Chapter 15
Response to Crisis: State Building and
the Search for Order in the Seventeenth Century
 The Theory of Asolutism
Jean Bodin
 Definition of sovereignty
 Bishop Jacques Bossuet (1627-1704)
 Government divinely ordained
 Monarchs responsible to no one but God
 Absolutism in Western Europe
 France and Absolute Monarchy
 Foundations of French Absolutism
 Louis XIII, 1610-1643)
 Cardinal Richelieu, 1624-1642
Strengthen the monarchy


Louis XIV, 1643-1715
 Cardinal Mazarin
 Fronde, 1648-1649
 Parlement of Paris
 Restructures policy-making structure
 Ministers from the new nobility
 Intendents
 Religious harmony
 Finances
 Palace of Versailles
 Internal improvements
The Wars of Louis XIV
1. As part of the settlement of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, France gained Artois, parts of Alsace and Lorraine, and the cities of Verdun and
Metz.
2. In 1678 by way of the Peace of Nimwegen which ended Louis XIV's futile war against the Dutch and its allies Brandenburg, Spain, and the Holy
Roman Empire, France managed to gain Franche-Comte from Spain.
3. From 1689 to 1697 France was in a bitter struggle against the League of Augsburg as Louis moved eastward against the Holy Roman Empire.
Louis consolidated his control over Alsace and Lorraine and then occupied the city of Stasbourg. As part of the Treaty of Ryswich in 1697,
France kept Strasbourg and part of Alsace.
4. The last war for Louis XIV was the War of the Spanish Succession. When Charles II of Spain (1665-1700) died in 1700 he left the throne to
Louis' grandson Philip. Among the reasons for selecting Philip (a distant relative) was the belief he would preserve the Spanish empire and if
nothing else, Louis would help. This bequeath created considerable concern among the European states which feared that the thrones of Spain
and France might one day merge. Moreover, France would surely have access to the potentially great wealth of the Spanish empire. Fears
became reality when Louis sent French troops into the Spanish Netherlands supposedly to guarantee the territory as his grandson took the crown
of Spain. This was enough to prompt war. Facing a coalition of the European states, the conflict dragged on for a weary France and Spain from
1702 to 1713.
5. When peace came, all that France gained was the acceptance of Philip as the king of Spain providing he renounce his claim to the French
throne and that the two crowns never be united.
Questions:
1. Why was Louis XIV at war with the various European states throughout much of his reign?
2. Why were the European states so concerned when Charles II of Spain willed his throne to Louis' grandson Philip?
The Wars of Louis XIV
Daily
Life at the Court of Versailles
Court ceremony
Court etiquette
Gambling
Wars

of Louis XIV
Four wars
Decline of Spain
 Bankruptcy, 1596 and 1607
 Philip III, 1598-16212
 Impact of the expulsion of the Moriscos
 Philip IV, 1621-1665
 Gaspar de Guzman, count of Olivares
 Reform
 Wars and taxes
The Growth of Brandenburg-Prussia
1. The Hohenzollerns began to rule the insignificant lands of Brandenburg in 1417. The family inherited territories along the Rhine in western
Germany in 1609. The duchy of Prussia (East Prussia) was added by inheritance in 1618 as a fief from Poland. Thus, by the seventeenth
century Brandenburg-Prussia consisted of three disconnected territories. Frederick William I (1640-1688), the Great Elector, soon realized the
weakness of these lands without any natural frontiers and pursued policies to correct the situation.
2. Although Brandenburg had little impact on the Thirty Years' War, Frederick William did win from the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 the
territories of Magdeburg and eastern Pomerania.
3. As a result of Frederick William's siding with Poland in a war against Sweden in the late 1650s, Poland's overlordship in East Prussia was
surrendered. By the time Frederick William died in 1688 a single state of Brandenburg-Prussia had been created.
4. In 1740 Frederick II (1740-1786), the Great, took advantage of the death of Charles VI (1711-1740) of Austria to invade the nearby Austrian
territory of Silesia which had a large population, industry, and natural resources. The conclusion of the War of the Austrian Succession (17401748) and the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) confirmed Prussia's title to the land.
5. The acquisition of West Prussia in 1772 permitted the physical joining of the two Prussias. Further lands were gained when Prussia joined
Austria in carving up weak Poland (see Acetate 57, Map 18.2).
Questions:
1. In what manner did Brandenburg-Prussia geographically grow to become a major European power?
2. Why did Prussia attack Silesia and what did it expect to gain?
The Growth of Brandenburg-Prussia
 Absolutism in Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe

German States
 Brandenburg-Prussia
 Hohenzollerns
 Frederick William the Great Elector, 1640-1688
Army
Commissariat
Mercantilism
 Frederick III, 1688-1713, King Frederick I
The Growth of the Austrian Empire
1. The traditional Austrian hereditary possessions consisted of Austria, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, and Tyrol. During the Thirty Years' War Austria
reclaimed Bohemia. Since 1526 the crown of Hungary had also been worn by the Austrian emperor. In truth, however, the Austrian emperor
exercised authority only over the northwest portion of Hungary.
2. The revival of Turkish power by the Ottomans resulted in their pushing west up the Danube once again into Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia and
north into Transylvania. By 1683 the Turks had laid siege to Vienna. After two months, the Europeans lifted the siege and went on a counteroffensive culminating with the defeat of the Turks in 1687 at the second battle of Mohacs (the first battle marked a Turkish victory in 1526 as they
penetrated Hungary). With the Turks routed, Hungary, Transylvania, Croatia, and Slovenia were regained by Austria.
3. At the end of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713, Austria gained the Spanish Netherlands and occupied the Spanish possessions of
Milan, Mantua, Sardinia, and Naples.
4. In 1740 Charles VI (1711-1740) of Austria died leaving his daughter Maria Theresa (1740-1780) the throne. During the last years of his life
Charles sought to have the other European states sign the Pragmatic Sanction which would guarantee Austrian territory after his death. Although
the document was signed by Frederick William I of Prussia, his son Frederick the Great chose to ignore it and invaded the rich land of Silesia
thereby touching off the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). Other states sought to take advantage of Austria's weakness and also
attacked. At the end of the war Prussia still retained Silesia.
5. In conjunction with Russia and Prussia, Austria helped carve up Poland in 1772 and received Galicia.
Questions:
1. How did the Austrian Empire grow in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries?
2. Why was Austria unable to retain Silesia?
The Growth of the Austrian Empire
Emergence of Austria
Habsburgs

Leopold I, 1658-1705
Turks
Expansion east
Multicultural empire



Italy: From Spanish to Austrian Rule
From Muscovy to Russia
 Ivan IV the Terrible, 1533-1584
 Crushes the boyars (nobility)
 Serfdom
From Muscovy to Russia
1. Between 1580 and 1651 the wastelands of Siberia were explored by cossacks and fur traders. In essence, the region was a game preserve
utilized by the government to exploit the furs. By the seventeenth century, the conquest of Siberia was completed.
2. The Ukraine was acquired by treaty in 1667 ending a war with Poland. The lands on the left bank of the Dnieper River were ceded to Moscow
and those on the right remained with Poland. The exception was Kiev which was left under Muscovite rule for two years, though actual control
lasted much longer. By treaty, Moscow's hold on Kiev became permanent in 1686.
3. Peter the Great (1682-1725) desired a warm water port to provide access to Europe. This could be achieved only through the Baltic and that was
controlled by Sweden. With the support of Poland and Denmark, Peter attacked Sweden at Narva in 1700 but the 8,000 man army of Swedish King
Charles XII soundly defeated the Russian army of 40,000. Peter's action initiated a series of wars known as the Great Northern War (1701-1721).
Sweden, however, failed to follow up its victory and with a reconstituted army, Peter overran the Swedish Baltic provinces. The mouth of the Neva
River was captured in 1703 and here Peter built his new capital of St. Petersburg. In 1708 the Swedes invaded Russia with the intention of
capturing Moscow but at Poltava in 1709 Peter's forces crushed the invaders. Nevertheless, the war continued for twelve more years until the
Peace of Nystadt in 1721 by which Russia acquired Estonia, Livonia, and Karela.
4. The desire for warm water ports continued under Catherine the Great (1762-1796) who initiated war against the Turks in 1769. By 1771 Russia
controlled Ottoman provinces on the Danube River and the Crimean coast of the Black Sea. These acquisitions were confirmed by a treaty in
1774 which also gave Russia an outlet to the Mediterranean by granting access through the Bosporus Strait. Although the treaty made the Crimea
an independent state, it was annexed by Catherine in 1783.
5. The partitioning of Poland between 1772 and 1795 by Russia, Austria, and Prussia was due to Prussia's fear that the balance of power in the
region was being jeopardized by Russian military successes. In return for giving up some of its conquered Danube provinces, Russia obtained
eastern Poland.
6. In 1773 Emelyan Pugachev initiated a mass peasant revolt in southern Russia. Freeing the serfs and offering promises of land, the rebellion
spread rapidly between the Ural Mountains and the Volga River. Over 1500 estate owners and their families were killed. In 1775 Pugachev was
captured and executed. The rebellion collapsed and Catherine responded with greater oppression of the peasantry.
Question:
1. What factors drove Russian expansion?
From Muscovy to Russia
 Peter the Great, 1689-1725
 Trip West, 1697-1698
 Western customs
 Reorganization of the army
 Reorganization of the government
 Division into provinces
 Service
 Economic activities
 Mercantilism
 Church
 Women
 Great Northern War, 1701-1721
The Ottoman Empire
1. The Ottomans had their origins in western Asia Minor and began expansion in the fourteenth century, taking advantage of the collapse of the
empire of the Seljuk Turks. In the late fourteenth century they pushed into the Balkans (see Acetate 44, Map 12.4).
2. Constantinople fell in 1453. A force of 9000 (half being Genoese) under Constantine XI held off 160,000 Turks for seven weeks before finally
succumbing. The city was renamed Istanbul.
3. Considering themselves the successors to the Byzantine emperors, the Ottomans began further imperialistic expansion after the capture of
Constantinople. Anatolia was conquered in the east and in the west the Ottomans drove into the Aegean and then up the Adriatic coast. In 1480
the Italian port of Oranto was taken. Wallachia in the north was conquered in 1476 but the resistance from the Hungarians kept the Ottomans in
check thereby preventing them from going up the Danube valley. South of Asia Minor, the Ottomans conquered Egypt in 1517 and held Syria and
Palestine by 1526. Throughout the rest of the century attacks would be pressed in North Africa until it too was incorporated into the Ottoman
Empire.
4. In 1521, after consolidating their eastern provinces, the Ottomans under Sulieman I (1520-1566), the Magnificent, began a thrust up the Danube
and gained Belgrade. At the battle of Mohacs in 1526 the Hungarians were crushed. Three years later, Vienna was under siege. The Turkish
forces withdrew, however, due to the insistence of the soldiers that they return home before winter.
5. The Turks seized Cyprus in 1570 due to attacks by Christian pirates.
6. In 1571 a large Turkish fleet was smashed at Lepanto by an armada of over two hundred ships from Spain, Venice, and the papacy. Although
defeated, the Turks rebuilt their fleet and continued to exercise control over the Mediterranean.
7. The Ottomans were on the move again in the seventeenth century across the Hungarian Plain and by 1683 were once again laying siege to
Vienna. Defeated by a large united Christian force which used heavy artillery (the Turks had none), the Ottomans withdrew. In the Peace of
Karlowitz in 1699 the Turks gave up Hungary and Transylvania to Austria.
Questions:
1. What was the driving force for Ottoman expansion?
2. What was the threat of Ottoman expansion to Europe?
The Ottoman Empire



Growth of Monarchy in Scandinavia
 Denmark
 Sweden
Ottoman Empire
 Suleiman I, the Magnificent, 1520-1566
 Attacks southeastern Europe
 Defeated at Vienna, 1529
Turkish navy defeated at Lepanto, 1571
 Effective government
 Well-organized military
 Turks defeated at Vienna, 1683, and driven out of Hungary
Limits of Absolutism
 Local institutions still affected lives
 Urban and provincial privileges, liberties and exemptions
limited monarchs
 Limited Monarchy and Republics
 Weakness of the Polish Monarchy
 Elective throne
 Sejm (Polish diet)
 Confederation of semi-independent estates of landed
nobles


“Golden Age” of the Dutch Republic
 Independence – Peace of Westphalia, 1648
 Internal dissension
 Stadholder
 William of Orange and heirs
 States General
 Amsterdam
 Urban expansion
 Commercial and financial center
 Social differences and structure

England and the Emergence of Constitutional Monarchy
 Revolution and Civil War, 1642-1648
 James I, 1603-1625
 Divine Right of Kings
 Puritans
 Charles I, 1625-1649
 Petition of Right
 Parliament does not meet, 1629-1640
 Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud
 Long Parliament, 1640-1660
Oliver Cromwell
 New Model Army
 Charles I executed, January 30, 1649
 Rump Parliament
 Commonwealth, 1649-1653
 Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, 1653-58
 Dissolves Parliament, 1655
 Cromwell dies, 1658
 Restoration and a Glorious Revolution
 Charles II, 1660-1685
 Cavalier Parliament, 1661

Declaration of Indulgence, 1672
 Test Act, 1673
 Attempts to pass the Exclusion Bill, 1678-1681
James II, 1685-1688
 Declaration of Indulgence, 1687
 Protestant daughters, Mary and Anne
 Birth of a son, 1688
 William of Orange and wife Mary invited to take the
throne of England, 1688




Revolution Settlement, 1689
 Bill of Rights, 1689
 Toleration Act, 1689
Responses to Revolution
 Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
Leviathan, 1651
John Locke (1632-1704)
Two Treatises of Government
Right of Revolution

 Economic Trends: Mercantilism and European Colonies in
the Seventeenth Century
 Mercantilism
 Total volume of trade is unchangeable
 Bullion
 State regulation of the economy
 Overseas Trade and Colonies
 Erosion of Portuguese trade
 Decline of Spanish commerce and economy
 Rise of Dutch trade
 Dutch East India Company, 1602
 Dutch West India Company, 1621
 English colonization
 The World of Seventeenth Century Culture


Art: French Classicism and Dutch Realism
 Nicholas Poussin (1594-1665)
 Judith Leyster (c. 1609-1660)
 Rembrandt an Rijn (1606-1669)
The Theater: The Triumph of French Neoclassicism
 Jean-Baptiste Racine (1639-1699)
 Greek tragedies
 Jean-Baptiste Molière (1622-1673)