1. Section 3
The Thirty Years War

2. The Thirty Years’ War HRE by 17th century patchwork of small states
Religion was the original cause
1618- Began in Bohemia, Catholic Hapsburg king tried to suppress Protestant revolt
Local conflict became general war
HRE supported by Catholic states
Protestant powers sent troops
Fought all across Germany, led to 1/3 of pop. dying
Ruined German trade and agriculture

3. The Thirty Years’ War Ended in 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia
Weakened Hapsburg Spain and Austria
Made France the most powerful country in Europe
Ended religious wars in Europe
Introduced new method of settling disputes, where participants decide terms of peace
Treaty recognized European countries as equals and was the beginning of the modern state system

4. Absolute Rulers of Russia
Section 4
Absolute Rulers of Russia

5. Absolute Rulers of Russia
Ivan III first strong ruler of Russia
Conquered territory around Moscow
Centralized the government
Liberated Russia from Mongol rule
1554 Ivan’s grandson Ivan IV became Russia’s first czar

6. Absolute Rulers of Russia
Ivan became czar when he was 3 years old
Early life he competed for power with the boyars (Russia’s landowning nobles)
When he was 16 he seized power for good
1560 his wife dies and Ivan accused the boyars of poisoning her
Became known as Ivan the Terrible
He organized a secret police force to hunt down and murder people that did not agree with him
He took the boyars estates and gave them to people that were loyal to him

7. Absolute Rulers of Russia
1581 Ivan kills his son and heir in an argument
Ivan died three years later that left his younger less competent son as ruler of Russia
After his son died there was a period of turmoil in Russia
Boyars struggled for power
1613 representatives from many Russian cities chose the next czar, Michael Romanov (who was related to Ivan’s wife)
Began the Romanov dynasty that ruled Russia for the next three hundred years

8. Absolute rulers of Russia
Russia Contrasts with the Rest of Europe
Russia was a land of boyars and serfs
Landowners needed serfs to work on the lad to produce harvests
Serfs were seen as property, they were sold when the land was sold
Serfs were also given as presents and to pay debts
Most boyars looked to Constantinople not to Rome for religious guidance
Most Russians were Eastern Orthodox not Catholic or Protestants
Mongol rule had cut off Russia from the Age of Exploration and the Renaissance
Geographic barriers isolated Russia, its only seaport was frozen in ice most of the year

9. Absolute Rulers of Russia
Peter the Great comes to Power
Romanov’s restored order to Russia
Passed new law codes and put down revolts
1696 Peter I becomes ruler of Russia (known as Peter the Great), he continued the trend of increasing the czars power
Peter believed the future of Russia depended on the country having a warm water port to compete with the rest of Europe
1697 Peter leaves to tour Western Europe to learn European customs and manufacturing techniques (he traveled in disguise to keep his identity secret)

10. Absolute Rulers of Russia
Peter came back from his trip to “westernize” Russia (adoption of Western European ideas, technology, culture)
Russia would compete military and commercially with other European countries
To bring changes to Russia Peter became an absolute ruler
He reduced the power of the boyars
Gave power to lower ranking families, and gave them grants of land
Modernized army, hired officers, used weapons and tactics from other European countries

11. Absolute Rulers of Russia
Other attempts to “westernize” Russia included:
Introduction of potatoes, became a staple of the Russian diet
Raised the status of women
Ordered nobles to give up traditional styles of clothing and dress for European fashions
Opened universities to promote arts, sciences and navigation
Peter thought that education was the key to advance Russia
Promoted mercantilist policies
Improved waterways, roads, developed industry
Had no mercy for those that resisted his orders

12. Absolute Rulers of Russia
Peter wanted a seaport to open trade with the west
Fought a 21 year war with Sweden to gain port on Baltic Sea
Before war was over Peter began to construct the city of St. Petersburg
Built on a desolate swamp used the labor and lives of 50,000 serfs
Ordered nobles to move to capital from Moscow
1725 Peter dies and leaves Russia as European power