Chapter 4 Section 4
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Voltaire, a French philosopher, said that the Holy Roman
Empire was a patchwork of several hundred small,
separate states.
In theory, these states were under control of the Holy
roman Emperor
He was chosen by seven German princes called electors.
In practice, the emperor had little power over the many
rival princes.
Religion further divided the German states, and this
sparked the Thirty Years’ War.
 War
had both religious and political causes.
 Began in Bohemia, presently the Czech
Republic
 Ferdinand, Hapsburg king of Bohemia, sought
to suppress Protestants and assert royal power
over local nobles.
 In May 1618, a few Protestant nobleman tossed
two royal officials out of a castle window.
 This started a general conflict, which turned
into a general European War.
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The following year, Ferdinand was named the Holy
Roman Emperor.
He tried to roll back the Reformation, with the support of
Spain, Poland, and many Catholic States.
Early on in the war, he defeated the Bohemians and their
Protestant Allies
Immediately after, Protestant Powers such as Netherlands
and Sweden sent troops to Germany.
Political Issues quickly outweighed religious issues, and
many rulers shifted their alliances to suit their interests.
Eventually, Catholic France joined Lutheran Sweden
against the Catholic Hapsburgs.
 Armies
of mercenaries, or soldiers for hire,
burned villages, destroyed crops, and killed
without mercy.
 Murder and torture were followed by famine
and disease.
 The war led to depopulation, or reduction of
population.
 Historians estimate that one third of the
people in German states died from the war.
 In
1648, the sides accepted a series of
treaties, known as the Peace of Westphalia.
 France came out as a clear winner. They
gained territory on both it German and
Spanish Frontiers.
 The Hapsburgs were the losers because they
had to accept the total independence of all
the princes of the Holy Roman Empire.
 Netherlands and Switzerland won recognition
as independent states.
 Germany
ended up divided into 360 separate
states.
 They still acknowledged leadership of the
Holy roman emperor.
 Each state had its own coinage, government,
armed forces, state church, and foreign
policy.
 Germany remained fragmented for another
200 years.
 Weakened
by war, Hapsburgs wanted to
create a strong united state.
 Kept title of Holy Roman emperors.
 Along with Austria, they added Bohemia,
Hungary, and parts of Italy and Poland.
 Uniting
the lands were very difficult.
 In the Hapsburg Empire, people had their
own languages, laws, assemblies, and
customs.
 The Hapsburgs did exert control over these
diverse peoples.
 The Hapsburg Empire never developed a
centralized government.
 In
1700s, emperor Charles VI had no son to
take his place as ruler.
 His daughter, Maria Theresa, was capable, but
no woman had ever ruled Hapsburg lands.
 Charles asked many rulers to recognize his
daughter’s right to succeed him, but many
ignored their pledge.
 In
1740, Frederick II of Prussia seized control
of a Hapsburg province.
 Maria asked Hungarians for military help, but
they were unfriendly with her.
 She eventually got help from Britain and
Russia.
 Throughout the war, she strengthened
Hapsburg power by reorganizing the
bureaucracy and improving tax collection.
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Prussia emerged as a new Protestant power
In 1600s, the Hohenzollern family ruled parts of north
Germany.
They eventually conquered many other states and
they set up a central bureaucracy and reduced
independence of nobles, called Junkers.
Many Prussian rulers formed one of the best trained
armies in Europe.
They won loyalty of Junkers by giving them positions
in government or army.
 Frederick
William trained his son Frederick II
in the art of war
 Frederick II preferred playing the flute and
writing poetry.
 His dad treated him terribly because of this,
and Fred JR. tried to flee the country
 Finding out about this, Frederick William put
his son in solitary confinement.
 Shortly
after becoming king, Fred Jr. used his
army to seize Silesia from Austria.
 In many other wars, Fred Jr. brilliantly used
his army, forcing all to accept Prussia as a
great power.
 This is how he became Frederick the Great.
 By
1750, the great powers of Europe were
Austria, Russia, Prussia, France, and England.
 Formed alliances to maintain balance of
power
 Sometimes, rivalries caused worldwide
conflict.
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Mercenary- Soldier for hire, only fights for the highest
bidder
Depopulation- Loss of population due to war, famine, or
disease
What country did the Hapsburg’s rule, actually what
country and empire? Austria
What was the group of Princes called that selected the
Holy Roman Emperor? Electors
What did the Holy Roman Emperor want to roll back in
Europe? Protestant Reformation/Protestant Tide
What was the war called the ended with the Peace of
Westphalia? 30 years war
Who was the first female empress of Austria? Maria
Theresa