1. Absolutism in
Central Europe
Miss Raia & Ms. Pojer

2. Overview of Eastern Europe
Three aging empires: Holy Roman Empire, Ottoman Empire and Polish Kingdom
gave way to new empires of Austria Prussia and Russia
Holy Roman Empire: religious divisions and war in 16th and 17th century

3. Overview of Eastern Europe
Ottoman Empire: could not maintain possessions in E. Europe and Balkans in the Face of Austrian and Russian Expansion
Suleiman the Magnificent nearly conquered Austria in 1529
Captured Belgrade (Serbia) and nearly half of Eastern Europe including Balkan territories, most of Hungary and Southern Russia
Janissary Corps – Christian slaves were not selected for Ottoman Bureaucracy served in Turkish Army
Poland: liberum veto – voting in Polish parliament had to be unanimous (= weak gov’t)

4. How did Eastern Absolutism Differ from French Absolutism?
Eastern was based on a powerful nobility, weak middle class and an oppressed peasantry of serfs
In France the nobility’s power had been limited, the Middle class was relatively strong and peasants were generally free from serfdom
The Threat of war from the east is the primary reason for their consolidation of power which reduced the power of the nobility, increased the need for efficient collection of taxes and a standing army

5. Serfdom Ceased to exist in Western Europe
In the east, the lords revived Serfdom after 1300 to combat increasing economic challenges
Areas most effected: Bohemia, Silesia, Hungary, eastern Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Russia

6. Serfdom
Drop in the 14th century population created labor shortages for the nobles
Laws were created restricting or eliminating peasant’s right of moving freely
Prussia by 1500 had laws requiring runaway peasants to be hunted down and returned to their lord
Laws froze peasants in their social class
Lords confiscated peasant lands and imposed heavier labor obligations
Non-serf peasants were also affected
Robot: In certain regions, peasants were required to work 3-4 days without pay per week for their local lord

7. Serfdom Consolidated between 1500 and 1600
Hereditary serfdom reestablished in Poland
1694 in Russia, Tsar rescinded a 9 year term limit on recovery of runaway serfs
Economic situation positive – attention moved from serfs to growth of agriculture
Surpluses and influx of gold and silver from colonies

8. Why did Serfdom Exist in Eastern Europe but not in Western Europe?
Not necessarily economic
Political reasons
Most kings directly benefited from serfdom
Eastern lords had more political power than in the west
Constant warfare in Eastern Europe and political chaos resulted in noble landlord class increasing their political power at the expense of the monarchs
Weak eastern kings had little power to control landlord policies aimed at the peasants
Peasants were weaker politically than in the West
Landlords undermined medieval privileges of towns and power of urban classes

9. The Habsburgs
& the
Holy Roman Empire

10. Habsburg Family Crest

11. Emergence of Absolutism
Ineffective rule in the HRE forced monarchs to turn their attention inwards and eastward to consolidate their diverse holdings into a strong unified state
Reorganization of Bohemia was a major step
Czech nobility was wiped out during the Thirty Yeas War
Ferdinand II redistributed Czech lands to aristocratic soldiers from all over Europe
Conditions declined for serfs
Old hereditary provinces of Austria proper were centralized by Ferdinand III
Serfdom intensified in Hapsburg lands
Austria was NOT a national state
Multinational empire which included
Austria Proper: Germans and Italians
Bohemia Czechs
Hungary: Hungarians, Serbs, Croats, Romanians
No single constitutional system or administration existed in the empire as such each region had a different relationship to the emperor

12. Austrian Empire:

13. Ferdinand II (1619-1637) Took control of Bohemia during the 30 Year’s War

14. Ferdinand III (1637-1657) Centralized government in the old hereditary provinces of Austria proper

15. Leopold I
Holy Roman Emperor
(r )
Severely restricted protestant worship
Successfully repelled Turks from gates of Vienna in 1683 at the Siege of Vienna

16. Schönbrunn Palace

17. Schönbrunn Palace

18. Schönbrunn Palace

19. Emperor Charles VI (1711-1740) Issued Pragmatic Sanction in 1713
Hapsburg Possessions were never to be divided and henceforth to be passed intact to a single heir
His daughter Maria Theresa, inherited Charles’ empire in 1740 and ruled for 40 years

20. Maria Theresa & Her Family
Her Notable Children:
HRE Joseph II
HRE Leopold II
Queen Marie Antoinette (Fr.)

21. War of the Austrian Succession

22. Holy Roman Empire: 1750

23. The Hohenzollerns
&
Brandenburg-Prussia

24. Prussia: House of Hohenzollern
Ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia was designated as one of the 7 electors in the HRE in 1417
By the 17th Century, Brandenburg was not significantly involved in HRE affairs
Marriages increasingly gave the Hohenzollerns control of German principalities in central and Western Germany
The prince had little power over the nobility

25. Prussia & the Austrian Empire: 1721-72

26. Frederick William – The Great Elector (r.1640-1688)
Ongoing struggle between Sweden and Poland for control of Baltic after 1648 and wars of Louis XIV created atmosphere of permanent crisis
Prussia was invaded in 1656 by the Tartars of southern Russia who killed or carried off as slaves more than 50,000 peoples
Effects lead to foundation for centralized control
money needed for defense (military)
Nobility or Junkers, support royal power

27. Frederick William – The Great Elector (r.1640-1688)
Established Prussia as a great power and laid the foundation for future unification in the 19th century
Oversaw Prussian militarism and created the most efficient army in Europe
Employed military power and taxation to unify his Rhine holdings, Prussia and Brandenburg into a strong state
Increased military spending through high taxation
Encouraged Industry and trade

28. King Frederick I of Prussia (r.1701-1713)
Formerly: Frederick III of Brandenburg
(r )
Sought to imitate the court of Louis XIV
Encourage higher education
Fought two wars against Louis XIV to preserve balance of power
War of the League of Augsburg ( ) and War of Spanish Succession ( )
Allied with Hapsburgs
Elector of Brandenburg-Prussia was now recognized internationally as King of Prussia in return for aid to Hapsburgs

29. King Frederick William I of Prussia (r.1713-1740)
“The Soldier’s King”
Calvinist
Infused militarism into Prussian society
“Sparta of the North”
Society rigid and highly discipline
Unquestioning obedience was the highest virtue
Nearly doubled the size of the army
80% of gov’t revenues went towards the military
Most efficient Bureaucracy in Europe
Demanded absolute obedience and discipline from civil servants
Established approximately 1,000 schools for peasant children

30. Frederick the Great (r. 1740-1786)
Son of Frederick William I who gave him a strong military education
Proudly influenced by the Enlightenment
He considered French learning to be superior
Patronized Voltaire (Enlightenment thinker) and invited him to live in his court in Berlin
Musician and Poet
The first 23 years of Frederick’s reign was dominated by warfare

31. Frederick the Great (r. 1740-1786)

32. Frederick the Great’s Court

33. Europe in 1740

34. War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748)
Cause: Frederick invaded and annexed Silesia, part of the Austrian Hapsburg empire
Frederick violated Austria’s Pragmatic Sanction (1713) whereby the Great Powers recognized that Charles VII’s daughter, Maria Theresa, would inherit the entire Hapsburg empire
Prussia efficiently defeated Austria
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Prussia gained Silesia ( and doubled Prussia’s population in the process)
Prussia was now recognized as the most powerful of all the German states and as one of Europe’s “Great Powers.”

35. The Seven Years War
Cause: Maria Theresa sought to regain Silesia from Prussia and gained Russia and France as allies
Goal of Austria, Russia and France was to conquer Prussia and divide its territories among winners.
“Diplomatic Revolution of 1756”
France and Austria, traditional enemies now allied against Prussia
Britain, a traditional ally of Russia, supported Prussia withmoney, (but with few troops)
Bloodiest war in Europe since the Thirty Year’s War of the 17th Century
World war that also included England and France’s Struggle for North America
Prussia outnumbered by its enemies 15 to 1
Prussia suffered 180,000 dead and sever disruptions to its society
Berlin was twice captured and partially destroyed by Russian troops
Prussia was on the verge of a catastrophic defeat
Russian Czar Peter III (an admirer of Frederick) pulled
Russia out of the war in 1763)
This saved Prussia from almost certain defeat
Peter was assassinated and replaced by Catherine
II as a result

36. Treaty of Paris, 1763
Most important peace treaty of the 18th century and most important since the Treaty of Westphalia (1648)
Prussia permanently retained Silesia
France lost all its colonies in North America to Great Britain
Britain gained more territory in India