Enlightenment despots 17th
Century
Mrs. Craig
Rise of the Romanovs
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City states- Moscovy and Kiev
Ivan III (the Great) Prince of
Moscovy- unites tribes surrounding
Moscovy against tribute to the
Khans
Marries last daughter of Orthodox
Church patriarch
Succeeded by son Ivan IV
Rise of Romanovs
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Ivan IV (the terrible) declares
himself first Czar
Boyars= Russian nobility, always
trying to gain power, can’t be
trusted
Ivan believes son conspires with
Boyars against him, tortures son to
death
NO Heir– SO… Time of Troubles
Rise of Romanovs
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Time of troubles- Boyars fight over
who to be Czar—
Michael Romanov rises to power
Starts 300 years of Romanov rule to
end with death of Nicholas II in
1918 after Russian Revolution
Rise of Romanovs
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Peter the Great- westernize Russia–
saw potential for Russia in European
politics
Trip to Netherlands to learn ship
building
Westernize Russian- cut beards, cut
coat length to mimic short courts of
Versailles
Rise of Romanovs
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War with Finland
Built St Petersburg- window to the
west- capital
Mistrust of boyars- thought son had
conspired with boyars- tortured son
to death
Succeeded by daughter- Elizabeth
Rise of Romanovs
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Catherine the great- German
princess marries Peter II –weak son
of Elizabeth
Ambitious
Orlov brothers– birth of son Paul
Death of Peter II under suspicious
circumstances and Catherine
remains as regent for 40 years
Rise of Romanovs
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“Peter westernized Russia but
Catherine made it great!!!”
Pugachev revolt
More power to boyars-fuedalism
Gained territory from Partition of
Poland and Ottoman wars over
Black Sea
Gains warm ports for Russia(finally)
Rise of the Hohenzollerns
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Hapsburgs vs Ottoman Empire
Prussia will rise to absolutism!
Elector of Brandenburg- 1618- little
ability to influence 30 years War
Small principality on HRE
Rise of the Hohenzollerns
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Frederick William 1640-1688
Great Elector
Wanted to unify all Hohenzollern
lands
Junkers- nobility and landowning
class
Wanted standing army-- great taxes
levied-- army increase 10 fold.
Rise of the Hohenzollerns
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Elector Frederick III 1688-1713
Focused on imitating Louis 14
Succeeded by Frederick William I
1713-1740
Absolute ruler but also reformer
Infused military values throughout
Prussian society
Loved his “blue boys”
Rise of the Hohenzollerns
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Tall soldiers 6’
Brutal discipline
Army and war chest create respect
from ohters
Junkers become officer class
Never went to war- never wanted to
put his “blue boys” in danger
Succeeded by son Frederick II (the
great)
Enlightened despots-characteristics
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Influenced by enlightenment philosophies
Education reform
Create bureaucracies
Expand territory
Judicial reform- reduce torture
Anti-clerical- religious tolerance(?)
Reduce serfdom
AS LONG AS THESE REFORMS DID
NOT REDUCE THEIR OWN POWER!!!!
Catherine the Great (1726-1796)
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Diderot and Voltaire invited to
Russia- refused
To ensure the loyalty of boyars, did
not interfere with feudalism
Felt Russia too big to rule other
than an autocracy
Catherine’s enlightenment attempts
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Codify laws- commission appointeddelegates from each class brought
grievances
After 3 years- nothing accomplished
Why?
Catherine’s enlightenment attempts
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Education Reform- to organize
public school
After 5 years- little impact
Pugachev revolt scares Catherine
little attempts at reform afterward
Reorganized Russia into 50
provinces(20 before) more power to
boyars BUT more control to
Catherine
Catherine’s enlightenment attempts
Charter of 1785- Boyars receive
exemptions from military service,
taxes and secures more power for
boyars over their serfs and lands
 Catherine is succeeded by
Paul I- her son 1796-1801 and
Alexander I 1801-1825( this czar
defeats Napoleon)
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Frederick II (the great) 1740-1786 Prussia
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Rebels against father Frederick
William I
Influenced by enlightenment- wrote
to Voltaire, condemned Machiavelli
Military cunning (ignored Pragmatic
Sanction, Partition of Poland)
Junkers gain monopoly on military
and civilian offices
Frederick’s enlightenment attempts
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Improved Prussian agriculture- crop
rotation, iron plow, but unsuccessful
growing tobacco and coffee.
Stimulated growth of Prussian
industry (mercantilism- not laissezfaire!)
Religious tolerance- invited expelled
Jesuits, Muslims, Jews but
discriminated against Jews (Fred
was a deist!)
Frederick’s enlightenment attempts
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Judicial reforms- “reduced” torture,
set up system of appellate courts,
bribes “pooled” and distributed to
judges on merit.
Education reform– wanted peasants
literate BUT only what they needed.
Austria- Maria Theresa 1740-1780
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After the War of Austrian
Succession, MT saw need for reform
Increase taxes-even on nobility
Strengthened central government
First steps to abolish feudalism
Subjected RCC to heavy taxes,
confiscated church land, expelled
Jesuits
Banned books of the Index+
Rousseau and Voltaire
Austria- Joseph II 1780-1790
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Goals same as MT( mommy) but
less cautious!!!
Bureaucracy and inflexibility his
downfall- in 10 years wrote 10,000
laws and 6000 decrees
Merantilism- high tariffs and
government supervision of economy
Joseph II – enlightenment attempts
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Religion- fll tolerance- more control
over RCC decreed “Josephism” he,
not Pope, was head of Austrian
church
Education- most successful reform,
¼ school age children attend school
New legal code- abolish capital
punishment and MOST tortureequity under the law
Joseph II – enlightenment attempts
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“Freed the Serfs”- abolish
obligations to manorial lords also
experimented with land tax- same
rate for rich and poor.
Appointed commoners as well as
nobility to serve in government
How successful was he???
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Many revolted against Joseph’s
reforms!!
Peasants---- resented meddling
with RCC even though Joseph
attempted to improve social and
economic conditions
Nobility- against land tax- revoked
after 1 month!
How successful was he???
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TOO MUCH– TOO SOON– NO
Caution!!!
Joseph worked himself to death– by
governing too much and reigning
too little
Succeeded by Leopold II younger
brother (1790-1792) – he reversed
all that Joseph had changed!!!
Partition of Poland
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All three enlightened Despots
partitioned Poland between them
over 10 years. Catherine got the
most territory- Austria and Prussia
split the difference– without going
to war– all three increased their
territory!!