How did the basic structure of society in eastern Europe become different from that of western Europe in the early modern period?

How and why did the rulers of Austria, Prussia, and Russia manage to build powerful absolutist states?

3 aging empires:A. Holy Roman Empire

B. Republic of Poland

C. Ottoman Empire

3 emerging states: A. AustriaB. PrussiaC. Russia

never very strong remember Voltaire?

30 Years’ War delivered final blow econ, arts, lit,

science religious disunity central authority

Holy Roman empire in 1648

emperor elected by 9 electors, leaders of imp.

German states Habsburg position – bargain w/ electors

to keep it

imperial diet authority to raise troops & taxes lost

after 30 Yrs. War

not able to become absolutist as a whole, but individual states could: Brandenburg-Prussia

(Hohenzollerns) Austria (Habsburgs)

1806 – HRE dissolved

Brandenburg-Prussia

Austria

Kingdom of Poland + Grand Duchy of Lithuania

republic = elected king + constitutional liberties

weak central authority real authority = szlachta (landed aristocracy) & regional

diets heterogeneous pop. Catholic

1795 – end of republic: carved up by stronger, expansionistic states

strongest of the 3 aging empires, BUT: weakened gov’t weakened military

▪ once strong – janissaries, well-equipped, devshirme

▪ feared – sieges on Vienna in 1529 & 1683

Muslim religious toleration heterogeneous pop.

Ottoman print of devshirme in Bulgaria. Every fifth Christian child taken.

1923 – dissolution

Similar paths of development up to 1300: trade, towns, pop. expansion into frontier opportunities for socioeconomic

advancement

Diverged after 1300:Western Europe Eastern Europe

serfdom abolished serfdom reestablished

weak lords powerful lords

urban agrarian

strong middle class weak middle class

strong states – strong central authority

weak empires – weak central authority

How did eastern European landlords return peasants to serfdom?

(1) made rulers issue laws restricting peasants’ movement

▪ hereditary subjugation = serfdom passes on through generations

(2) took over peasants’ land and labor obligations

▪ growth of estate agriculture

How were eastern landlords able to enforce their changes to the condition of the peasantry?

Controlled local justice.

Why did serfdom reemerge in eastern Europe? economic interpretation:

14th-15th c. agricultural depression & pop.

labor shortage

landlords tie peasants to land

16th c. prosperity returns but lords finish what they started

flaw in argument: Western Europe had identical economic development but did not reinstate serfdom

Why did serfdom reemerge in eastern Europe? political interpretation:

most convincing argument

Western Europe Eastern Europe

What happened

strong monarchs = landlords power

weak monarchs + war = landlords power

Different concepts of monarchical authority

monarch has sovereignty and protects interests of his people

monarch is only 1st among equals; does not protect interests of his people

political interpretation (continued):

Western Europe Eastern Europe

Power of the peasantry

stronger weaker – uprisings rarely succeeded

Power of the towns & urban classes

stronger: towns retained greater privileges

weaker: landlords took power & privileges away- lords sold directly to foreign capitalists instead of urban merchants - peasants lost right of refuge

Monarchs vs. landlords successful monarchs gained power in 3 key areas:1) taxation2) army3) foreign policy

Habsburgs mostly in

HRE, but also outside to SE

Austrian rulers = HRE emperors

Catholic

Habsburg domains to 1795.

30 Years’ War set stage: Habsburgs (losers) turn inward and

eastward to strengthen state events in Bohemia (Phase 1) introduce

new nobility loyal to Habsburgs Habsburgs reestablish control over Bohemia

Bohemian Estates (Protestant) revolt against Habsburgs (Catholic)

Battle of White Mountain (1620) – Bohemian Estates crushed

Habsburgs take land/power from Protestant Czech nobles and give it to Catholic Czech nobles = new Bohemian nobility loyal to Habsburgs

Habsburgs reestablish control over Bohemia Protestantism

eliminated peasants exploited

even more: the robot

Personal note: It was in this era that my grandmother’s family converted from Protestantism to Judaism because they were persecuted for being Protestants and did not want to become Catholic – Judaism for them was the less detestable choice. Not a good decision in the long run.

1529 & 1683 – unsuccessful Ottoman sieges on Vienna

Habsburgs acquire Hungary & Transylvania (Romania) from Ottomans

new Habsburg state = Austria, Bohemia, + Hungary

common Habsburg ruler but each state kept own laws/gov’t (Estates)

Pragmatic Sanction (1713) – Habsburg possessions are never to be divided and are to be passed to single heir

Hungary not fully integrated Hungarian nobles revolted somewhat

successfully▪ why and how: religion (Protestant Hungarians vs.

Catholic Habsburgs), Hungarian nationalism, Ottoman military support

1703 revolt under Rákóczy Hungarians accept Habsburg rule & Habsburgs restore Hungarian nobility’s privileges

Ferdinand II (r. 1619-1637) crushes Bohemian Estates &

creates new loyal Bohemian nobility

Ferdinand III (r. 1637-1657) consolidates German-speaking

provinces (Austria, Styria, Tyrol) creates permanent standing

army

Charles VI (r. 1711-1740) Pragmatic Sanction (1713) Rákóczy’s revolt

Hohenzollerns = elector of Brandenburg & duke of Prussia elector of Brandenburg – helps choose

Holy Roman emperor 1618 – Prussia became possession of

elector of Brandenburg when junior branch of Hohenzollern family died out

Hohenzollerns had little power until 30 Years’ War elector of Brandenburg = position bestowed no real

power Brandenburg: land-locked, no natural defenses,

poor land Prussia: separated from Brandenburg, basically part

of Poland

30 Years’ War weakened the Estates (rep. assemblies) allowed monarchs to take more power

Frederick William, the “Great Elector” (r. 1640-1688)

Frederick III, “the Ostentatious” (r. 1688-1713)

Frederick William I, “the Soldiers’ King” (r. 1713-1740)

strengthened central authority: unified 3 provinces: Brandenburg,

Prussia, lands along the Rhine forced Estates to accept

permanent taxation w/o their consent

created permanent standing army

factors enabling his success: foreign invasions Estates more willing to issue funds for army

Junkers did not support the towns elector broke town liberties

weak focused on

copying Louis XIV’s style

Frederick III

Louis XIV

most influential in est. Prussian absolutism military obsessed

strengthened royal authority: created best army in Europe created strong, centralized bureaucracy

▪ honest and conscientious▪ worked to develop economy

eliminated threat from nobility by enlisting Junkers in army (became officers)

almost always at peace civil society became militarized – very rigid &

disciplined

Similar to W. Europe up to ≈1250: Christian (though Eastern Orthodox) territories unified (11th c.) feudal (boyard nobility & peasantry) political fragmentation at various times

1250-1700: Russia becomes quite different from W. Europe cause: Russia under brutal foreign rule

(Mongols)

Chinggis Khan (1162-1227) & Golden Horde – great conquerors

mid-13th c. – Mongols conquer Kievan Rus Mongol Yoke

Kiev (capital of Ukraine)

unified eastern Slavs Allowed Russian princes who

demonstrated good service/loyalty to retain some authority.

Muscovite princes served Mongols well given more power. Over time Muscovite princes territory and consolidate power.

Ivan I, “Ivan Moneybags” (r. 1328-1341)

Ivan III (r. 1462-1505) Ivan IV, “Ivan the Terrible” (r. 1533-

1584)Michael Romanov (r. 1613-1645)Alexis (r. 1645-1676)Peter the Great (r. 1682-1725)

stingy

made $$$ by lending $ to princes for Mongol tax collection

Mongols made him tax collector & great prince

Muscovite power consolidated – no longer recognized leadership of Mongol khan

hello Russian absolutism!

Why did this happen?1. Ivan III felt strong2. tsars believed they had to carry on Byzantine legacy

(Orthodox Xtianity ; Moscow as “Third Rome” after Constantinople)

monarchy became more powerful than nobility

boyard nobility lost power in 15th c. service nobility – new class loyal to tsar

1st to take title of “tsar” wars of expansion

successful in the E. – took Mongol land unsuccessful in the W. (Poland-

Lithuania) subjugated boyars – reign of terror service nobles demand more from

peasants peasants flee and form independent outlaw groups = Cossacks

urban traders & artisans bound to towns so Ivan could tax them

limited middle class (vs. W. Europe)

Theodore (r. 1584-1598)

“Time of Troubles” (1598-1613) fighting over who would be tsar unsuccessful Cossack rebellion led by Ivan

Bolotnikov

Michael Romanov (r. 1613-1645) elected by nobles – became new hereditary

tsar restored power of the tsar

Alexis (r. 1645-1676) 1649 – peasants enserfed social class gap widens split in Russian Orthodox church: Nikon

wants reforms along Greek Orthodox model vs. “Old Believers” want to stick to Russian ways “Old Believers” persecuted & Russians alienated from church

1670-71 – unsuccessful Cossack rebellion led by Stenka Razin

Alexis

What were his policies?

What made him “great”?

Was he really great?

tsar: term for the Russian ruler (like “king”)

autocracy: government in which one person possesses unlimited power

absolutism: government by an absolute ruler or authority, meaning a ruler completely free from constitutional or other restraint