Eastern European Absolutism Prussia, Austria, Russia
Austria & The Habsburgs Emperor Ferdinand II (r. 1619- 1637) 30 Years War: Subjugated Bohemia (1620 ) Emperor Ferdinand III (r. 1637- 1657) Consolidated German speaking states Standing army
Austria & The Habsburgs Emperor Leopold I (r 1658-1705) The War of The Holy League (1683-1698) Austria, Poland, Venice, and Russia (1686) vs. The Ottoman Empire 1699- The Treaty of Karlowitz Hungary, Transylvania, Slavonia Habsburgs Habsburgs lose lands in the Peace of Utrecht Charles VI Son of Charles V 1713- Issues Pragmatic Sanction: Habsburg lands will never be divided again His lands go his daughter Maria Theresa
The Kingdom of Austira, 1720
Prussia 15th & 16th Centuries: Hohenzollern Dynasty Imperial Electors of Brandenburg, Dukes of Prussia
Prussia Frederick William the Great Elector 30 Years War, military genius stable kingdom Goals: Unify & enlarge holdings Prussia Brandenburg Random Rhineland holdings Convinced Junkers of need for a standing army Nobility who are military officers 1653-Nobility control Serfs 1660 – Taxation without noble consent for standing army Increased noble power in return
Prussia King Frederick I of Prussia (r. 1701-1713) The Soldier King 1713: life-long forced conscription Prussia Absolutist military state
Russia Ivan III The Great (1562-1605) Expanded Moscow to the Black Sea Ended Mongol subjugation Modeled himself after Mongol Kahn (autocratic) Claimed religious and political inheritance of the Byzantine Emperor Tsar Ivan IV The Terrible (1533-1584) Slaughtered Boyars absolute authority Forcibly bound peasants to their land 1598 – 1614 “The Time of Troubles”
Russia The Romanov Dynasty (1613-1917) Tsar Michael Romanov (r. 1613-1645) Restoration of autocracy 1649 – laws passed giving lords unrestricted power over serfs Significant territorial expansion Czar Alexi I, Czar Feodor III, Czar Ivan IV
Russia Czar Peter The Great Goals: build/improve army, territorial expansion, Westernization 1700-1721 The Great Northern War Russia, Denmark, Poland vs Sweden “Narva Disaster” All nobles required to serve state for life New schools & Universities Military – Civilian Bureaucracy Taxes increased 3x on peasantry