Advanced Placement (AP) European History Practice Exam

What strategy did new monarchs like Queen Elizabeth use to centralize authority during the 1500s and 1600s?

1. By decentralizing power to local governments

2. By monopolizing taxation and military force

3. By promoting a feudal system

4. By increasing the power of the nobility

The correct answer is: By monopolizing taxation and military force

The correct choice highlights a key strategy employed by new monarchs, including Queen Elizabeth, to consolidate power and centralize authority. By monopolizing taxation and military force, these rulers could diminish the influence of local lords and nobles who traditionally held significant power. This centralization was crucial in establishing a more unified and controlled government, allowing the monarchs to exert authority over their realms more effectively. Taxation was a vital tool for revenue and enabling the state to maintain a strong military presence. With increased control over finances, new monarchs could fund their armies directly, reducing dependency on feudal lords for military support, which had potential loyalties to regional rather than central authority. Furthermore, a centralized military allowed for quicker responses to both internal and external threats, unifying the state under the monarch’s leadership. The other options do not accurately reflect the strategy of centralization. Decentralizing power would undermine the monarch’s authority, while promoting a feudal system or increasing the power of the nobility would counteract the efforts to consolidate control and reduce the potential for challenges to the monarchy. Thus, the successful strategy of monopolizing taxation and military force stands out as the correct approach used by new monarchs like Queen Elizabeth during this period.