Central European Monarchs Clash
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Transcript of Central European Monarchs Clash
Central European Monarchs Clash
Chapter 21, Section 3Page 526
But First…. What religion did France follow? Catholicism Which European family did Frances’s kings
and cardinals view as their biggest competition?
Hapsburg Family (Spain, Holy Roman Empire, Netherlands)
Which religion was the Hapsburg family? Catholic
For a short time, it seemed the Peace of Augsburg (German Princes could choose religion of their state) had settled religious differences
After the peace agreement, Catholic and Lutheran princes of Germany eyed each other closely while trying to gain followers
Churches in Germany could be Catholic or Lutheran but not Calvinist
Protestants vs. Catholics As tension mounted, Lutherans joined
together in the Protestant Union, and Catholic princes formed the Catholic League
Any spark between the two would set off war
That spark came in 1618 Ferdinand II, head of the Hapsburg family,
and ruled the Czech kingdom of Bohemia
The Thirty Years War Protestants in Bohemia didn’t trust Ferdinand
because he was catholic and a foreigner Ferdinand closed some Protestant churches,
leading to revolt and giving some Protestant princes a chance to challenge the Catholic Emperor
This began the Thirty Years War- a conflict over religion, territory, and power among European families
The First 12 Years- Hapsburg Triumphs The Thirty Years War lasted from 1618-
1648 There were 2 main phases: The Hapsburg
triumphs, and Hapsburg defeats For the first 12 years, Hapsburg armies
from Austria and Spain crushed troops hired by Protestant princes, and defeated the German Protestants who supported the Czechs
Ferdinand paid his army of 125,000 by allowing them to rob German villages
Huge army destroyed everything in its path
A Shift- the Hapsburg Defeats 1630, Protestant Gustavus Adolphus of
Sweden drove Hapsburg armies out of northern Germany with his army of 13,000
Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin of France dominated the remaining years of the war even though they were Catholic
Catholic Cardinals Fight The Catholics The 2 cardinals feared the Hapsburgs more
than the Protestants, and didn’t want any ruler in Europe to have as much power as the French king
Richelieu sent French troops to join German and Swedish Protestants against the Hapsburg armies
Damage War did damage to Germany:
-population dropped from 20 million to 16 million-agriculture was disrupted-economy ruined
Damage caused delay in Germany becoming a unified state until the 1800s.
Peace of Westphalia 1648 ended the war, but had important
consequences1)Weakened the Hapsburg states of Spain and
Austria2)Strengthened France by awarding it German
territory3) Made German princes independent of the Holy
Roman emperor4) Ended religious wars in Europe5) Introduced new method of peace negotiations still
used today
Beginning of Modern States Treaty got rid of the idea of a Catholic
empire that would rule Europe Recognized Europe as a group of
independent states The beginning of a modern state system
was the most important result of the 30 Years War
Central Europe Formation of nation states happened slowly
in central Europe Major powers of region were Poland, Holy
Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire
Economy of central Europe developed differently than western Europe
In the west, serfs headed to towns for freedom, joining the middle class
In central Europe, nobles passed laws forbidding the serfs to leave the land, and worked them 6 days a week to produce harvests that they sold to western Europe
NOT an Absolute Monarchy Land owning nobles in central Europe
blocked the development of strong kings Poland, for example, elected the Polish
king, and limited his power by allowing little income, no law courts, and no standing army
2 empires once huge became weak-the Ottoman Empire due to weak leaders-the Holy Roman Empire by the 30 Years War
More Hapsburgs In the late 1600s, 2 German-speaking families
decided to try and take power by becoming absolute rulers themselves
One was the Hapsburgs of Austria Even after the Thirty Years War, Austria remained
the strongest state within Holy Roman Empire During the war they were able to recapture
Bohemia, wipe out Protestantism there,. And create a new Czech nobility that pledged their loyalty
Created a standing army and took Hungary from Ottomans
1711 Charles VI became Hapsburg ruler He spent his entire reign persuading other
leaders in Europe to sign an agreement recognizing his daughter, Maria Theresa as full heir to all his territories
He had hoped hers would be a peaceful reign, but instead was filled with war
Rise of Prussia Like Austria, Prussia rose to power in late
1600s Like Austria’s ruling family, the Hapsburg’s,
Prussia’s ruling family the Hohenzollerns, also had plans to upset the balance of power in central Europe
The Hohenzollerns-Fredrick William Fredrick William, 20 years old, thought a strong
army was the only way to ensure safety He moved toward an absolute monarchy and
created a standing army- the best in Europe- 80,000 men
Prussia’s landowning nobility, the Junkers, resisted the kings power
William bought their cooperation by giving them exclusive right to be officers in the army
Fredrick William
He could’ve been a rock star!
Fredrick the Great Fredrick William was worried his son,
Fredrick II, was not military enough to rule The prince loved books, reading,
philosophy, music, poetry and art When Fredrick and his close friend were
caught trying to run away, his father, the king, ordered his son to witness his friends beheading
Frederick the Great Despite his bitter memories,
Frederick II became known as Frederick the Great
He followed his fathers military policies
He did soften some laws because he thought a ruler should be like a father to his people
Maria Theresa Became ruler of Austria
months after Frederick became king of Prussia
Had 16 children-most famous was Marie Antoinette
As empress, she decreased the power of the nobility and cared more for peasants well being
Maria vs. Frederick Frederick wanted the Austrian land of
Silesia, which bordered Prussia and Poland Frederick assumed since she was a
woman, Maria Theresa wouldn’t defend her lands
In 1740, he sent his army to occupy Silesia, beginning the war of the Austrian Succession
Please Help!! Even though Maria
Theresa had just given birth, she went to Hungary, and holding her infant in her arms, she begged the Hungarian nobility for aid
Hungarian nobles resented their Hapsburg rulers, but offered to give Maria an army
Bigger Powers Take Sides Great Britain also joined Austria to fight its
long time enemy France, who was Prussia’s ally
Maria Theresa did stop Prussia’s aggression, but lost Silesia at the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748
Switch-a-roo Maria Theresa decided that the French
kings were not a threat to Austria, and made an alliance with them
When Frederick heard of this news, he signed a treaty with Britain-Austria’s former ally
Austria ‘s France
And
Great Britain ‘s Prussia
Now, Austria, France, Russia and some others were allied against Britain and Prussia
Not only had Austria and Prussia switched allies, but for the first time, Russia was playing a part in European affairs
The Seven Years War In 1756, Frederick attacked Saxony, an Austrian
ally Soon every great European power was involved
in a war that was fought in Europe, India and North America
The war lasted until 1763, called the Seven Years War
The end result didn’t change the territorial situation in Europe
Saxony is part of Germany