1. Central Europe in the Age of Absolutism
Ch. 19 Sec. 3
Central Europe in the Age of Absolutism

2. Habsburg Austria
In 1740 the H R Emperor Charles VI died, leaving his daughter Maria Theresa to inherit Austria & the other Habsburg lands
Before Charles died he urged other European rulers to accept the Pragmatic Sanction, which was an agreement that would allow Maria Theresa to inherit all the Habsburg lands
Her empire was a patchwork of regions & peoples which led to many conflicts of language, religion, & nationality

3. The character & size of the Habsburg empire, w/ its geographic, cultural, & historic diversity, made it extremely difficult to rule effectively

4. The Rise of the Hohenzollerns
Brandenburg-Prussia was a small N. German state ruled by the Hohenzollern family
Frederick William was one of the greatest HZ rulers & was called the Great Elector
Frederick William rebuilt B-P at the end of the 30 Yrs. War by unifying all his armies into one strong force, improved the tax system, agriculture, industry, & transportation

5. In 1688 Frederick I succeeded the Great Elector & he made all HZ land unified under the rule of Prussia (gained the title King of Prussia)
In 1713 Frederick I’s son became king, Frederick William I
Frederick William I didn’t spend $ on lavish courts, he used $ to double the size of the Prussian army & made it the most efficient fighting force in Europe

6. Tax collecting & gov’t spending were well planned
Frederick William I encouraged trade, the development of new industries, & all children go to school
In 1740 Frederick II turned into an even stronger ruler than his father & called Frederick the Great

7. Conflict Between Prussia & Austria
Frederick William I signed the Pragmatic Sanction allowing Maria Theresa to inherit the Hapsburg lands
But Frederick II marched his army into Silesia (valuable territory to Maria Theresa) & the War of the Austrian Succession lasted from 1740 to 1748
The Prussians took Silesia w/ ease

8. After the war, a shift known as the Diplomatic Revolution took place > 1756 G.B. allied w/ Prussia & France joined w/ Austria & Russia
This led to the Seven Years’ War (1756 to 1763) battles took place in N. America, India, as well as Europe
The war ended w/ no clear winner – the Treaty of Paris in 1763 said Prussia keeps Silesia, France had to give most of its land in N.Am. to Britain & Britain also remained dominate in India

9. Frederick the Great spent the first 23 years at war & the next 23 rebuilding & strengthening his empire
He expanded & improved education & the Prussian civil service system
he made important legal & court reforms
encouraged economic development through increased trade & manufacturing
he had tolerance for religious minorities
Prussia continued to gain new territory
Died in 1786, Prussia was a major European economic & political power