3. Enlightened reforms of Frederick the Great a. Frederick claimed that he saw himself as the “first servant of the state” The destruction of war encouraged Frederick to help improve society Yet, Frederick was an absolute ruler His reforms were mostly intended to increase the power of the state The peasantry did not really benefit from his reforms

b. Allowed religious toleration (although less so for Jews) Jews did not receive full rights until eight years after Frederick’s death c. Promoted education in schools and universities Gains in primary education were modest Codified and streamlined laws Freed serfs on Crown lands Peasants were needed for the army Serfdom remained on noble lands although Frederick ordered an end to physical punishments

f. Improved the state bureaucracy by f. Improved the state bureaucracy by requiring exams for civil servants g. Reduced censorship h. Abolished capital punishment (but not in the army) i. Encouraged immigration j. Encouraged industrial and agricultural growth

4. Yet, Prussia’s social structure remained stratified a. Serfdom remained on non-crown lands b. The Junkers were the backbone of the Prussian military and the state The state did not recognize marriages between nobles and commoners. Nobles were not allowed to sell their lands to non-nobles. c. Middle class had trouble moving up

D. “Catherine the Great” (Catherine II) of Russia (r. 1762-1798)       1. Background a. One of the greatest rulers in European history Perhaps the least enlightened of the Enlightened Despots b. Conspired against her husband Peter III to gain the throne. c. Lover of French culture and saw herself as a child of the Enlightenment Diderot lived in her court briefly Wikipedia Commons Artist: Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder Date: 1780s Location: Kunsthistorisches Museum

a. Eugene Pugachev, a Cossack soldier, led a huge serf uprising 2. Pugachev Rebellion (1773) a. Eugene Pugachev, a Cossack soldier, led a huge serf uprising Demanded an end to serfdom, taxes, and military conscription Landlords and officials were murdered all over southwestern Russia Pugachev was eventually captured and executed Wikipedia Commons Artist: Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder Date: 1780s Location: Kunsthistorisches Museum

Serfdom spread to new areas (e.g. Ukraine) b. Catherine needed support of the nobility and gave them absolute control over serfs Serfdom spread to new areas (e.g. Ukraine) 1785, Catherine freed nobles from taxes and state service Confiscated Orthodox Church lands and gave them to her favorite officials Nobles reached their height while serfs were worse off Wikipedia Commons Artist: Fyodor Rokotov Date: 1763 Location: Tretkayov Gallery, Moscow

3. Catherine imported Western culture into Russia a 3. Catherine imported Western culture into Russia a. Architects, artists, musicians and writers were invited to Russia b. Culturally, Russia gained the respect of western European countries 4. Educational reforms a. Supported the first private printing presses -- Number of books published annually in Russia increased dramatically b. A school for noble girls founded

5. Restricted the practice of torture 6 5. Restricted the practice of torture 6. Allowed limited religious toleration a. Stopped persecution of Old Believers b. Jews granted civil equality 7. Strengthened local gov’t led by elective councils of nobles -- Yet, the crown not obligated to accept recommendations from councils 8. Shortcomings of Catherine’s reforms a. Only the state and nobility benefited b. Serfdom became even more severe

9. Territorial growth under Catherine        a. Annexed Polish territory through three Partitions of Poland: 1772, 1793, 1795       -- Poland’s Diet was weak due to the Liberum veto          b. Gained Ottoman land in the Crimea controlled by Tartars. c. Began conquest of the Caucasus d. Expansion provided new lands with which to give Russian nobles

Partitions of Poland: 1772-1795 Wikipedia Commons Map Maker: Halibutt 2005

D.  Austria 1. Maria Theresa (r. 1740-1780) a. Inherited the throne from Charles VI Pragmatic Sanction of 1713: issued by Leopold She was archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia Sought to improve the condition of her people through absolute rule Conservative and cautious

b.  War of Austrian Succession As a female, she could not assume the title of Holy Roman Emperor This cast doubts on her legitimacy as ruler of the Habsburg empire Though she lost Silesia, she saved her leadership of the empire Gained support of the Hungarian nobility in defeating Bohemian revolt and preserving the empire

c.  Centralized control of the Habsburg Empire Limited the power of the nobles Reduced serfdom Increased size of the empire’s army Improved the tax system Reduced conflicts between various provinces in the empire Reduced torture in legal proceedings

d.  Brought the Catholic Church under state control Reduced papal influence in Austria Taxed the Catholic church Believed the Church and nobility were the foundations of the state e. Promoted economic development Hoped giving serfs freedom would make them more productive Abolished guilds Abolished internal tariffs Encouraged immigration Improved transportation Supported private enterprise

f. Maria Theresa is not considered an f.  Maria Theresa is not considered an Enlightened Despot despite numerous reforms She was not a fan of the Enlightenment Did not go as far as others in allowing religious toleration (although she allowed some tolerance for Protestants)

a. Co-regent with Maria Theresa until 1780 2. Joseph II (r.1765-1790) a. Co-regent with Maria Theresa until 1780 b. Perhaps the greatest of the Enlightened Despots but also the least effective c. Major reforms Abolished serfdom and feudal dues Freedom of religion and civic rights to Protestants and Jews Reduced influence of the Catholic church Wikipedia Commons Artist: Georg Decker Location: Albertina, Vienna

Freedom of the press (to some degree) Reformed the judicial system and sought to make it equal for all citizens Abolished torture and death penalty Expanded state schools Established hospitals, insane asylums, poor houses and orphanages

d. The Empire declined under Joseph’s reign Austria was defeated several times by the Ottoman Empire The Austrian Netherlands were in revolt Russia was threatening Austria’s interests in eastern Europe and Balkans Leopold II reversed many reforms in order to maintain effective control of the empire Joseph (right) with his younger brother Peter Leopold (later Leopold II). Wikipedia Commons Artist: Pompeo Batoni Date: 1769 Location: Kunsthistorisches Museum