THE WARS OF ABSOLUTISM20.2 | ALL THAT POWER IN A FEW GREEDY HANDS

THE TENSION BUILDS

• RELIGIOUS ZEAL HAD FUELED EUROPEAN WARS DURING THE REFORMATION ERA

• DYNASTIC AND COMMERCIAL RIVALRY DROVE WARS FROM THE REIGN OF LOUIS XIV TO THE END OF THE 7 YEARS’ WAR• ABSOLUTE MONARCHIES COMPETE FOR PRESTIGE• THIS SPILLED OVER INTO COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES IN THE COLONIES

• THEY WOULD FIGHT EACH OTHER, AND MORE EASILY, NON-EUROPEAN PEOPLES

THE WARS OF LOUIS XIVAFTER THE PEACE OF WESTPHALIA 1648…

BY THE 1660S, FRANCE HAD BECOME EUROPE’S SUPREME POWERTHE BEST ADMINISTRATIVE BUREAUCRACY, MILITARY, AND NATIONAL

UNITYIN 1667, LOUIS BEGAN A SERIES OF FOUR MAJOR WARS TO EXPAND

FRANCE

LOUIS VERSUS EUROPE

• WHEN LOUIS OCCUPIED THE FREE CITY OF STRASBOURG IN 1681• IT SPARKED A THREATENED REACTION

• BEGINNING WITH THE LEAGUE OF AUGSBURG…• MINOR FREE CITIES JOINED• THEN ENGLAND, THEN SPAIN, THEN SWEDEN,

THEN HOLLAND (THE DUTCH)• EVEN THE HABSBURG EMPIRE

• WAR RAGED ACROSS EUROPE• IN 1697, PEACE WAS MADE

• HOLLAND WAS SECURED FREEDOM• THE GERMAN CITY-STATES SURVIVED

THE WAR OF SPANISH SUCCESSIONBECAUSE OF MARRIAGES…

WHEN CHARLES II OF SPAIN DIED IN 1700 HIS KINGDOM WAS LEFT TO…

FRANCE AND LOUIS XIV FEARING THE UNION OF THESE TWO POWERFUL KINGDOMS…

ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND THE HABSBURGS FORMED AND ALLIANCEBY 1714, EUROPE HAD SUCCEEDED IN KEEPING THE TWO APART

SO, PART OF THAT TREATY IN 1714

WAS A CONTRACT FOR THE BRITISH TO FURNISH SLAVES TO THE SPANISH EMPIRE IN EXCHANGE FOR COMPENSATION

SPAIN WAS STRUGGLING AS A MAJOR STATEBUT BRITAIN TOOK ADVANTAGE OF IT (TROOP DEPLOYMENT)

WHEN SPAIN TRIED TO ENFORCE THE TERMS OF THE TREATY…

THE WAR OF JENKINS’ EAR

• THE TENSION WAS HIGH• WHEN SPAIN BOARDED AN ENGLISH SHIP TO SEARCH FOR

CONTRABAND, A FIGHT ENSUED • THE ENGLISH CAPTAIN ROBERT JENKINS’ EAR WAS CUT OFF

IN THE FIGHT – SO HE PUT IT IN A JAR OF BRANDY TO PRESERVE IT

• HE TOOK IT TO BRITISH PARLIAMENT IN 1738 TO SHOW HOW THE SPANISH CROSSED THE LINE

• LATE IN 1739, BRITAIN WENT TO WAR WITH SPAIN• IN JUNCTION WITH OTHER WARS, A SERIES OF WORLD-WIDE

EUROPEAN WARS BEGAN

THE WAR OF AUSTRIAN SUCCESSIONMEANWHILE, IN EUROPE

PRUSSIA (GERMAN) HATES AUSTRIA (AUCH GERMAN) BECAUSE THEY BOTH WANT TO UNIFY MORE OF THE GERMAN PRINCIPALITIES THAN

THE OTHER1740 – AUSTRIA LOOKS WEAK BECAUSE A FEMALE (MARIA THERESA)

TOOK OVER THE THRONE1740 – FREDERICK II OF PRUSSIA SEIZES SILESIA FROM AUSTRIA

ONCE AGAIN

• FRANCE, HATING AUSTRIA, SUPPORTS PRUSSIA• GREAT BRITAIN SEEING THE BALANCE OF POWER SHIFTING (AND

ALREADY AT WAR) AIDS AUSTRIA• ALL OVER A DISPUTE BETWEEN PRUSSIA AND AUSTRIA OVER

SILESIA

A GLOBAL WAR

• IN EUROPE MAJOR BATTLEGROUNDS INCLUDE• SILESIA • AUSTRIAN NETHERLANDS

• IN THE AMERICAS MAJOR BATTLEGROUNDS INCLUDE • FRENCH CANADA

• IN INDIA MAJOR BATTLE GROUNDS INCLUDE • BRITISH MADRAS

• AUSTRIA LOSES, BUT THERESA STAYS IN POWER• TREATY OF AACHEN DICTATED BY FRANCE AND BRITAIN –

1748 • PRUSSIA BECOMES A NEW STRONG MAN ON CONTINENT

DIPLOMATIC SHIFTS

• MARIA THERESA (FURIOUS) WORKS TO REBUILD ARMY AND SEPARATE FRANCE AND PRUSSIA

• EUROPEAN RIVALRIES DEVELOP • FRANCE AND BRITAIN – OVER COLONIES • AUSTRIA AND PRUSSIA – OVER SILESIA AND GERMANY

• ALLIANCES SHIFT• FRANCE JOINS WITH AUSTRIA (MARIE ANTOINETTE)

• AGAINST PRUSSIA• BRITAIN JOINS WITH PRUSSIA (BALANCE OF POWER)• RUSSIA TAGS ALONG AGAINST PRUSSIA (WHY NOT? GEO-

POLITICS)

SO WHAT PATTERS ARE EMERGING?

• WHAT CAN WE SEE EUROPE TENDING TO DO WITH ONE ANOTHER?• REASONS?

• WHAT ABOUT EUROPE’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD?