Download The Rise Of Austria and Prussia

The Rise Of Austria and
Prussia
By Zuri Marley
The Thirty Years’ War took a terrible toll
on the people of the German states.
Finally, two great German-speaking
powers, Austria and Prussia, rose out of
the ashes. Like Louis XIV in France, their
rulers perfected skills as absolute
monarchs.
The Thirty Years War
Ravages Europe

The French Philosopher Voltaire observed that the Holy
Roman Empire was neither Holy, Nor Roman.

By the seventeenth century The Holy Roman Empire had
become a patchwork of several hundred small small,
separate states.

The states were ruled by the Holy Roman emperor who
would be chosen by electors.

Electors: Seven leading Germanic princes that chose the
Holy Roman emperor.
War Ravages Europe
Continued
The Thirty Years’ War
A Brutal War Begins
The war began in Bohemia (Present Day Czech Republic)
The Catholic Hapsburg King of Bohemia, Ferdinand sought to
suppress Protestants and to assert royal power over nobles.
The war was sparked up when two protestant noblemen
through two catholic officials our of the palace window in
Prague. (This was later known as the Defenestration of
Prague)
The Defenestration of Prague turned a widespread revolt and
then a full on European war.
Europe After The Years’
War (1648)
Monarchs
Ferdinand is Elected
Emperor

With the support of Spain, Poland, and other Catholic states, Ferdinand tried to roll
back the reformation by force.

Early stages of war: Bohemians defeated and protestant allies.

As an effect of this Netherlands sent troops into Germany.

Eventually religious issues were put aside and political motives weighed out the
conflicts.

Both Catholic and Protestant rulers shifted alliances to suit their own interests.

For example Catholic France joined Lutheran Sweden against the Catholic
Hapsburgs.

Foes with a common enemy are friends.

The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.
A Terrible Loss Of Life

Roving armies of mercenaries (soldiers)
burned villages, destroyed crops, and killed
without mercy.

The murder and torture was followed by
famine and disease.

The war lead to depopulation.

Historians estimate that as many as one third
of the people in the German states may have
died as a result of the war.
Peace at Last

1684 : The exhausted soldiers accepted a
series of treaties, called Peace of Westphalia.

The treaties aspired both powers to bring
about a general European peace and other
international problems.

Amongst the combats France emerged as a
clear winner, They gained both Spanish and
German territories.
Peace At Last
Continued

The Hapsburg were not fortunate for they had to accept the
total independence of all the princes of the HRE (Holy Roman
Empire)

The Netherlands and Swiss federation (Switzerland) won
recognition as independent states.

The Thirty Years' War left German lands divided into more than
360 states. "one for every day of the year” Each state had its
own government, currency, church, armed forces and foreign
policy, while still acknowledging the rule of the HRE.

The German states had the potential to be the most powerful
nation in Europe if they had been unified. They remained
separated for another 223 years.
A Woman Emperor Takes the Throne

Emperor Charles VI of Hapsburg Austria
had no male heir and persuaded other
European rulers to accept his daughter as
his successor.

No woman had ever ruled Hapsburg
lands.

Charles’s daughter Maria Theresa was
intelligent and capable and succeeded to
the throne
Maria Theresa

1717-1780 Hapsburg empress at age 23

She appointed superb advisors and was able to maintain
control of her empire.

During her 40 year reign, Vienna became the center of music
and arts.

Maria Theresa had one thing in common with most women of
her time-being a mother.

She gave birth to a total of 16 children, 11 girls and 5 boys.

For example: Joseph II, Leopold II, and Queen Marie
Antoinette of France.
The War of Austrian
Succession

Frederick II of Prussia seized the Hapsburg province of Silesia.

Maria Theresa appealed for military help from the Hungarians
who were ordinarily unfriendly to the Hapsburg

She also got help from Britain and Russia

Though she never forced Frederick out of Silesia she won the
support of most of her people

She reorganized the bureaucracy and improved tax collection

She forced nobles and clergy to pay taxes and eased taxes on
peasants
Hohenzollern Prussia
To each his own

Prussia emerged as a new Protestant power

The Hohenzollern family united their scattered
holding across north Germany to create
Prussia.

In the century following the Peace of
Westphalia, ambitious Hohenzollern rulers
united their holdings to create Prussia.

Prussia does not exist today.
Creating a Bureaucracy

Hohenzollerns rule set up an efficient bureaucracy

Coming to power in 1713 Frederick William I increased his
control by giving nobles positions in the army and
government and gaining their loyalty

Frederick placed great emphasis on military values and
made one of the best trained armies in Europe

He gained the loyalty of the Prussian nobles called Junkers
by giving them positions in the government and army.
A Crown Prince Learns the Art of War

Frederick William I made sure his son understood the art of
war

Frederick II preferred playing the flute and writing poetry
and he tried to leave the country to escape his father’s
harsh treatment

At 18 Frederick II was forced by his father to watch the
beheading of a friend

Frederick II later earned the name Frederick the Great, his
harsh training had an effect because he used his
disciplined army in several wars helping Prussia to be a
great power.
The Rivalry of Great
Powers

By 1750, Great European powers included Austria, Prussia, France, Britain, and Russia.

These nations formed various alliances to maintain balance of power.

There were two basic rivalries: Prussia battled Austria for control of the German states.
Britain and France competed to develop the overseas empires.

Rivalries sometimes resulted in worldwide conflict.

The Second years war lasted from 1756 until 1763.

Prussia, Austria, Russia, France, and Britain battled in Europe, Britain and France also
fought in Africa and India.

In North America this conflict is known as the French and Indian War, Native
Americans chose between British or French.

Britain was a huge empire, and changed Europe's balance of power for the next
hundred years.
Conclusion

Austria and Prussia produced strong leaders, some which fall
under the Great Person theory. These empires show trends that
many other empires have shown, for example female leader
Maria Theresa.

Also conflicts over religion which occurred in many of the growing
empire during the development of the modern world.

The empire also shows how rival states can become allies and
vice versa, it was about control and power.

This section refers to other important events in history, and were
happening at the same time.
For example: Peace of Westphalia
French and Indian War