is how long he ruled by himself
    • 29 years alone, so sole rule caused his reforms, since the navy and the new capital followed
11. 10.

    Louis XIV ruled 72 years (1643 to 1715); Peter ruled 43 (1682 to 1725). Tala asks what the two lengths show.

    • Louis ruled about 1.7 times as long, which says nothing on whose power was greater
    • The two reigns overlapped from 1682 to 1715, so the two rulers shared one method
    • Peter's shorter rule shows he changed more per year, as card B suggests about his reign
    • Louis ruled nearly twice as long, so his power was nearly twice as great as Peter's