JIGSAW FOR WEDNESDAY
 Take notes on your assignment.
 Email them to me or give to me Wednesday morning in
homeroom
 Highlight important contribution events
 Multiple Choice Quiz on East Absolutism on Friday
FOUR PHASES OF THE 30 YRS WAR
Bohemian (1618- Danish ( 16251625)
1629
Swedish (16301635)
French/
International
(1635-1648)
IF YOU ARE A #2
The rise of the
Habsburg Empire
and the impact of its
leaders…
Ferdinand III
Charles VI
Leopold I
IF YOU ARE A #3
 The Rise of Prussia
Absolutism
 Frederick William, the
“Great Elector”
(r. 1640-1688)
 Frederick III, “the
Ostentatious”
(r. 1688-1713)
 Frederick William I,
“the Soldiers’ King”
(r. 1713-1740)
IF YOU ARE A #4
The Rise of Russian
Absolutism
Ivan the Great
Peter the Great
Ivan the Terrible
WELCOME BACK!
Bell Ringer: Define
the term
ABSOLUTISM and its
characteristics
Agenda and
Objective: Through
notes and document
analysis, students
will identify the
characteristics of
Eastern Absolutism
and the background
causes of the 30
years War.
EASTERN
ABSOLUTISM
WEST VS. EAST REVIEW
 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
OVERVIEW OF EASTERN EUROPE
 Three aging empires—Holy
Roman Empire, Ottoman
Empire and Polish
Kingdom—gave way to new
empires of Russia, Austria
and Prussia
 (“HOP RAP”)
 Holy Roman Empire (HRE):
religious divisions due to the
Reformation and religious
wars in 16 th and 17 th
centuries split Germany
among Catholic, Lutheran
and Calvinist princes
 Ottoman Empire: could
not maintain possessions
in eastern Europe and the
Balkans in the face of
Austrian and Russian
expansion
 Poland: liberum veto –
voting in Polish
parliament had to be
unanimous for changes to
be made; thus, little could
be done to systematically
strengthen the kingdom
 Eastern absolutism was
based on a powerful
nobility, weak middle
class, and an oppressed
peasantry composed of
serfs.
 Threat of war with
European and Asian
invaders were
important motivations
for eastern European
monarchs’ drive to
consolidate power.
 Resulted in reduced
political power of the
nobility.
 However, nobles gained
much greater power
over the peasantry.
 Three important
methods of gaining
absolute power:
 Kings imposed and
collected permanent
taxes without the
consent of their
subjects.
 States maintained
permanent standing
armies.
 States conducted
relations with other
states as they pleased.
 Absolutism in eastern
Europe reached its
height with Peter the
Great of Russia.
Absolutism in Prussia
was stronger than in
Austria
QUICK REVIEW
How different was Eastern
Europe compared to Western
Europe?
SERFDOM IN EASTERN EUROPE
 After 1300, lords in
eastern Europe
revived serfdom to
combat increasing
economic challenges.
 Lords demanded that
their kings and
princes issue laws
restricting or
eliminating peasants’
right of moving freely
 Lords confiscated
peasant lands and
imposed heavier labor
obligations.
 Hereditary serfdom
was re-established in
Poland, Russia, and
Prussia by the mid17 th century.
WHY SERFDOM IN EASTERN EUROPE AND NOT
WESTERN EUROPE?
 Reasons were not
necessarily
economic.
 Political reasons
more plausible –
supremacy of noble
landlords.
 Most kings, in fact,
were essentially
“first among equals”
in the noble class
and directly
benefited from
serfdom.
 Eastern lords had
more political power
than in the west;
monarchs needed
the nobles.
MAP OF ABSOLUTISM IN EUROPE
BELL RINGER….ACTIVIT Y
Read the following two primary source
documents and be prepared to address
the discussion questions on the next
slide.
Agenda and Objective: Through notes
and document analysis, students will
identify the characteristics of Eastern
Absolutism and the background causes
of the 30 years War.
THE THIRT Y YEARS’ WAR
 Why did the Jesuits refuse to respect the Peace of Augsburg
(1555)?
 How did the Jesuits actions in Germany during the early
1600’s illustrated the confusion between secular and clerical
authority in early modern Europe?
 How might the Jesuits actions result in a general European
war?
 What were the reactions to the crowning of Emperor Ferdinand
II? Why?
 What initial grievance led to the outbreak of violence in
Bohemia?
 Predict reactions to the Bohemian Revolt from the Emperor,
Spain, France, etc
T H I RT Y Y E A RS’ WA R ( 161 8 - 164 8 ) –
M OST I M P ORTA NT WA R O F
T H E 17 T H C E N T URY
 Failure of the Peace of
Augsburg, 1555
 agreement had given
German princes the
right to choose either
Catholicism or
Lutheranism as the
official religion of their
states.
 The truce in Germany
lasted for 60 years until
factionalism in the Holy
Roman Empire brought
about war
FOR TUESDAY
FOUR PHASES OF THE WAR
Bohemian (1618- Danish ( 16251625)
1629
Swedish (16301635)
French/
International
(1635-1648)
FOUR PHASES OF THE WAR:
 Bohemian Phase
 Danish P hase
 D e fenes t ra t io n o f P r a gue ( 161 8 ):
t r ig gere d w a r i n B o h e mia
 Th e H o l y Ro m a n E m pe ro r pl a c e d
s evere re s t ri c t ions o n
P rote s t a nt ism
 Two H RE o f fi c i als we re t h row n o ut a
w i n dow a n d fe l l 7 0 fe et be l ow ( di d
n ot di e be c a us e t h ey we re s aved by
a l a rg e pi l e o f m a n ure )
 Th e e m pe ro r t h e n s o ug h t to
a n n ihilate t h e Ca l vinist n o bi lit y i n
B o h e mia
 P rote s t a nt fo rc e s we re eve nt ually
de fe a te d a n d P rote s t a n t ism wa s
e l iminate d i n B o h emia
 re pre s e nted t h e h e i ght o f C a t h olic
powe r duri n g t h e wa r
 A l bre c ht v o n Wa llens tein ( 1 5 83 16 3 4 ): M e rc e n a r y g e n eral w h o wa s
pa i d by t h e e m pe ro r to fi g h t fo r t h e
HRE
 Wo n a n um be r o f i m po r t a nt ba t t l e s
a g a inst P rote s t a nt a rm i es
 E d ic t o f Re s t it utio n ( 16 29 ): T h e
H R Empe ro r de c l a re d a l l c h urc h
te rri to ries t h a t h a d be e n
s e c ul arized s i n c e 1 5 5 2 to be
a uto m at ic ally re s to re d to C a t h o lic
C h urc h
Swedish Phase:
Protestants
liberated territory
lost in previous
(Danish) phase
Gustavus Adolphus
(King of Sweden):
led an army that
pushed Catholic
forces back to
Bohemia. Dies.
In response, the Holy
Roman Emperor
reluctantly annulled
the Edict of
Restitution
The Swedish army
was defeated in
1634; France now
feared a resurgence
of Catholicism in the
HRE.
 French Phase:
“International Phase”
 Cardinal Richelieu of
France allied with the
Protestant forces to
defeat the HRE.
(example of Politique)
 Treaty of Westphalia
(1648): ended the
Catholic Reformation in
Germany
 Renewal of Peace of
Augsburg
 Guaranteed that
Germany would remain
divided politically and
religiously for centuries
 Dissolution of Holy
Roman Empire
confirmed
THE TREAT Y…
 France, Sweden, and
Brandenburg (future
Prussia) received various
territories and gained
international stature.
 The two Hapsburg
branches were weakened:
 Spanish Hapsburgs saw
their empire decline
dramatically thereafter
 Austrian Hapsburgs lost
much influence in
Germany
 Results of 30 Years’ War
 Germany physically
devastated
 Germany was further
divided by the decline of
the Holy Roman Empire
 Ended the wars of
religion
 Beginning of the rise of
France as the dominant
European power; also
accelerated the
continued rise of Britain
& the Netherlands
MEMORY DEVICE FOR TREAT Y OF
WESTPHALIA: EF-CHIP






E nd of Wars of Religion
F rance emerges as Europe’s most powerful country
C alvinism added to the Peace of Augsburg
H oly Roman Empire ef fectively destroyed
I ndependence for the Netherlands and Switzerland
P russia emerges as a great power
RISE OF EASTERN ABSOLUTISM REVIEW
 Monarchs vs. landlords  successful
monarchs gained power in 3 key areas:
1) taxation
2) army
3) foreign policy
AUSTRIAN ABSOLUTISM
How did
the
Austrian
Empire
consolidate
its power?
AUSTRIA
 Habsburgs
 mostly in
HRE, but also
outside to SE
 Austrian
rulers = HRE
emperors
 Catholic
Habsburg domains to 1795.
THE HABSBURG EMPIRE (AUSTRIAN EMPIRE)
 Ruler of Austria was
traditionally selected as
Holy Roman Emperor
 Was NOT a national
state – its
multinational empire
included:
 Austria proper:
Germans, Italians
 Bohemia: Czechs
 Hungary: Hungarians,
Serbs, Croats,
Romanians
 No single constitutional
system or
administration existed
in the empire as each
region had a different
legal relationship to the
Emperor.
STEPS TO ABSOLUTISM
 Ineffective Habsburg rule
in the HRE forced
monarchs to turn their
attention inward and
eastward to consolidate
their diverse holdings
into a strong unified
state.
 Reorganization of
Bohemia was a major
step towards absolutism
 30 Years’ War set stage
 Old hereditary provinces
of Austria proper were
centralized by Ferdinand
III (1637-1657).
 Hungary was the third
and largest part of its
dominion.
 Serfdom intensified in
Habsburg lands
 Robot - 3 days of unpaid
labor a week became the
norm, many serfs worked
everyday except Sunday
AUSTRIA – TURKISH WARS & EXPANSION:
 1529 & 1683 –
unsuccessful Ottoman
sieges on Vienna
 Habsburgs acquire
Hungary &
Transylvania
(Romania) from
Ottomans (but not
fully integrated)
new Habsburg state = Austria, Bohemia, + Hungary
IMPORTANT HABSBURG RULERS
 Ferdinand II (1619-1637)
took control of Bohemia
during the 30 Years’ War
 Ferdinand III (1637-1657):
centralized gov’t in the old
hereditary provinces of
Austria proper.
 Leopold I (1658-1705)
 Severely restricted
Protestant worship
 Siege of Vienna:
Successfully repelled Turks
from gates of Vienna in
1683
 Emperor Charles VI
(1711-1740): Issued
Pragmatic Sanction in
1713
 Habsburg possessions
were never to be divided
and henceforth to be
passed intact to a single
heir (even if female.)
 His daughter, Maria
Theresa, inherited
Charles’ empire in 1740
and ruled for 40 years
OUTCOMES
German became
official language
Catholic identity
Vienna- center of the
empire.
PRUSSIA
PRUSSIA
 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
 Ruler of Brandenburg was designated
as one of 7 electors in the Holy
Roman Empire in 1417.
 Yet by the 17th century, Brandenburg
was not significantly involved in HRE
affairs
 Marriages increasingly gave the
Hohenzollerns control of German
principalities in central and
western Germany.
 The prince had little power over
the nobility
PRUSSIA: HOUSE OF
HOHENZOLLERN
PRUSSIA
 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
– HOHENZOLLERN RULERS:
 Frederick William, the “Great Elector”
(r. 1640-1688)
 Frederick III, “the Ostentatious”
(r. 1688-1713)
 Frederick William I, “the Soldiers’ King”
(r. 1713-1740)
Frederick William, the “Great Elector”
(r. 1640-88)
 Strict Calvinist but
granted religious
toleration to
Catholics and Jews
 Admired the Swedish
system of
government and the
economic power of
the Netherlands
 Ongoing struggle between
Sweden and Poland for
control of Baltic after 1648
and wars of Louis XIV
created atmosphere of
permanent crisis
STEPS TOWARDS POWER
 Most significant:
Oversaw Prussian
militarism and created
the most efficient army
in Europe.
 Encouraged industry
and trade
 Employed military
power and taxation to
unify his Rhine
holdings, Prussia, and
Brandenburg into a
strong state.
 “ Junkers” formed the
backbone of the
Prussian military
officer corps; these
nobles and
landowners
dominated the
Estates of
Brandenburg and
Prussia.
FREDERICK WILLIAM, THE “GREAT ELECTOR
 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 (from Russia)  Estates more willing to
issue funds for army
 In exchange for keeping privileges, the nobility supported
him
Frederick I (Elector Frederick III) “The Ostentatious” (16881713); 1st “King of Prussia”
 Elector of
Brandenburg/Prussia
was now recognized
internationally as the
“King of Prussia” in
return for aid to
Habsburgs.
 Thus, Frederick I was
the first “King of
Prussia
FREDERICK III, “THE OSTENTATIOUS”
(R. 1688-1713)
focused on copying
Louis XIV’s style
Louis XIV
Frederick III
FREDERICK WILLIAM I, “THE SOLDIERS’
KING” (1713-1740)
 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 (schools for peasants)
 eliminated threat from nobility by enlisting Junkers in
army (became officers)
 almost always at peace
 civil society became militarized – very rigid & disciplined
Frederick William I “Soldiers’ King”
Most important Hohenzollern
regarding the development
of Prussian absolutism
 Infused militarism
into all of Prussian
society
 Prussia became known
as “Sparta of the North”
 Junkers became an
of ficer caste

 Best army in Europe
 Became Europe’s 4 th
largest army (next to
France, Russia & Austria)
 Nearly doubled the size of
the army
 80% of gov’t
revenues went
towards the
military
 Prussian army was
designed to avoid
war through
deterrence.
 “I
must serve with life and limb, with
house and wealth, with honour and
conscience, everything must be
committed except eternals salvation-that
belongs to God, but all else is
mine.”(571)

Muscovy began to emerge as
the most significant principality
that formed the nucleus of what
later became Russia.
RUSSIA
 During the Middle Ages
the Greek Orthodox
Church was significant
in assimilating
Scandinavian ancestors
of the Vikings with the
Slavic peoples of
eastern Europe.
 In the 13th century, the
Mongols from Asia
invaded eastern Europe
and ruled the eastern
Slavs for over two
centuries- ”Mongol
Yolk”
JIGSAW!- 10 MINUTES
Row1- Get together
and discuss the rise
and impact of Ivan
III
Row 2- Get together
and discuss Ivan the
Terrible, Times of
Troubles and rise of
Romanovs
Row 3- Get together
and discuss the rise
and impact of Peter
the Great on Russia.
What made him so
Great?
Have a recorder type
information.
Ivan III (“Ivan the Great”) (1442-1505)
 1480, ended Mongol
domination of
Muscovy
 Established himself
as the hereditary
ruler of Muscovy
 This was in response
to the fall of the
Byzantine Empire and
his desire to make
Moscow the new
center of the
Orthodox Church: the
“Third Rome
 The tsar became the head
of the church
 The “2 nd Rome” had been
Constantinople before it
was conquered by the
Ottoman Empire in 1453
 Many Greek scholars,
craftsmen, architects and
artists were brought into
Muscovy
 Tsar claimed his
absolute power
was derived from
divine right as
ruler
 Ivan struggled with
the Russian boyars
(nobels) for power.
 Eventually, the
boyars’ political
influence
decreased but
they began
exerting more
control of their
peasants.
Ivan IV (“Ivan the Terrible”) (1533-1584)
 Grandson of Ivan
III
 First to take the
title of “tsar”
(Caesar)
 Married a
Romanov
POLICIES…
 Controlled the
Black Sea region
 Gained huge
territories in the
Far East
 Gained territories
in the Baltic region
 Began westernizing
Muscovy
 Encouraged trade
with England and
the Netherlands

For 25 years, he fought
unsuccessful wars against PolandLithuania

Cossacks: Many peasants fled the
west to the newly-conquered
Muscovite territories in the east and
formed free groups and outlaw
armies. Gov’t responded by
increasing serfdom
Reduced the power of
the boyars
 All nobles had to
serve the tsar in
order to keep
their lands
 Serfdom
increased
substantially to
keep peasants
tied to noble
lands
 Many nobles were
executed
 Ivan blamed the boyars for
his wife’s death and thus
became increasingly cruel
and demented
 Merchants and artisans
were also bound to their
towns so that the tsar could
more ef ficiently tax them
 This contrasts the
emergence of capitalism in
western Europe where
merchants gained influence
and more security over
private property
“Time of Troubles” followed Ivan IV’s death in 1584
 Period of famine,
power struggles
and war
 Cossack bands
traveled north
massacring nobles
and officials
 Sweden and Poland
conquered Moscow
 In response, nobles
elected Ivan’s
grand-nephew as
new hereditary tsar
and rallied around
him to drive out the
invaders
Romanov Dynasty
 Lasted from the ascent
of Michael Romanov in
1613 to the Russian
Revolution in 1917.
 Michael Romanov
(1613-1645)
 Romanov favored
the nobles in return
for their support
 Reduced military
obligations significantly
 Expanded Russian
empire to the
Pacific Ocean in
the Far East.
 Fought several
unsuccessful wars
against Sweden,
Poland and the
Ottoman Empire
RUSSIAN SOCIET Y CONTINUED TO
TRANSFORM IN THE 17 CENTURY
Nobles gained more
exemptions from
military service.
 Rights of peasants
declined
Bloody Cossack
revolts resulted in
further restrictions
on serf

With Religion-“Old
Believers” of the
Orthodox Church
resisted influx of new
religious sects from the
west (e.g. Lutherans and
Calvinists)
WESTERN IDEAS GAINED GROUND
 Western books
translated into
Russian
 new skills and
technology, clothing
and customs (such as
men trimming their
beards)
 First Russian
translation of the
Bible began in 1649


By 1700, 20,000
Europeans lived in Russia
By 1689, Russia was the
world’s largest country (3
times the size of Europe)
Peter the Great (r. 1682-1725)
 His sister, Sophia, ruled
as his regent early on.
 Her plot to kill him failed
and Peter had her
banished to a monastery;
his mother Natalia took
over as his regent
 Peter began ruling in his
own right at age 22
 He was nearly 7 feet tall
and so strong he could
bend a horse shoe with
his bare hands
GAINS POWER
 Revo lt o f t h e St re l s ki ( n o bl e -bo rn
M o s c ow g a rri son) wa s de fe a te d by
Pete r i n 1698
 Th e s e M o s c ow g ua rds h a d
ove r t h row n prev i ous l e a der s
 Th e s e c uri t y o f Pete r’ s re i g n wa s
n ow i n t a c t
 M i lit ar y p o we r w a s Pe ter’ s g re ate s t
c o n c ern
 E a c h Rus s ian v i llage wa s re q ui red
to s e n d re c rui t s fo r t h e Rus s ian
a rmy ; 2 5 - ye a r e n l ist ment s
 7 5 % o f t h e n a t i onal budg et wa s
s pe n t o n t h e m i lit a r y
 Roya l a rmy o f ove r 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 m e n
pl us a ddi t i onal 10 0 , 0 00 s pe c ial
fo rc e s o f C o s sac ks a n d fo re i gner s
 E s t a blished roya l , m i lit ar y a n d
a r t i l ler y a c a de mies
 A l l yo un g m a le n o bl e s re q ui re d to
l e ave h o m e a n d s e r ve 5 ye a r s o f
c o m pul sor y e duc a t i o n
 La rg e n av y bui l t o n t h e B a l t i c
GREAT NORTHERN WAR (1700-1721)
 Russia (with Poland,
Denmark and Saxony as
allies) vs. Sweden (under
Charles XII)
 Battle of Poltava (1709)
was the most decisive
battle in Russia defeating
Sweden.
 Treaty of Nystad (1721):
Russia gained Latvia and
Estonia and thus gained
its “Window on the West”
in the Baltic Sea.
MODERNIZATION AND WESTERNIZATION WAS
ONE OF PETER’S MAJOR FOCUSES
 He imported to Russia
substantial numbers of
western technicians and
craftsmen to aid in the
building of large factories
 By the end of his reign,
Russia out-produced
England in iron
production (though
Sweden and Germany
produced more)
 Industrial form of
serfdom existed in
factories where workers
could be bought and sold
 State-regulated
monopolies created
(echoed mercantilist
policies of western
Europe)
 Actually stifled economic
growth
 Industrial serfs created
inferior products
GOVERNMENT REFORMS?
 ruled by decree (example
of absolute power)
 Tsar theoretically owned
all land in the state;
nobles and peasants
served the state
 No representative
political bodies
 All landowners owed
lifetime service to the
state (either in the
military, civil service, or
court); in return they
gained greater control
over their serfs
 Table of Ranks -Set
educational standards for
civil servants (most of
whom were nobles) •
 Peter sought to replace
old Boyar nobility with
new service-based
nobility loyal to the tsar
 Russian secret police
ruthlessly and efficiently
crushed opponents
 Taxation-Heavy on trade
sales and rent, head tax
on every male
ST. PETERSBURG
 Sought to create a city
similar to Amsterdam and
the Winter Palace with
the grandeur of Versailles
 By his death, the city was
the largest in northern
Europe (75,000
inhabitants)
 became the capital of
Russia
 Cosmopolitan in
character
 Construction began in
1703; labor was
conscripted
 ordered many noble
families to move to the
city and build their
homes according to
Peter’s plans
 Merchants and artisans
also ordered to live in the
city and help build it
 Peasants conscripted
heavy labor in the city’s
construction (heavy death
toll—perhaps 100,000)
LEGACY
Peter’s reforms
modernized Russia
and brought it closer
to the European
mainstream
More modern
military and state
bureaucracy.
Emerging concept of
interest in the state,
as separate from the
tsar’s interest
http://www.hermita
gemuseum.org/html
_En/05/hm5_2_1.ht
ml
FREDERICK II (“FREDERICK THE
GREAT”) – (R. 1740-1786)
 Most powerful and
famous of the Prussian
kings
 Considered to be an
“Enlightened Despot”
for his incorporation of
Enlightenment ideas
into his reign.
 Instituted a number of
important reforms
 Increased Prussia’s
territory at the expense
of the Austrian
Hapsburgs