The Kingdom of Prussia, which began to expand after the 30-years War, was based upon the feudal principality of Brandenburg, centered around the city of Berlin.

Prussian absolutism evolved out of the feudal principality of Brandenburg in the northeastern portion of the central European plain. It was an area exposed to the march of armies in all directions, which is why there was much destruction to it during thr 30 years War.

A sequence of strong-willed emperors in the Hohenzollern dynasty built a disciplined army and an effective bureaucracy, which allowed Prussia to flurish into a leading country in the 18th century

A standing army at the service of the monarch established control over the aristocracy; then built a system of mutual dependence by supporting aristocratic dominance over the peasantry.

1653 – Convinced Junkers (landed nobility) to grant him the money to build an army

In exchange Junkers maintained power over the peasantry - Feudalism

Controlled Nobility

Established Military

Created a permanent standing army

Junkers = Officers

Peasants = Soldiers

This was the 1st modern civil service

During his reign he tripled the size of his army

Other PoliciesIncreased taxes to the equivalent of France (had to pay for military)

Taxed peasants more than nobiity (needed to keep them happy)

Religious Toleration – welcomed 20,000 Huguenots, Polish Jews and other refugees

He became elector of Brandenburg in 1688 after the death of his father Frederick William. Frederick I was the margrave and elector of Brandenburg and the duke of Prussia.

He wanted a bigger title but at the time kingdoms were not allowed outside of the Holy Roman empire. Frederick I convinced Leopold, the archduke of Austria and holy roman emperor to allow Prussia to be ruled as a kingdom. In return Frederick I had to aid Leopold I against king louis XIV of France in the Spanish succession war.

On January 18th 1701, Frederick I crowned himself "king in Prussia".

Establishing the power of the Hohenzollern family in Europe

Modeled himself after Louis XIV

King Frederick I of Prussia (r.1701-1713)

King Frederick I of Prussia (r.1701-1713)

Formerly:

Frederick III of

Brandenburg

(r. 1688-1701)

Formerly:

Frederick III of

Brandenburg

(r. 1688-1701)

Continued policies of his Grandfather – centralization

Turned Royal Gardens into a military training ground

Increased army from 39,000 – 80,000 taking up 80% of the countries tax revenue

All young men HAD TO register for military service

Created the 1st Military reserves

Ivan IV “the terrible” (b. 1530 / r. 1533 – 1584)• Advised and abused by boyars (3

to 16 yrs)• Took individual power in 1546 –

crowned himself Tzar (Caesar) in 1547

• In 1549 he called together a zemskii sobor, assembly of the land,

• In 1550 established a new law code.

• Updated the army and defended Russia's eastern borders from the Mongols and added new lands in the 1550

1560, wife Anastasia Romanov dies• Ivan increasingly unstable

After 1560 - Paranoid and delusional• Kills eldest son, Ivan

Helped to depopulate areas of central Russia• Massacre of boyars• Peasants flee east --

south – “Cossacks”• “all the people

consider themselves to be kholops, that is, slaves of their Prince”

1584 Ivan IV dies 1598 – 1613 Time of Troubles – no clear heir

• Relatives murder one another• Swedish and Polish armies invade• Cossack bands attack nobles and officials

Zemskii Sobor (feudal estates) elect Michael Romanov, (Ivan IV’s grandson) 1613-1645• Completes “enserfment” of the peasants• 1625 law states killing a peasant = destruction of property

Alexis - 1645-1676: • 1646 serfs legally bound to estate Serf / Cossack uprising led by Stephen Razin 1667

• Old Believers rise up against the reform ideas of Russian patriarch Nikon; threaten to break away from the church Church became dependent upon the state in order to gain

protection from enraged peasantry

Born in 1672 from Alexis second wife

6 ft. 9 --- “giant”, “barbarian genius”

1682 - Joint ruler with half-brother Ivan V (mentally handicapped) – but half-sister Sofia acts as regent – exiles Peter!!!(1682-1689)

Returns but Sofia tries to have him murdered – Peter escapes - gains the throne; ruled alone 1689 – 1725

• Great Embassy: toured Europe 1696 – 1697 with 250 officials and nobles!!!

• fascinated by Dutch and English ship building • Recognizes “backwardness” of Russia; recruits 1000

foreign experts for service positions• 1698 returned to revolt of streltsi (tsar guards of noble

classes, very politically active – opposed to reform and any threat to their own power) –instigated by Sofia; streltsi massacred; Sofia recedes to convent

1698 rebuilt army from ground up; several foreign officers • recognizes need to have a “European” fighting force• Almost continuously at war w/ Ottomans and Swedes

Peter hung the bodies of the rebels outside of Sophia’s convent window, and Sophia apparently went mad.

In England he stayed at a house in Deptford belonging to writer John Evelyn. During his stay he and his companions caused a great deal of damage. He had a party full of “nasty people” wrecked the house and garden, carpets were left filthy with grease and ink. Paintings looked like they were used as shooting targets. Locks and windows were broken. Every one of the 50 chairs in the house vanished – probably burned in fires.

Translation:

Right Corner:

“The barber went to cut off an Old Believer’s beard”

Left Corner:

“The Old Believer says:”

“Listen, barber, I neither want to cut my beard nor shave watch out, or I will call the guards to teach you to behave.”

Improving the cities: • St. Petersburg: new capital on Baltic Baroque example of links btw. politics /

architecture / urban development wide open avenues – uniform buildings

government offices; nobles must build here• Built from an outpost – to replace Moscow• Separate areas for nobles, merchants,

artisans… (favorable terms for settling)• Marvel of modern engineering• Showplace for the tsar Nobility paid for it Built on the backs of the serfs

Peter used forced peasant labor to build his palace.

War with Ottomans: Russia vs. Turks and Tartars - Black Sea• not successful, Russian army to weak.

War with Swedes: “The Great Northern War” 1700-1721• Allied with Denmark/Poland• Sweden powerful in N. Europe – scattered lands

Germany, Finland, Estonia• 21 year conflict vs. Charles XII of Sweden (r. 1697-1718) 1709 – decisive Russian victory at Poltava (Ukraine) 1721, Teraty of Nystadt – Russia annexes Estonia and

Livonia and Karelia Russia has access to the Baltic! “Window to the West”

Wars lead to modernization of Russia – militarily first - professional

200,000 regular troops – drafted for life!!!! 100,000 special forces of Cossacks and foreigners!

Schools to train new military personnel

Created the “Empire of Russia”• 1711 abolishes the duma (parliament) – replaces with

Senate of 10 members• 10 territorial gubernii (governments)• Abolishes hereditary succession (doesn’t trust son,

Alexei)Russia referred to as: state w/o a people

• 1717 – Creation of 8 administrative colleges: tax collection, foreign relations, war & economic affairs

• 1722 - Table of Ranks: ability in “state service” / military determines one’s social position& privileges

Alexis renounced his right to succession and fled to Austria. Peter thought he fled to get foreign backing and had him arrested and tried for treason. He was sentenced to death. Died from the torture wich occurred before the execution could ever take place.

Secular control of the Russian Orthodox Church – radical reorganization • Patriarch replace with Holy Synod (several

bishops under the leadership of lay procurator general)Why get rid of a Patriarch?

• Church now responsible for carrying out the secular demands of the tsar

• Westerners and Western ideas flow into Russia – paving the way for Enlightenment and rule of his wife, Catherine (not the Great!!) –resistance to foreigners from nobility and serfs–Alexei (son) vows to reinstall old Russian traditions•1718 imprisoned and executed

• 1725 Peter dies – leaves no successor!!• Peter left behind an uneasy Russia – poor and weak,

angry –Great divide between poor and nobility–It will be another 30 years of noble and military

factions deciding who will reign in Russia

The Holy Roman Empire

300+ German States

Austria

Bohemia

Hungary

Habsburg Family CrestHabsburg Family Crest

Habsburg GenealogyHabsburg Genealogy

•Major Obstacles in the way of an Absolute Monarchy

•Not a nation-state – included too many languages, traditions and nationalities.

•Germans

•Czechs

•Magyars

•Slovaks

•Croatians

•Slovenes

•Rumanians

•Italians

•Poles

o Austria turned inward and eastward after the Thirty Years’ War

o Serfdom increased, Protestantism was wiped out, and absolutism was achieved

o The Habsburgs crushed the Protestant nobility, land was given to the Catholic soldiers, binding local peasants to them

•Successfully resisted both Ottoman Empire and King XIV of France

o Siege of Vienna (1683) – Habsburg, with Polish support, defeated the Ottoman Turks and began increasing their territory

•1684 – Leopold led a “Holy League” against the Turks

• Victory forced the Hungarian Estates to declare that the Hungarian throne would be a hereditary possession of the Hapsburgs – recognizing the sovereignty of the Hapsburg dynasty

• Magyar Nobles would continue to be tax exempt

oIn 1686, Austria captured the capital of Hungary. In 1699, acquired most of Hungarian land. n turned toward Hungary for land.

•Most Magyar nobles had become Protestant during the Reformation. Hapsburg persecution of Hungarian Protestants sparked an insurrection in 1679

Leopold I

Holy RomanEmperor

(r. 1658-1705)

Leopold I

Holy RomanEmperor

(r. 1658-1705)

•War of Spanish Succession

•Won Battle of Blenheim over the French

•Confirmed Austria’s position as one of the great powers of Europe

•Took throne after Joseph I 1705 – 1711

•War of Spanish Succession – awarded the Spanish Netherlands and Spain’s holdings in Italy

•The Pragmatic Sanction – allowed the throne to be passed down to his daughter Maria Theresa

Charles VI (r. 1711-1740)Charles VI (r. 1711-1740)

•War of Austrian Succession 1740-1748 – she successfully defended her right to inherit the Austrian Hapsburg domains

•Created a centralized bureaucracy to control local affairs

•Established the state’s control over the administration of the Roman Catholic Church

•Husband had the title Holy Roman Emperor

MariaTheresa

(r. 1740-1780)

MariaTheresa

(r. 1740-1780)

Schoenbrunn Palace

Versailles

Schönbrunn PalaceSchönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn PalaceSchönbrunn Palace

Schoenbrunn Versailles

Schoenbrunn

Versailles