Absolutism in Eastern
Europe 1600 -1725
Three Declining Empires

Eastern Europe in 1648
 The
HRE, the Republic of Poland and the
Ottoman Empire occupied the area from the
French border to Russia
 All three empires were declining. Each lacked
a strong central authority and efficient system
of government
 Each of the declining empires contained
diverse ethnic and language groups

The Holy Roman Empire
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The reformation left the HRE religiously divided
between Catholics and Protestants
The Thirty Years War left the HRE polically divided
into 300 independent states
The empire had an elected emperor who had no
imperial army, revenues or central authority
Led by the Habsburgs and the Hohenzollerns, Austria
and Prussia gradually emerged as leading German
states.
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The Republic of Poland
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On a map of Europe in 1660, Poland appears to be a
large, unified country. In reality, the king of Poland
was elected and had restricted powers.
Poland did have a central diet. However, action
required the unanimous consent of each aristocratic
member, any member could break up the diet at any
time.
This lack of central power created a power vacuum,
leaving it vulnerable to stronger nations

The Ottoman Empire
 Led
by Suleiman the Magnificent, the
Ottomans threatened Vienna
 In the middle of the seventh century, a series
of ambitious rulers revitalized the Ottoman.
In 1683 a powerful Turkish army besieged
Vienna
 Austrian forces reinforced by Poles and
Germans repelled the Turks. This marked the
beginning of the Ottoman decline
The Habsburgs
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The revival of Habsburg power
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One of the oldest dynasties in Europe (1400). Most of
the HRE emperors were Habsburgs
Power declined following the 30 yrs war and the
extinction of the Habsburg line in Spain
Despite such defeats the Habsburgs maintained
power in Austria, Bohemia and Hungary. The treaty of
Utrecht gave Habsburgs control of Naples, Sardinia
and Milan in Italy and the Spanish Netherlands
The Hapsburg dynasty was able to embrace a large
no. of ethic groups through the Catholic faith

Charles VI and the Pragmatic Sanction
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Charles VI (1711-1740)did have a male heir
To ensure secession for his daughter, the Pragmatic
Sanction was created. It stated that the territories of
the Habsburg empire was indivisible and that Maria
Theresa would inherit the land
England and other foreign powers forced Charles to
make a number of concessions before agreeing to
the Pragmatic Sanction. Charles died believing he had
guaranteed the peace and integrity of his realm.
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Test Tip: Charles VI devoted a lot of time
winning European approval for the
Pragmatic Sanction, you should know and
understand the purpose of it.
The Rise of Prussia
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The Hohenzollerns of Brandenburg-Prussia
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Brandenburg was a small state located between the
Oder and Elbe rivers with its center in Berlin
The ruler was one of seven princes who elected the
Holy Roman emperor
The Hohenzollern family became the hereditary rulers
in 1417
17th century, the Hohen. Inherited Cleves, land on the
Rhine and the duchy of Prussia on the Baltic.
These diverse and geographically separated territories
had no natural boundaries, few resources and a pop.
Of 1.5 millionHistory of Prussia: Kings and Leaders /
Hohenzollern - YouTube

Frederick William I
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Hohenzollern castle
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Frederick William, The Great Elector
1640-188
Although weak and scattered, the Hohen. Territory
was the second largest in the HRE
 Known as the great elector, Frederick began to forge
the territories into a strong power. He wanted take
part in the Balance of Power politics
 Demanded and received loyalty from the Junkers
(German land owners). In exchange they gained total
control over their serfs
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Frederick William I 1713-1740
 Like
the great elector, Frederick William I was
determined to build a strong powerful army.
The military doubled in size to 80,000, which
made it the 3rd or 4th largest in Europe
 The military became the center of Prussian
life and culture. “ Prussia is not a state that
possesses an army, but an army that
possesses a state”.
Russia Before Peter the Great

Isolation
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Russia was geographically isolated from the rest of
Europe. Sweden prevented Russia from reaching the
Baltic Sea while the Ottoman Empire prevented
Russia from reaching the Black Sea

Russia was culturally isolated from the rest of Europe.
The ideas of the Renaissance and Reformation and all
the discoveries of the Age of Exploration and scientific
revolution scarcely affected Russia
Russia to 1700
Muscovy (Russia) and surrounding
territories, 1533
Peter the Great
1682-1725
Peter the Great

Modernizing Russia
 Had
recognized that Russia had fallen behind
western Europe. Determined to learn from
rivals, he visited Holland and England, where
he toured shipyards, viewed military
equipment and observed western customs.
 Returned to Russia with vision to grow it into
a great power, he started with the army and
navy. Peter the Great - YouTube
 He
did not limit changes to military and
technology. He improved agriculture with
introduction of the potato, strengthened
economy by importing skilled workers,
liberated Russian women by allowing them to
appear in public without veils. In a famous
and resented act he forced nobles to shave
their traditional long beards.

Defeating Sweden
The Thirty Years’ War left Sweden in control of the
Baltic’s entire eastern shore.
 In 1700, Peter ordered his army to end Sweden's
dominance of the Baltic. The Great Northern War
between Sweden and Russia lasted from 1700-1721
 After suffering initial defeats from King Charles XII,
Peter eventually won the war, thus gaining access to
warm water routes on the Baltic
 This defeat contributed to Sweden's decline as a
major European power, while Russia was stepping it
up.
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
Building St. Petersburg
 Began
building in 1703. It was named after
his patron saint, St Petersburg would be “ a
great window for Russia to look at Europe”
 St. Petersburg quickly became a symbol of
Peter the Great’s new and more powerful
Russia

Controlling the Boyars
 The
Boyars were the old nobility who
supported traditional Russian culture
 Peter ordered the Boyars to shave their
beards, build elaborate homes in St.
Petersburg and serve in the army of civil
administration
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Exploiting the Serfs
 Russia’s
peasants did not enjoy the benefits of
Peter the Great’s reforms. Instead they were
conscripted into the army and forced to build
St. Petersburg
 In central Europe, serfs were bound to the
land. In Russia serfs could be sold apart from
the land. This allowed nobles to force serfs to
work in mines and factories
 The
Beach Boys - YouTube
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Evaluating Peter the Great
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He provided a model of how an energetic and
ruthless autocrat would change a nation. He
successfully transformed Russia into a greta power
that would play an increasingly important role in
European history
His policies increased the disparities between the
nobles and the peasants. Millions of exploited serfs
formed an estranged class that did not share in
Russian society
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Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer The Island Of Misfit Toys YouTube
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Test Tip
 Peter
the Great’s momentous reign has been
the subject of numerous multiple choice
questions and free response essays on the
APEURO exam. The peter the Great’s
successes include his program of
modernization, construction of St. Petersburg
and victory over Sweden in the Great
Northern War. However, the Russian economy
continued to exploit serfs.