Central European Monarchs Clash

Chapter 21, Section 3

Page 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 played

for Van Halen!

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