17 th Century to 18 th Century transitions (Ch 15 notes) Successful and Unsuccessful Paths to Power

Overview Late 1600’s to early 1700’s …New Power Structure…

Dominant Powers Great Britain France Up and coming Powers Austria Russia Prussia Declining Powers Spain Netherlands Poland Sweden Otoman Empire (Holy Roman Empire)

Keys to Success Balance of Power 1648 * Weakening of HRE Strong centralized government

17 th /18 th Europe Paths to Power Maritime Powers= navy + $ + domestic power – France – Britain – Netherlands – Spain

Netherlands Formal Republic by 1648 Religious tolerance Urban Prosperity

Netherlands Decline

Louis XIV – 1643 to 1715 – model of European Power – Left France relatively powerful but fragile Louis XV – Some recovery – marred by scandal France

Duke of Orleans Regent to Louis XV Gambler John Law Scottish mathematician Issued paper money Established mississippi Company France under Louis xv John Law and the Mississippi Bubble

Local courts dominated by French nobility Different from British Parliament France ( ) Parlements

France Cardinal Fleury Chief Minister: Some economic progress

Great Britain Act of Settlement (1701) Both tories/whigs socially conservative – Tories Strong monarchy RE: Louis XIV: Sought compromise w/ France (Louis XIV) – Whigs Parliamentary authority over king RE: Louis XIV: Sought assistance from house of Hanover George I

Great Britain Robert Walpole Officially First Lord of Treasury First Prime Minister (1730) Established Cabinet system Salvaged British finances after South Sea Company scandal (similar to Mississippi Bubble) Corrupt but effective patronage

Great Britain Strengths Freedom of speech No large standing army Effective financial practices – Sim to Netherlands – No exemptions Effectively used structure of House of Commons – representation based on Land ownership – Nobles dominated parliament – Parliament considered to be “political sovereign” Provided strong central unity

Declining Powers Sweden Poland Ottoman Empire

Sweden Great Northern War – – Charles XII – Vs. Russia – Exhausted resources Regional power ceded to Prussia and Russia Nobles asserted authority over monarch

Ottoman Empire Massive, powerful, yet religiously tolerant Shari’a law – “circle of equity” – Symbiotic relationship between Islam/state Millets – Political units – Religious communities – Dhimmis Non islamic peoples Second class citizens, but legally protected Economically important

Ottoman decline By 1683 empire almost reached Vienna Power increasingly in hands of central authorities 1. Sultan 2. Vizier Outlying areas decreasingly willing to submit to central authority Europeans outpaced Ottomans in technology, science, military Unwillingness to change/develop

Poland King John III Sobieski rescued Vienna from Ottomans Sejm – central diet (parliament) – Distrust among nobles prompted apointment of mostly foreign monarchs – Liberum veto required unanimous votingsubject to bribery gridlock

17 th /18 th Cent. Europe Rising powers in Central and Eastern Europe – Austria – Prussia – Russia

Austria Politically diverse Magyars Pragmatic Sanction

Prussia Hohenzollern Royal family Frederick William Frederick William I Frederick II (the Great) –

Russia Romanov Dynasty Russia largely backwards nobles (boyars) Cossacks (steppe horsemen) Streltsy (royal moscow guards)

Russia Peter the Great Louis XIV as model of power Priorities? – Limit power of boyars and greed of streltsy – Increase military power Jealous of Maritime powers warm-water port western technology St. Petersburg Son (Aleksei) and 9 member Senate suspected of possible overthrow.

Russia Peter the Great Potential overthrow from son prompted reorganization of gov’t – Table of Ranks Secular control – Old Believers – Restructured church hierarchy – Answerable to “holy synod” Legacy??

New Rivalries (18 th century) France vs. Britain Prussia vs. Austria

Summary 1. what similarities existed between England and France. 2. what motivated the “up and coming” powers to become more powerful? 3. what did the declining powers have in common?