1. Enlightenment
Values

2. Enlightened Despotism
December 1st, 2010
Absolute ruler +
who ruled by Enlightenment Ideals

3. What’s Serfdom?
What do you think enlightened leaders would think of Serfdom?

4. Frederick the Great (Frederick II)
1 of the greatest rulers in German history
Son of Fredrick William I who gave him a strong military education

5. Wars of Frederick the Great

6. War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748)

8. Cause
Frederick invaded & annexed Silesia, part of the Austrian Hapsburg empire

9. Frederick violated Austria’s Pragmatic Sanction (1713) whereby the Great Powers recognized that Charles VI’s daughter, Maria Theresa, would inherit the entire Hapsburg empire

10. Prussia efficiently defeated Austria Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
End of the War
Prussia efficiently defeated Austria
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Prussia gained Silesia (& doubled Prussia’s population in the process)
Prussia was now recognized as 1 of Europe’s “Great Powers”

12. Cause: Maria Teresa sought to regain Silesia from Prussia & gain Russia & France as allies.
Goal of Austria, Russia & France was to conquer Prussia & divide its territories among the winners

13. “Diplomatic Revolution of 1756”
France & Austria, traditional enemies, now allied against Prussia

15. World war that also included England & France’s struggle for North America
Prussia outnumbered by its enemies 15 to 1
180k Prussian’s dead & severe disruptions to its society
Prussia was on the verge of a catastrophic defeat

16. Russian Empress Elizabeth dies
Russian Czar Peter III (an admirer of Frederick) pulled Russia out of the war in 1763
Saved Prussia from almost certain defeat

17. Peter was assassinated & replaced by Catherine II as a result

18. Treaty of Paris (1763)
Most important peace treaty of the 18th century & most important since the Treaty of Westphalia (1648)
Prussia permanently retained Silesia
France lost all of its colonies in N. America to Great Britain

19. Enlightened Reforms Saw himself as the “1st servant of the state”
Duty: Make his people happy
The destruction of war encouraged Frederick to help improve society
Yet, Frederick was an absolute ruler

20. In reality, his reforms were mostly intended to increase the power of the state

21. Allowed religious freedom
Promoted education in schools & universities

22. Codified (systemized) & Streamlined laws
Easier for all to understand
Judicial system became efficient in deciding cases quickly & impartially

23. Serfs Freed the serfs that were on the crown’s land. Why?
He needed peasants for his army
Serfdom remained on the noble’s lands
But ordered nobles to end physical punishment of serfs

24. Improved state bureaucracy by requiring exams for civil servants (merit rather than privilege by birth)
Reduced censorship

25. Abolished capital punishment
except in the army

26. Maria Theresa
Hapsburg
Austria

28. Centralized control of the Habsburg Empire
Limited the power of the nobles
Reduced power of the lords over their serfs
Some serfs were partially freed

29. Did more to help the condition of serfs than any ruler in European history up to that time
only her son, Joseph II, did more

30. Brought the Catholic Church in Austria under state control (continued by Joseph)
Sought to reduce pope’s influence in Austria

31. Why Many Do NOT consider Maria Theresa an Enlightened Despot
Opposed religious toleration

32. Joseph II (r )
His Mother was Maria Theresa

33. Perhaps the greatest of the “Enlightened Despots” in terms of reforms but in many ways was among the least effective

34. Deeply influenced by the Enlightenment & its emphasis on reforms

35. Major reforms

36. Abolished serfdom & feudal dues in 1781
Freedom of religion & civic rights to Protestants & Jews
Allowed freedom of the press to a significant degree

37. Reformed the judicial system & sought to make it equal for all citizens
Abolished torture & ended the death penalty

38. Expanded state schools
Established hospitals, insane asylums, poorhouses & orphanages

39. Catherine the Great (r. 1762-1796)

40. One of greatest rulers in European history
As a reformer, perhaps the least “enlightened” of the Enlightened Despots

41. Pugachev Rebellion (1773)

42. Eugene Pugachev, a Cossack soldier, led a huge serf uprising.
His cause was to end serfdom, taxes & army service.

43. Landlords & officials were murdered all over southwestern Russia.

44. Catherine needed support of nobility
Gave them absolute control of serfs

45. Nobles control of serfs reached its height & serfs were worse off than before the rebellion

46. Catherine’s Achievements
Imported western culture into Russia
Great relationship w/ the Philsophes

47. Restricted the practice of torture
Education
The # of books published annually in Russia increased from a few dozen to about 400 during her reign
Restricted the practice of torture

48. Allowed limited religious toleration
Old Believers & the Jewish were more protected from persecution

49. Took Polish land (Liberum Veto made Poland incapable of stopping it)

50. Shortcomings of Catherine’s Reforms
State & nobility benefitted
Most everyone else didn’t benefit much, if at all

51. Nobility had complete control over Serfs