Unit 9---Absolutism/Age of Reason
CC8.RH.2: Determine the central ideas of a primary source
ABSOLUTISM IN EASTERN EUROPE: Austria
In many respects the rise of absolutism was a natural response to the chaos of the religious wars. Absolute
monarchs already had a foundation on which to build, the New Monarchs of Europe had created larger
territorial states, which required a new, more effective form of government.
Ironically philosopher Thomas Hobbes, a strong supporter of absolutism, developed his ideas in England, the
least absolute state in Europe! He proposed in his Leviathan (1651) that an absolute monarch could have
prevented the chaos of the English Civil War. Hobbes said that life was, “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and
short”. He went on to suggest that people would only listen if they did not fear the consequences. Therefore,
individuals entered into a contract with the ruler – surrendering their rights for protection. French philosopher
Jacques Bossuet went even further, claiming that rulers had authority from God.
It is important here to note that these rulers were absolute rulers and not arbitrary. When they acted, they often
did so out of a feeling of responsibility for the masses. They realized that they, and they alone were responsible
for the needs of the people. Yet this is where eastern and western absolutism differ. Western monarchs
understood the necessity of working with advisors such as parliaments in France, Cortes in Spain, or Parliament
in Britain.
Before analyzing the individual countries and the role of the monarchy, perhaps one would be best served to
find the characteristics that are common in absolutism. All absolute states benefited from extensive tenure by
one dynasty. Such dynastic rule facilitated obvious advantages such as the continuation of policies, avoidance
of internal competition, increased significance of treaties and marriage alliances. The strength of the absolute
state could be seen in the large centralized bureaucracy and the ability to maintain a large standing army to
expand policies at home and abroad.
Complete “Central Idea Development Over the Course of the Text/Passage” Determine the main idea of
the entire passage and continue to determine the details that support this main idea. See linked graphic
organizers on curriculum map.
Eastern Absolutism
The rulers of Central and Eastern Europe shared many of the same structures. Each had a strong ruler who
maintained ties with the nobility through providing special recognitions and rewards. The concessions granted
to the nobility gave them far more independence than in the west. Consequently, the peasants suffered
significantly more in eastern Europe than in the west because of enforced serfdom.
In eastern Europe during the seventeenth century the rights of the peasants were taken away. As a labor
shortage swept eastern Europe workers became a necessity and as a result the movement of peasants was
restricted. Peasants lost their land and were forced into more obligations for their lords. Between 1500 and
1650 conditions worsened and serfs could be killed for nothing. Political factors accounted for the new
serfdom, weaker kings were forced to give more freedom to landlords, landlords sold directly to foreign
capitalists and abolished the need for a middle class, and war and the threat of war aided the absolute
monarchies.
Would-be absolutists gained power in 3 areas:
a) imposed and collected permanent taxes without consent
b) maintained permanent armies
c) conducted relations with other states as they pleased
Austria
The Habsburgs were exhausted after the Thirty Years’ War, but they still remained emperors of the Holy
Roman Empire. The real power lay with 300 varying political units that shared a geographic region, but had
very little else in common.
In 1683 the Ottomans laid siege to Vienna. After two months the Turks were eventually forced back by fresh
troops who had come to the aid of the Austrians. Pushing forward against the Ottomans, the Habsburg troops
captured Budapest in 1686 and acquired nearly all of Hungary in the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699). The Habsburg
troops were led by Prince Eugene of Savoy, whom would go on to play a prominent role in the War of Spanish
Succession.
The Habsburgs then turned to fight the Ottomans, who under Suleyman the Magnificant ruled the most
powerful empire in the world
The Habsburg state had 3 parts:
a) Austria
b) Kingdom of Bohemia
c) Kingdom of Hungary
The Hungarians resisted because many wanted to remain Protestant.
Hungary allied to Turkey.
During the War of Spanish Succession the Hungarians led by Prince Francis Rakoczy rebelled. Rakoczy was
defeated but it led to a compromise:
a) Hungary accepted Habsburg rule
b) Charles VI restored the rights of the aristocracy of Hungary
By Austrian law women were not allowed the claim the throne of Austria. In 1711 Holy Roman Emperor and
Austrian monarch Charles VI issued the Pragmatic Sanction (1713) which persuaded Europe’s rulers to accept a
female monarch and to never divide the Habsburg lands.
Maria Theresa became queen of Austria. She took local control away from the regional regime, made German
the language of the empire, created a large bureaucracy, taxed the nobility and the clergy and took control of the
Roman Catholic Church.
1740 Frederick II became king of Prussia, rejected the Pragmatic Sanction and invaded the Austrian province of
Silesia. This started the War of Austrian Succession (1740-48). Great Britain, and the Dutch supported
Austria; France and Spain supported Austria. In 1748 the war ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. The
Austrians could not stop the Bourbons from gaining control of the Spanish throne, Frederick kept Silesia and
Austria received the Spanish Netherlands (Belgium) as compensation.
Joseph II succeeded his mother in 1780 and as an enlightened despot he initiated sweeping reforms. Personally,
he was against serfdom and abolished the robot in 1789, the year of the French Revolution. However, these
reforms came too fast and many peasants took advantage of the situation and revolted. Leopold II followed
Joseph and repealed most of the reforms to pacify the nobility. He reintroduced serfdom and the robot, which
remained in existence until the revolution of 1848.