Download Absolutism-Central Europe

Susan M. Pojer
Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY
Austria – 1500s -1800s
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Archduchy of Austria: Becomes a Great Central Power (1453–1564)
Frederick V (1453–1493): Elevation of the duchy to central European power
-He pursued power through dynastic alliances (Burgundy, France, etc.)
-attacked Rome and gets crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope
-defeat Hungarians in Austrian-Hungarian War (1477-1488)
Hapsburgs: Charles I and Ferdinand I (1519–1564)
-inherited position of HRE
Charles I (Charles V of HRE) ruler over extensive lands in Central, Western, and Southern Europe;
and the Spanish colonies in the Americas and Asia. As the first king to rule Castile, León, and Aragon
simultaneously in his own right, he became the first King of Spain. His empire spanned nearly four
million square kilometers across Europe, the Far East, and the Americas.
-When Ferdinand (Charles V younger brother) became HRE - the Spanish territories became
permanently alienated from the northern Habsburg domains, although remained allies for several
centuries.
By the time Ferdinand also inherited the title of Holy Roman Emperor from his brother in 1558 the
Habsburgs had effectively turned an elective title (like what had happened in Poland) into a de
facto hereditary one.
Reformation
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Austria and the other Habsburg hereditary provinces (and Hungary and
Bohemia, as well) were much affected by the Reformation, but with the
exception of Tyrol the Austrian lands shut out Protestantism. Although the
Habsburg rulers themselves remained Catholic, the non-Austrian provinces
(Northern German Principalities) largely converted to Lutheranism, which
Ferdinand I largely tolerated.
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although a Catholic counteroffensive existed in the Habsburg lands from the
1550s it was based on persuasion (not violence – unlike the Spanish
Inquisition), a process in which the Jesuits and Peter Canisius took the lead.
Ferdinand (he is not as religious as Philip II) deeply regretted the failure to
reconcile religious differences before his death (1564)
Habsburg Family Crest
Ottoman Threat from 1526-1689 and Hapsburg Austria’s disunity (1564-1665)
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The arrival of the Ottomans (1526–1562) – numerous first battles eventual Treaty of Constantinople signed
Austrian lands divided for 150 years among Hapsburg heirs
Ferdinand I had three sons who survived to adulthood, and he followed the
potentially disastrous Habsburg tradition of dividing up his lands between
them on his death in 1564. This considerably weakened Austria, particularly
in the face of the Ottoman expansion. It was not until the reign of Ferdinand
III (Archduke 1590–1637) that they were reunited again in 1620—albeit
briefly until 1623. It was not to be until 1665, under Leopold VI that the
Austrian lands were definitively united.
Austria and the Thirty Years'
War (1618–1648)
• Ferdinand III (1619–1637) and Habsburg over-reach
• Ferdinand IV and the peace process (1634–1648)
- One of Ferdinand IV acts during the latter part of the war was to give
further independence to the German states (ius belli ac pacis—rights in time of
war and peace) which would gradually change the balance of power between
emperor and states in favor of the Northern German Principalities.
The forced conversions or evictions carried out in the midst of the Thirty Years'
War, together with the later general success of the Protestants, had greatly
negative consequences for Habsburg control of the Holy Roman Empire itself.
Although territorial losses were relatively small for the Habsburgs, the Empire
was greatly diminished, the power of the ruler reduced and the balance of
power in Europe changed with new centres emerging on the empire's borders.
The estates were now to function more like nation states.
Establishing the monarchy: Austria's rise to power (1648–1740)
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Leopold I (1657–1705): Final unification and liberation from Ottoman
Empire
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Throw back Ottoman attacks on Vienna and establish finalized Austrian
hegemony over Austria and introduced a large number of Serbs into the
Empire, who were to have a major impact on policies over the ensuing
centuries.
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Austria was becoming more involved in competition with Bourbon France
(Louis XIV) in Western Europe, fighting the French in the War of the League
of Augsburg(1688–1697).
On the domestic front, Leopold's reign was marked by the expulsion of the
Jews from Vienna in 1670, the area being renamed Leopoldstadt. While in
1680 Leopold adopted the so-called Pragmatica, which re-regulated the
relationship between landlord and peasant (reaffirming serfdom).
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War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714): Joseph I and Charles III –
continued alliance against Bourbon France – gaining territories
towards Western Europe and becoming major European player
Austrian Empire: 1657-1718
Leopold I
Holy Roman
Emperor
(r. 1658-1705)
Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace
Pragmatic Sanction – 1713 – women can inherit
monarchy if no male heirs are available
-Hapsburg lands cannot be divided up
• Charles III – 1713-1740
• Maria Theresa – Charles III daughter will
become Empress based on this
• Continues alliance against France and
fights against the Turks
• Treasury of government almost depleted
by 1740 because of costs of wars
Prince Eugène of Savoy: 1718
Holy Roman Empire: 1750
Prussian Family Crest
Prussia & the Austrian Empire: 1721-72
King Frederick I of Prussia (r.1701-1713)
Formerly:
Frederick III
of Brandenburg
(r. 1688-1701)
Frederick the Great (r. 1740-1786)
Frederick the Great (r. 1740-1786)
Frederick the Great’s Court
Europe in 1740
Charles VI (r. 1711-1740)
Maria
Theresa
(r. 1740-1780)
Maria Theresa & Her Family
Her Notable
Children:
 HRE Joseph II
 HRE Leopold II
 Queen Marie
Antoinette (Fr.)
War of the Austrian Succession