AP EURO: LECTURE OUTLINE pp. 501-503
THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD:
Spain 1. The last Habsburg monarch of Spain dies in 1702 - inbreeding, feeble minded, impotent
2. He names the grandson of Louis XIV as his heir to the Spanish throne
3. Philip V - the first Bourbon monarch of Spain
4. The War of the Spanish Succession 1702-1713 - France/Spain lose but Philip allowed to remain as king
5. Spain loses control of Italian territories and Netherlands
6. Bourbon rule temporarily rejuvenates Spain and they centralize state power
Portugal 1. Decline
2. No longer had the overseas empire they had in the 16 th century
Italy 1. Control of Italy switches from Spain to Austria
THE SCADINAVIAN STATES:
Sweden 1. In the 17th century Sweden was the dominant power in Northern Europe
2. Sweden loses the Great Northern War against Peter the Great of Russia = loses control of Baltic
3. King Gustavus III - one of the enlightened rulers/reasserts the power of the monarchy
ENLIGHTENED ABSOLUTISM REVISITED:
The three great enlightened despots/enlightened absolutists
1. Emperor Joseph II = Austria
2. Frederick II = Prussia
3. Catherine the Great = Russia
Only Joseph II truly attempted radical changes/reforms based on Enlightenment ideas
Frederick II and Catherine were interested in enlightenment thinking and made some limited reforms but
they were more interested in their own power and maintaining the traditional structures of the societies.
How enlightened was Enlightened Absolutism?
1. A little, but not very
2. Monarchs used the ideas to strengthen and modernize their states
3. Stronger and more efficient government = bigger armies and wars
4. Aristocrats were still very powerful and didn’t want society to change
5. The most significant reforms were - legal reform, religious toleration, expansion of education system