Download Unit Three Absolutism in Eastern Europe - siegkoapeh

Unit 3.2
Absolutism in Eastern Europe
I. Overview of Eastern Europe
(“HOP RAP”)
A. Three aging empires:
Holy Roman Empire
Ottoman Empire
Polish Kingdom
gave way to new empires of:
Russia
Austria
Prussia
Explain what became of the
HRE into the 17th Century.

Define: Holy Roman Empire-
1. Holy Roman Empire (HRE):
religious divisions due to the
Reformation and religious wars in
16th and 17th centuries split
Germany among Catholic,
Lutheran and Calvinist princes
Holy Roman Empire, 1648
Compare and contrast Eastern
European absolutism to the
French version.

Consider the following:
Nobility
 Middle class
 Peasantry
 War
 Asians

B. Eastern European absolutism
differed from French absolutism
1. Eastern: based on a powerful
nobility, weak middle class, and
an widespread serfdom
2. France: nobility’s power had been
limited, middle-class was
relatively strong, and peasants
were generally free from serfdom
 Louis XIV built French
absolutism upon the
foundations of a well-developed
medieval monarchy and a
strong royal bureaucracy.
C. Threat of war with European and
Asian invaders motivated eastern
European monarchs’ drive to
consolidate power.
1. Reduced the power of the nobility
 However, nobles gained
greater power over their serfs.
2. Three methods in gaining power:
a. Kings imposed and collected
permanent taxes without the
consent of their subjects.
b. Permanent standing armies.
c. States conducted relations with
other states as they pleased.
3. Absolutism in eastern Europe
reached its height during the reign
of Russian Tsar Peter the Great.
Unit 3.2 PART II
Absolutism in Eastern Europe
Austria and Prussia
ABSOLUTISM IN EASTERN
EUROPE
Identify the Significance of the
following Terms:









Bohemia
Austria Proper
Hungary
Magyars
Ferdinand II
Ferdinand III
Leopold I
Siege of Vienna
Charles VI

Pragmatic Sanction
Prussia
Honenzollerns
Frederick William,
The Great Elector
Junkers
“King of Prussia”
Frederick William I

“Sparta of the North”






Objectives: TSWBAT








Trace the rise of the Hapsburg Austrian Empire
Identify what kept Austria from becoming a unified national state
like France.
Explain why Leopold and Charles VI were important to the
emergence of Austria as a power.
Identify the significance of the Hohenzollerns and Brandenburg
Describe how Frederick William, the Great Elector put Prussia on
course for greatness.( politically, economically, socially)
Briefly explain how Frederick I (Elector Frederick III) became the
King of Prussia.
Explain why Frederick William I was the most important
Hohenzollern in establishing Prussian absolutism.
What was a major difference in the Prussian Junkers in comparison
with the Huguenots and other nobles in France?
III. Austrian Empire (Habsburg Empire)
A. Rise of Austria
1. Ruler was traditionally selected
as Holy Roman Emperor
2. Habsburgs no longer ruled Spain
after 1713
3. Habsburg Empire included:
a. Sardinia, Milan, and Naples
b. Austrian Netherlands
c. Hungary and Transylvania
Habsburg Empire in 1700
4. Ineffective Habsburg rule in HRE forced
monarchs to consolidate power from within
the Austrian empire; they looked inward
and eastward to consolidate their diverse
holdings into a strong unified state
a. Reorganization of Bohemia
after 30 Years’ War was a major
step towards absolutism
 Czech
(Bohemian) nobility was
wiped out during the Bohemian
phase of the 30 Years War
 Ferdinand II redistributed Czech
lands to aristocratic soldiers from
all over Europe
 Conditions for serfs worsened
4. Ineffective Habsburg rule in HRE forced
monarchs to consolidate power from within
the Austrian empire; they looked inward
and eastward to consolidate their diverse
holdings into a strong unified state
b. Old hereditary provinces of Austria
Proper were centralized by Ferdinand III
-- He created a standing army; unprecedented
for the Hapsburgs
c. Hungary: was the 3rd and largest part
of the dominion
-- Magyars were the dominant cultural group
5. Serfdom was intensified in Hapsburg
lands
Growth of Austrian (Habsburg) Empire
B. Government organization
1. Austria was NOT a national
state: multinational empire
a. Austria proper: Germans,
b. Bohemia: Czechs, Germans
c. Hungary: Hungarians, Serbs, Croats,
Romanians
2. No single constitutional system
or administration existed in the
empire as each region had a different
legal relationship to the Emperor
C. Important Habsburg rulers
1. Ferdinand II (1619-1637): gained
Bohemia during the 30 Years’ War
2. Ferdinand III (1637-1657):
centralized the gov’t in the old
hereditary provinces of Austria.
3. Leopold I (1658-1705)
a. Severely restricted Protestantism
b. Siege of Vienna:
Successfully repelled Turks
from gates of Vienna in 1683


Last attempt by the Turks to
take central Europe
In 1697, Prince Eugene of Savoy
led Austria’s forces to victory
over the Ottoman’s at Zenta, thus
securing Austria from future attacks by the Ottomans
4. Emperor Charles VI (1711-1740)
a. Austria was saved from Louis
XIV during the War of Spanish
Succession with its alliance with
Britain and military leadership of
Prince Eugene.
b. Charles issued the Pragmatic
Sanction (1713)


Hapsburg lands were never to be divided
and were to be passed intact to a single
heir.
His daughter, Maria Theresa, inherited
Charles’ empire in 1740 and ruled for 40
years (it would be tested by Prussia in the War of
Austrian Succession)
IV. Prussia: Hohenzollerns
A. Background
1. Ruler of Brandenburg was
became one of 7 electors in the
Holy Roman Empire in 1417.
2. Yet by the 17th century,
Brandenburg not significantly
involved in HRE affairs
3. Marriages increasingly gave the
Hohenzollerns control of
German principalities in central
and western Germany.
4. The prince had little power over
the nobility.
B. Frederick William, the “Great
Elector” of Brandenburg (r. 1640-88)
1. Background
a. Strict Calvinist but granted
toleration to Catholics and Jews
b. Admired Swedish system of
gov’t & Dutch
economic power
c. Threatened by
Swedish-Polish
struggle in the
Baltic and wars of
Louis XIV
-- State of permanent crisis
B. Frederick William, the “Great
Elector” of Brandenburg (r. 1640-88)

State of permanent crisis
Prussia was invaded in 1656-57 by the Tartars
of southern Russia who killed or carried off
as slaves more than 50,000 people
 Invasion weakened the noble estates and
strengthened the urgency of the elector’s
demands for more money and a larger army



(also explains why Germany and Russia don’t
historically like one another!
Prussian nobles rushed to join
representatives of towns in
resisting royal power
2. Established Prussia as a great
power and laid foundations for
the future unification of Germany
in the 19th century
a. Most significant: oversaw Prussian
militarism and created most efficient
army in Europe
b. Employed military power and taxation to
unify his Rhine holdings, Prussia and
Brandenburg into a strong state
c. Increased military spending through taxation
(2x that of Louis XIV)
Prussian nobility not exempted
 Soldiers also served as tax collectors and
policeman, thus expanding the governments
bureaucracy

d. Junkers formed the backbone of
the Prussian military officer
corps.
 These nobles and landowners
dominated the Estates of
Brandenburg and Prussia.
 1653, hereditary subjugation of
serfs established as a way of
compensating the nobles for
their support of the Crown
3. Encouraged industry and trade
a. Imported skilled craftsmen
and Dutch farmers
b. New industries emerged:
Woolens, cotton, linens, velvet,
lace, silk, soap, paper and iron
products
c. Efforts at overseas trade
largely failed due to Prussia’s
lack of ports and naval
experience.
C. Frederick I “The Ostentatious”
(r. 1688-1713): 1st “king” of Prussia
1. Most popular Hohenzollern
a. Sought to imitate the court of
Louis XIV
b. Encouraged
higher
education
Founded a university and
encouraged the founding of
an academy of science
 Welcomed immigrant scholars
regardless of religion

2. Fought two wars against Louis
XIV to maintain the balance
of power
a. War of the League of Augsburg and War of
Spanish Succession
b. Allied with the Habsburgs
c. After Treaty of Utrecht (1713), the elector of
Brandenburg/Prussia was now recognized
internationally as the “King of Prussia” in
return for aid to Habsburgs.

Thus, Frederick I was the first “King of Prussia”
D. Frederick William I (r. 1713-1740)
“The Soldiers’ King”
1. Established Prussian absolutism


Calvinist like his dad
Obsessed with finding tall soldiers for army
2. Infused militarism into society
a. became known as “Sparta of the North”
b. Nearly doubled the army’s size


Best army in Europe
Europe’s 4th largest army
-80% of revenues
went to military
-Army designed to deter war
- only once FW I fought a war
- when Sweden occupied a N.
German city; Swedes were
kicked out
3. Most efficient bureaucracy in
Europe


A. removed the last of the parliamentary estates and
local self-government
B. demanded absolute obedience and discipline from
civil servants
•
•

-Promotions based on merit (performance and loyalty)
-Some commoners were able to rise to positions of power
-High level of taxes
4. Junkers continued to grow as the
official officer caste in the army in
exchange for support of the king
5. Established compulsory education
for children in 1717
-- Established about 1,000 schools for peasant children
AP REVIEW

Which of the following institutions was
most responsible for the rise of Prussia?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The army
The navy
The monarchy
The organized civil service system
The States General
AP REVIEW

Which of the following explains the
significance of the 1683 siege of Vienna?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The defeat of the Ottomans at Vienna ended any significant
threat to Europe from the Turks
It showed that Europeans would never be safe from Ottoman
aggression
It proved that rifts between European nations were too deep
for them to unite against a common enemy
The defeat of the Ottomans at Vienna led to the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire
The defeat of the Polish armies at Vienna showed Poland’s
weakness
AP REVIEW

During the 17th century, Austria
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Built a strong navy to fight off the Ottoman Turks and defeated
them at the battle of Lepanto
Was never able to form a strong centralized state because of the
many nationalities that co-existed within its borders
Was ruled by the Hohenzollern family, which built a strong
military state dominated by the king and the Junkers
Was constantly threatened by attacks from the Russian empire
Lost control of the Italian states and was forced to cede them to
Spain at the beginning of the 18th century