Chapter 4, Sections 4 and 5The Rise of Austria, Prussia and Russia

The Thirty Years’ War• Who?

▫ Catholics vs. Calvinists in the Holy Roman Empire

▫ Eventually involved other European countries (France, Sweden, Netherlands, Poland and Spain)

• When?▫ 1618-1648

• Where?▫ The Holy Roman Empire

Why?•Both religious and political reasons•Many states in the HRE had become

Protestant, but the HRE (Ferdinand II) tried to make states Catholic to increase his power

•“Defenestration of Prague”: the event that actually started the war▫Protestants threw 2 Catholic officials out a

window and they landed in manure▫This led to revolts and eventually an all-out war

•Other European nations became involved because they didn’t want the HRE to unite, which would throw off the balance of power

Outcome •Peace of Westphalia (1648)•France was the biggest winner because

they had biggest role in defeating HRE•The HRE and Hapsburg family biggest

losers•The Treaty did 2 things:

▫Guaranteed the rights of Calvinists to worship in the HRE

▫Ensured that the HRE would remain 300+ independent states and not unite

Habsburg Austria

•Goals after Thirty Years’ War:▫Reassert their power in Europe▫Gain lands to compensate for land lost in the war▫They did add Bohemia, Hungary, part of Italy and

part of Poland

•Challenges for Austrian Emperors:▫Their lands contained a very diverse group of

people of many different nationalities and cultures▫This would keep them from every truly becoming

Absolute Monarchs

War of Austrian Succession/Maria Theresa

•Emperor Charles VI died with no male heir

•Before he died he signed an agreement with other European monarchs stating his daughter would become Empress

•Other monarchs agreed, but tried to take advantage of her after his death

•War broke out after the King of Prussia invaded and took some of her lands

Prussia •Hohenzollern Family

▫Ruling family in Prussia▫Prussia was a central European nation that

was spread out across HRE▫Protestants

•Absolutism▫Like other nations, Prussian Kings ruled

absolutely by increasing military and limiting nobles’ rights

Prussia

•Junkers= Prussian nobles•Military:

▫To keep control of their lands Prussia developed a strong military

▫4th largest in Europe

Frederick William

•First Prussian ruler to have title of “King” in Prussia

•He increased the military

•Made Prussia a military state

Frederick II• Son of Frederick William

I

• Frederick II aka “Frederick the Great” because of his military campaigns

• Helped gain more land by taking over part of Poland and going to war with Maria Theresa of Austria

Russia• Time of Troubles:

▫ Period of anarchy after death of Ivan the Terrible who had no heir

• Romanov Dynasty▫ Ruling family from end of

Time of Troubles until Russian Revolution in 1917

• Peter the Great:▫ 1st Czar to rule with

absolute power

▫ Move Russia toward becoming a more modern nation

Peter the Great

•Travels west:▫1697▫To study Western

technology▫Learned about gov’t,

manners, factories and shipbuilding

▫Brought experts back to Russia with him

Peter the Great

• Westernization▫ Peter’s policy to adopt

Western ideas, technology and culture

▫ Beards, coats, women

• Absolutist policies:▫ Had to become absolute

monarch to get Russians to change

Absolutist Policies

• Boyars:▫ Russian nobles▫ Worked in gov’t and military

• Serfdom:▫ Policy of peasants being tied

to the land▫ Peter expanded this policy to

improve Russian agriculture and keep boyars happy

▫ Some serfs became soldiers or worked on roads, canals, etc.

Exile•Those who resisted

Peter’s changes were tortured, executed or exiled

•Those who were exiled were sent to Siberia

Expansion•Increased army to

expand Russian lands

•Warm-water port: ▫Major goal of Peter

was to obtain land along Black Sea

▫He never achieved that goal

Great Northern War

•War with Sweden•Peter won and

gained lands on Baltic Sea (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)

•Better access to W. Europe

St. Petersburg

•Peter’s “window to the west”

•Designed in style of W. Europe

•Became a symbol of Peter’s goals to Westernize Russia

Catherine the Great

•German princess•Married heir to the

throne of Russia•She would eventually

become one of Russia’s great rulers

Peter III

•Weak ruler•Husband of Catherine•Murdered by nobles

(was she involved???)•After his death she

became Czarina

Expansion

•She went to war with Ottoman Empire

•Through war she gained warm water port on the Black Sea (Peter’s goal)

Partition of Poland

• Between 1772 and 1795• Series of invasions led to

disappearance of Poland from map

• Austria, Prussia and Russia divided lands

• Poland had a weak King… this showed the importance of strong monarchs in the 18th Century