Download ABSOLUTISM IN EASTERN EUROPE

ABSOLUTISM IN EASTERN EUROPE
I.
GROWTH OF ABSOLUTISM & ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM
A. GENERAL REMARKS
1.
other rulers of Europe decided that they liked France's example
2.
& French-style absolutism spread widely
3.
by 18th c. it was also called enlightened absolutism or enlightened despotism
a.
after advent of era known as Enlightenment
4.
many kings were eager to develop more efficient govts & augment their own power
5.
centralizing their bureaucracy, creating a standing army & subduing the nobles
6.
necessary steps for establishing absolute rule
7.
having the proper palace like Versailles nb too
8.
even many of the small principalities of Germany built smaller versions of Versailles
9.
absolute rulers remodeled their cities to serve as explicit expressions of their power
10. broad avenues led to monumental squares & grand palace of monarch
11. medieval cities had masked inequalities of social order in their crowded, twisted streets
12. where social ranks often lived jumbled together in close physical proximity
13. absolutist capital cities, in contrast planned inequality
14. purposely emphasizing in their designs the vast distance separating ruler from ruled
15. most important absolute states outside of France arose in central & eastern Europe
16. Prussian, Austrian & Russian rulers by end 17th c following in France's footsteps
17. absolutist principles would last well into 19th c.
18. But it was absolutism with some differences
19. France had a larger merchant class & a freer peasantry than did eastern Europe
20. Eastern Europe power of landlords over serfs great
21. for in 16 and 17th c. hereditary serfdom re-established
22. in Poland, Prussian & Russia
23. result of estate agriculture & weak monarchs
24. monarchs not able to stand up against powerful nobles
25. made deal with them
26. monarch would have taxing & ruling rights
27. & nobles would have complete control over their peasants
28. in fact, historians have looked at serfdom in eastern Europe at this time as a clue & guide to studying
serfdom in the middle ages
II.
CATHERINE THE GREAT II 1762-96
A. GENERAL REMARKS
1.
1 of the most famous of these enlightened despots
2.
next significant Russian ruler after Peter the Great
a.
37 years after Peter
3.
not only famous but infamous rulers in Russian & Western Civilization
4.
during her reign of more than 30 yrs
5.
dominated her vast empire
6.
as easily as she did her lovers & her court
7.
& the rumors & scandal about her in her own lifetime are even more fascinating when subject to
historical research
8.
became one of most successful rulers of 18th c
B.
CATHERINE'S ASSUMPTION OF EMPRESSHIP
1.
had begun life as a minor German protestant princess
2.
w/nothing to indicate that she would become 1 of the most influential of 18th c. rulers
3.
Sophia von Anhalt-Zerbst 1729-96
4.
came to Russia as the chosen wife-to-be of the heir to the Russian throne
a.
Peter, grandson to Peter the Great
5.
but it will be 17 yrs before Elizabeth will die (Peter's daughter)
6.
during these 17 yrs Sophia used time wisely, russifying herself
2
7.
C.
D.
educating herself in politics thru voluminous reading & shrewd observation of court intrigues
a.
reading unusual especially for a Russian woman
b.
barely half population could read & 1/3 only could write
8.
she mastered Russian & embraced the orthodox church
a.
& given name Catherine
9.
she read widely the writers of the Enlightenment
a.
Montesquie, Voltaire, etc.
10. when her husband became Tsar in 1762 she immediately began plotting his downfall
11. she was 33 & had been unhappily married 17 yrs
12. led palace guards in revolt against her husband tsar Peter III
13. after her husband's murder
14. she placed the Russian crown on her own head in Moscow cathedral
a.
like Napoleon will do later
15. Frederick the Great remarked on news of Peter's overthrow
a.
he let himself be driven from the throne as a child is sent to bed
CATHERINE'S PERSONAL LIFE
1.
Catherine was involved w/a number of male favorites referred to as her house pets
2.
at first her affairs were clandestine
3.
but she soon displayed her lovers as French kings paraded their mistresses
4.
once a young man was chosen he was showered w/lavish gifts
5.
when the empress tired of him he was given a lavish going away present
6.
even rumors of animal paramours
7.
but these were traced to French sources wanting to discredit Russia
8.
Catherine like most other enlightened despots never ceased to think of herself as a superior being
9.
kind & considerate to her servants & other commoners, she never lost awareness of her rank
10. in Russia as elsewhere paternalism, not egalitarianism was keynote of benevolent despotism
11. Frederick the Great remarked
a.
that if Catherine corresponded w/God she would probably claim equal rank
RULE & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
1.
during her reign Russian people were dazzled by her political skill & cunning
2.
& her superb conduct of complex diplomacy
3.
she adopted the ruthlessness toward potential enemies traditional among Russian rulers
4.
ordering them executed even before they had a chance to rebel
5.
continued economic reform & westernization of Russian begun under Peter
6.
her education reforms were some of her most enlightened efforts
7.
during her reign schools & universities were founded all over the empire
a.
naval, military cadet schools,
b.
medical & agricultural schools
c.
state seminaries for young priests
8.
but most remarkable was her foundation of Smolny Institute for Girls in St. Petersburg
a.
modeled after Madame de Maintenon's famous Institute of Saint Cyr
b.
1st serious attempt to improve female education in Russia
c.
Catherine herself supervised curriculum
d.
it proved so successful still flourishing when Russian Revolution 1917 occurred
9.
her desires to found other schools always hampered by lack of teachers in Russia
10. there were none, so Catherine was always sending promising young men to Europe to become educated
at her expense
11. Catherine had always been so appalled at lack of education for aristocratic women in Russia
a.
Princess Dashkova hardly exaggerated when she declared that she & Catherine were only women
in country capable of holding an intellectual conversation
12. continued policy of fighting Turks for Black Sea port
13. successful & got control of Danube river, outlet on Bosphorus in Crimea
a.
consequently won her domestic support
14. also won 1/3 Poland when Poland split w/Prussia, Austria 1772
a.
2 more splits of Poland left it removed from map by 1795
3
b.
E.
F.
G.
great powers contended they were saving themselves & rest of Europe from Polish anarchy
(1) familiar ring to it - will continue to be Russia's swan song
15. also gained area known as Lithuania
16. this additional land given to nobles & her many lovers to keep them happy
17. influenced by Montesquieu she attempted to draw up a new law code for Russia
18. she formed a commission of representatives from all classes except serfs to discuss govt reform
19. a note to herself in regard to this shows her deep pessimism about effects of her reform efforts "do this
[reform] with application and honest industry, if however the information received and criticism reveal
barriers and tedious or wily difficulties then put the whole work into a deep drawer, for we do not see
for whose sake I labor and will not my labors, care and warm concern for the good of the Empire be in
vain, for I do see that I cannot make my frame of mind hereditary
20. neither project led to real change but they did make Catherine celebrated in western Europe
21. & greatly increased prestige of Russian monarchy
PUGACHEV REVOLT & ITS CONSEQUENCES
1.
before French Rev of 1789 few genuine advocates of democracy in Europe
2.
but dissatisfaction & rebellion against existing regimes grew in 18th c
3.
Initially in her reign Catherine had begun process of slowly releasing bonds of slavery
4.
but a renegade Cossack soldier Pugachev led an uprising in southwestern Russia 1773
5.
he claimed to be the Tsar Peter III, Catherine's deposed husband
6.
& he announced he was marching to St. Petersburg to punish his wife & place his son Paul on throne
7.
while main Russian army at war w/Turkey he could not be stopped
8.
only arrest & execution of Pugachev
a.
betrayed by a friend for money
b.
put end to rebellion
9.
generations later Pugachev's name & legend would again inspire revolt
10. as result of revolt Catherine she restricted serfs even more
a.
slaves could now be bought & sold
b.
extended serfdom into new areas
11. Catherine & Russian aristocracy never fully recovered from fears of social & political upheaval
12. once French revolution broke out 1789 she censored books based on enlightenment thought
13. also sent offensive authors into Siberian exile
14. beginnings of Siberian exile system for Russia
15. by close of century fear of & hostility to change permeated ruling classes
16. Catherine recognized she needed ruling class` complete cooperation to ensure her power
17. so in 1785 freed aristocrats forever from taxes & state service
a.
cf w/Louis XIV
FINAL REMARKS ON CATHERINE
1.
her fame & notoriety grew throughout her long reign & has continued to this day
2.
in USSR today she is ignored as an archaic embarrassment
3.
or attacked as a despotic foreign adventuress
4.
maybe that will change with demise of communism
a.
RISE OF AUSTRIAN EMPIRE
GENERAL FACTS
1.
today - small country central Europe
2.
Mozart-Salzburg-Alps-Vienna
3.
but in 17-18th c. only Russia surpassed Austrian Empire in Europe in size, population & variety of
nationalities
4.
encompassed areas known today as
a.
Czechoslovakia
b.
Hungary
c.
1/2 of Romania
d.
most of Yugoslavia
e.
& small part of Russia, Italy, Poland
5.
from the 13th c. to WWI Hapsburg family ruled these areas
6.
Habsburgs - German royal family deriving their name from their castle in one of the cantons of
4
H.
I.
III.
Switzerland (Aargau)
7.
cf with other royal houses/
a.
Capetians, Valois, Bourbons of France
b.
Plantagenets, Tudors, Stuarts, Hanovarians of England
8.
Habsburgs successfully pursued over centuries HRE crown & land through war & marriage
9.
from mid 15th c through 19th c. all Holy Roman Emperors Habsburgs except one
a.
rulers of the Germanies
10. famous saying showing their success
a.
let others make wars - thou happy Austria, marry
HABSBURGS CIRCA 17th c.
1.
close of 30 yrs War marked a fundamental turning point in the hx of the Austrian Hapsburgs
2.
Peace of Westphalia had given political autonomy to more than 300 German political entities w/in the
empire
a.
largest units
(1) Saxony
(2) Hanover
(3) Bavaria
(4) Brandenburg
b.
small cities
c.
bishoprics
d.
principalities
e.
territories of independent knights
3.
but power base for Germanies not as strong as once was because of Protestant Reformation
4.
Hapsburgs began to consolidate their power & influence within their other hereditary possessions
a.
Crown of St. Wenceslas
(1) Kingdom of Bohemia
(a) in Czechoslovakia today
b.
Crown of St. Stephen
(1) ruled Hungary, Croatia, Transylvania
(2) 17th c. successfully captured these lands from Turks
c.
Spanish Netherlands
d.
Lombardy in northern Italy
5.
each territory ruled by different title
6.
& had to gain cooperation of local nobility to rule
7.
no common basis for political unity among peoples of such diverse languages, customs, and geography
a.
like Russia today
b.
Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, Germans, Italians, Crotians
8.
all not Catholics as Magyar nobles calvinistic in Hungary
METHODOLOGY OF HAPSBURGS' RULE
1.
bargained w/nobles in 1 part of their domain in order to maintain their position in another
2.
maintained standing army
a.
helped to assert control over their heritary lands
3.
Baroque art
a.
buildings, fine arts, displays
b.
wove a common thread through possessions
c.
capital of Vienna served as focal point
(1) Schonbrunn Palace
(a) summer residence of Habsburgs
(b) Baroque style emulating Versailles
SIGNIFICANT RULERS
A. MARIA THERESA 1711-80 (lifespan)
1.
another famous woman ruler in 18th c.
2.
whose rise to powerful ruler is also astonishing & significant for Austrian history
3.
father Charles VI had no male heir
5
4.
5.
6.
B.
IV.
weakest precedent for a female rule
so Charles VI sought approval of his family & foreign powers to ok Maria as his heir
had them sign document called pragmatic sanction
a.
approving her succession
b.
as well as agreeing Habsburg possession should never be divided
7.
when Charles died & Maria came to throne Austrian Empire was in a sorry state
8.
Charles has spent lavishly & was nearly bankrupt
9.
Austria had no army, virtually no central administration & no sensible advisers
10. Maria at 23 was untrained to be a ruler
11. all she had going for her was her youth, her beauty & strength of character
12. France, Spain & Prussia were all unknown to her secretly planning for the dismembering of her Empire
13. even though they had pledged otherwise by signing on to the Pragmatic Sanction
14. Prussia struck first under their ruler Frederick the Great
15. grabbing rich agricultural & mineral region Silesia
a.
Maria would spend part of her reign trying to regain it back but was not successful
16. thereafter she came up against France & the Bavarians who attempted to take her capital city Vienna
17. over the course of her reign she would go from pleading with her advisers & generals
18. to ordering them to do her bidding regarding war & matters of state
19. she would be involved in series of war to defend her kingdom
20. but always on the defensive never on the offensive
21. she ruled as Archduchess of Austria 1740-80
22. & also as queen of Bohemia & Hungary
23. her husband was Emperor of HRE & she empress
24. few institutions of defense & administration existed for the empire as a whole
25. power as Holy Roman Emperor rested on cooperation not force of arms
26. Diet (legislature) & emperor regulated daily economic & political life of Germanies
a.
Diet at Regensburg until 19th c.
27. by time she died she had provided Austria w/
a.
standing army
b.
councillors of state
c.
system of education even on primary level
(1) mother of 16 children
(2) including ill-fated Marie Antoinette
d.
civil service
e.
she strengthened central govt at expense of local aristocratic assembles
(1) just as Louis XIV
28. she obliged the non-German provinces to accept the hegemony of German officials & German
language of Vienna
29. concerned w/welfare of peasants & serfs
30. she issued decrees limiting amount of labor or robot that could be demanded from the peasantry by the
landowners
JOSEPH II
1.
co - ruler w/mother 1765-80, 1780-90 alone
2.
much of Maria Theresa's skillful statecraft was destroyed in the 10 yrs of his reign
3.
he was a reformer before his time
4.
tried to make enlightened despotism work
5.
He abolished serfdom, proclaimed religious toleration
6.
he did all those things done in 20th c.
7.
but nobles felt emancipation of serfs would ruin them & Catholic church against toleration
8.
memory of his attempts at reform hindered change until 20th c.
RISE OF PRUSSIA
A. GENERAL REMARKS
1.
Prussia became a strong power in Europe in 17thc
2.
Prussia & its rise, is the story of the rise of extraordinary Hohenzollern family
6
3.
.
ruled eastern German territory of Brandenburg since 1417 - 15th c.
a.
lay between Elbe & Oder rivers
4.
capital city Berlin located on unimportant river Spree
5.
but had little power
6.
Thirty Years War aided Hohenzollers greatly as allowed them to increase their power
7.
by late 17th c Hohenzollers had added to their domains
8.
thru inheritance gained additional territory
a.
Duchy of Cleves
b.
counties of Mark & Ravensburg
c.
Duchy of East Prussia
1618
(1) held by teutonic knights as fief of Poland
d.
Duchy of Pomeranian
9.
none of lands contiguous w/Brandenburg except for Pomeranian
10. all of territories lacked good natural resources
a.
country mainly swamps & bleak sandy fields
b.
devastated during 30 yrs War
11. now scattered holdings 2nd in size only to Habsburgs' land
a.
all still in Holy Roman Empire
12. eventually it will be from enlarged Prussian state that Germany will be formed in late 19th c.
B.
REASONS FOR RISE OF PRUSSIA
1.
2 main reasons
2.
Hohenzollern dynasty produced sufficient male heirs from 1486-1786 w/o a single break
a.
300 yrs of freedom from regency problems as in other lands
b.
cf w/Capetian kings 500 yrs previously building French nation from Paris & Isle de France area
3.
2nd reason - 3 extremely able princes ruled for first 120 years
4.
throughout these years rulers devoted to making solid block of territory out of scattered bits of land
C.
3 MAJOR RULERS
1.
Frederick William 1640-1688 = Great Elector
2.
began process of forging these various areas & nobles into a modern state
3.
aided economy by liberal immigration policy that brought in Dutch & Huguenot w/their needed skills
4.
established strong army
5.
organized royal bureaucracy
6.
struck deal with nobles so centralized, absolute power could reside in monarch's hands
7.
gave the nobles (junkers) control over their serfs
8.
in exchange for leave to levy taxes without their consent
9.
by denying peasants access to state courts in pleas against landlords - sealed this process
10. also barred non-nobles from purchasing land of nobles
11. provided junkers w/permanent territorial base
12. son of great elector, Frederick 1 1688-1713
13. as a result of sending Prussia`s army in to help Habsburgs subdue France 14. holy roman emperor permitted Frederick to assume the title of "King in Prussia"
15. thus Brandenburg became Prussia in 1701
16. a proper title was all that Prussia had lacked to make it a nation
D. Frederick William I 1713-1740
1.
1 of most effective monarchs for Prussia
2.
continued policies of his grandfather
3.
enlarged army significantly
a.
became 3-4th largest in Europe
b.
even had a esprit de corps regiment
(1) all over 6'
(2) wore special caps over 1' high to even give more height
c.
nobility Junker class became military elite
d.
military tactics of time demanded absolutely precise movements of masses of men in close order
e.
meant drill & discipline based on threat of lash
f.
ever since his time, the popular image of the harsh trainer of soldiers has been the Prussian
7
E.
drillmaster
4.
military priorities & values dominated Prussian govt, society & daily life as in no other state of Europe
5.
often said whereas other nations possessed armies,
6.
Prussian army possessed its nation
7.
but for him army was not to be an aggressive force, but a symbol of Prussian power & unity
8.
he wanted to drill his soldiers not order them into battle
9.
at his death in 1740 he passed to his son Frederick II = Frederick the Great this superb military
machine,
10. but he could not pass to his son the wisdom to refrain from using it
11. almost immediately on coming to the throne, Frederick II upset the Pragmatic Sanction & invaded
Silesia
12. the Prussian David was ready to fight the Austrian Goliath
13. he thus crystallized the Austrian-Prussian rivalry for control of Germany that would dominate central
European affairs for over a century
Frederick the Great or II 1740-1786
1.
1 of the most enigmatic rulers of all time
2.
by turns brazenly aggressive & deeply contemplative
3.
Frederick was forever torn between lust for power & quiet intellectual life
4.
flutist, poet, friend to Voltaire
5.
he was also a dauntless military leader
6.
& responsible for setting the stage for the emergence of the German Empire
7.
his terrible years of childhood would make for a good psychological study
8.
as he quarrelled continually with his father
9.
over his activities
10. Frederick's passion was the flute not the battlefield
11. & he admired French culture as much as his father disdained it
12. finally Frederick rebelled as his father's denunciation of his lifestyle
13. & he attempted to escape to England
14. but he was found out & his father imprisoned him
15. even sentencing him to death
16. he was reprieved,
17. but compelled to watch from his prison window the execution of his close friend
18. Frederick capitulated to his father & set about learning about war
19. & ruling
20. in end no king tried harder to fulfill image of enlightened monarchy
21. but throughout his life his behavior had tremendous mood swings
22. he wanted Prussia to become 1st rank Europe power
23. so he set about to increase Prussia's land area & population either through war or cunning
24. according to Frederick's own letters
a.
Prussia's entire government was militarized ...the capital became the stronghold of Mars. all the
industries which served the needs of armies prospered. In Berlin were established powder mills
and cannon foundries, rifle factories, etc...the military character of the government affected both
customs and fashions. society took a military turn"
25. seized Silesia from Austria
26. Frederick said: this invasion is a means of acquiring reputation & increasing the power of the state
27. with successful war gained 1 million German subjects for Prussia
28. obtained 1/3 Poland when Russia & Austria joined him in carving up Poland
29. all Prussia's territories contiguous now
30. considered greatest military tactician of time
31. Prussia now was 1 of major European powers
32. made economic & religious changes to aid him in his bid to gain prestige & power for Prussia
33. such as
a.
drained swamps, fostered scientific forestry & cultivation of new crops
b.
promoted religious toleration
c.
invited Jesuits to seek refuge in Prussia even though Prussia predominantly protestant
8
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
d.
he even declared he would build a mosque in Berlin if he could find enough Muslims to fill it
e.
yet he was always strongly anti-Semitic levying special taxes on Jews
on his own personal estates he was a model enlightened monarch
a.
abolished capital punishment
b.
granted long-term leases to peasants
but for Prussia as a whole
he did nothing to loosen bonds of serfdom that still shackled much of Prussian peasantry
a.
he could not afford to alienate the Junker elite who controlled the estates
built Sans Souci Palace at Berlin
a.
to replicate Versailles at Berlin
in final analysis Frederick embodied two often conflicting political philosophies
a.
humane principles of Enlightenment
b.
Spartan traditions of Hohenzollerns