1. Absolute Monarchs in Austria & Prussia
Support or criticize this statement:
“There are just some jobs that a woman can’t do; leading a country is one of them.”

2. Absolute Monarchs
Austria & Prussia

3. Austria

4. Austria
The Hapsburgs of Austria remained the most powerful kings in central Europe

5. Austria
Charles VI worked out a Pragmatic Sanction with other German kings that changed Austrian law to allow Maria Theresa to rule & keep Austrian lands under one Hapsburg ruler
Austria was very diverse & difficult to rule; the only thing that held it together was that a Hapsburg king controlled it all
But Austrian king Charles VI had a daughter Maria Theresa; no woman had ever ruled Austria

6. Austria Maria Teresa proved to be a good queen for Austria:
She reduced the role of noble lords & strengthened the power of the monarch
She limited the amount of work that nobles could force their peasants to do
BUT…her power was challenged by kings in Prussia

7. Prussia

8. Prussia
Prussia was a territory of scattered lands in the NW region of the Europe ruled by the Hohenzollern Dynasty
The Lutheran Hohenzollerns were a rival family of the Catholic Hapsburgs

9. Prussia
To ensure that Prussia became a respected nation, King Fredrick William built a strong military.
He “rented” his army to assist in European wars as a way of gaining $$$ & power.

10. Prussia
Fredrick William I—Doubled the size of the Prussian army & made it the strongest military in Europe; as king, he cared little for anything other than his army.

11. Prussia
When Maria Theresa took over Austria, Prussia’s new king Fredrick (II) the Great attacked Austria to gain land
Prussia won this War of Austrian Succession

12. Austria vs. Prussia
Maria Theresa wanted Silesia back & started another war in 1756 called the Seven Years War; European nations formed alliances:
Austria, Russia, France
…vs…Prussia & England
British & French colonists fought each other in America (French & Indian War)
Austria lost; Prussia kept Silesia & England gained Canada from France