Discontent in Spain War/ conflict in Europe Economic decline Plague Support of Catholics and Hapsburg relatives Economic decline Philip II declared himself bankrupt 3x Unable to broaden tax base/ economic base Small group controls business and $$ Flow of treasure begins to dwindle after 1600 Plague Roughly 40% decrease in population in Castile and Aragon Lack of food due to wool trade/ $$ to ship in
Revolt and Secession Union of arms Revolts Spread tax burden to all territories/ Castile to lose dominance in government Other territories refuse to adhere/support policy 1640’s- Catalonia, Portugal, Sicily and Naples revolt Revolts Catalonia comes back into the fold Portugal, declared independent in 1668 Castile reasserts dominance in Sicily and Naples
Consequences Unable to continue international policy of expansion Fix/focus on issues “at home” Stable/ but not the most powerful Focus on agricultural Nobility still in power
Absolutism in Central Europe
The Habsburgs & the Holy Roman Empire
Habsburg Family Crest
Austrian Empire: 1657-1718
Leopold I Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1658-1705)
Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace
Prince Eugène of Savoy: 1718
Holy Roman Empire: 1750
The Hohenzollerns & Brandenburg-Prussia
Prussian Family Crest
Prussia & the Austrian Empire: 1721-72
King Frederick I of Prussia (r.1701-1713) Frederick III of Brandenburg 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
The War of the Austrian Succession 1741 - 1748
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