Absolutism & Constitutionalism (Political/Diplomatic)
Countries in Eastern Europe sought to have a foundation of absolutism. The great number of wars allowed monarchs to consolidate their power through their armies. Austria and Prussia were the countries most impacted by absolutism between 1620-1740. Frederick William I helped bring Prussia into a military state, as he convinced the landowning classes to fund a permanent army. He consolidated Prussian absolutism and disciplined its people.Initially following imperialistic goals, the Habsburgs abandoned their quest for dominance after they were defeated in central Europe in the Thirty Years' War. However, the Habsburgs were able to weaken the Protestant Bohemian states in one victory. The Habsburgs proceeded to expel the Ottoman Turks from places such as Transylvania and Hungary.
Louis XIV in France waged many wars as a result of his desire to be titled a "conqueror." For commercial reasons, the French military engaged in conflicts against Spanish lands. 1681 was the peak of French expansion.
In Spain, absolutism made a steady decline as a result of its commerce. Slaves who worked at the silver mines, something that previously earned the Spanish much of its profits, contracted diseases. The production of metal went down. Spanish rulers did not help matters, as they did not know what to do with the declining treasury-- and instead spent money on themselves. With internal conflicts like the Catalonian revolts in 1640, the Spanish situation became even worse.
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| Ivan the Terrible |
1453
Constantinople falls to Ottoman Turks
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| Ivan IV - "Ivan the Terrible" |
Reign of Ivan IV
Known as “Ivan the Terrible”, the ruler of Russia was successful in dominating the remains of Mongol control, and adding onto the strengthening Russian empire. All commoners were under his power, and they formed warrior bands called “Cossacks” to go against him.
Edict of Restitution
All the Catholic lands lost to Protestants since 1552 became restored with this restitution— here, Lutherans and Catholics were the only ones allowed to exercise their religion.
Cardinal Richeliu
He was the first minister of the French crown, and best known for his political system he used to strengthen royal control. He established a system of intendants, appointed directly from the monarch, who ruled over the 32 districts of France. As the power of intendants strengthened, so did France as a whole.
Reign of Henry VI
Grandfather of Louis XIV, Henry VI founded the Bourbon dynasty.
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| James Stuart |
Reign of James Stuart
Stuart as a ruler believed that he only answered to God and otherwise had a divine right to authority. He attempted to rule without the presence of a Parliament and placed emergency taxes on his people. As a result, his state was brought to a state of crisis.
Bohemian Phase
A civil war fought between the Catholic League and Protestant Union in Bohemia.
Thirty Years' War
1619 - 1637(18 years)
Reign of Ferdinand II
He weakened the Bohemian Estates, which was a Protestant assembly. Ferdinand II also took land holdings of Protestant nobles and presented them to Catholic aristocrats.
Battle of the White Mountain
The Protestants were defeated by Catholic forces.
Danish phase
The Protestant king of Denmark, Christian IV, witnessed Catholic triumphs against the Protestants. Albert of Wallenstein led a Catholic imperial army to victory as it tore through the lands of Silesia and Pomerania.
Peak of Habsburg power
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| Gustavus Adolphus |
Swedish phase
Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus supported the Protestants and Cardinal Richelieu, a French minister, funded the Swedish army to weaken Habsburg influence in Europe. Adolphus ended up winning two battles, despite being fatally wounded.
Richelieu-Adolphus Treaty
Cardinal Richelieu signed a treaty with Gustavus Adolphus, promising French support to the Lutherans in the Thirty Years’ War.
French phase
It was the final phase of the Thirty Years’ War. Richeliu was initially worried that the French would come back strong after the death of Adolphus. Richeliu sent aid to Adolphus’ army and in 1648, peace was finally reached.
Reign of Ferdinand III
He formed the Habsburg land holdings, and consolidated power in German speaking provinces. He built a strong army that was ready for any opposition.
Frederick William comes into power
Frederick William, a ruler who freshly came into power, sought to unify Brandenburg, Prussia, and a lot of lands among the Rhine.
Reign of Louis XIV
Louis XIV, the “Sun King”, was a monarch who led France in the absolutism movement. Louis believed that kings had a divine right, but at the same time had to obey the laws of God and be benevolent rulers.
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| Peace of Westphalia |
Peace of Westphalia
This treaty ended the Thirty Years’ War. Three hundred German princes’ liberties were recognized through this. Also, the Augsburg truce between the Catholics and Protestants was deemed permanent. While Northern Germany was Protestant, Southern Germany became Catholic.
Reign of Charles II
1668 - 1713(45 years)
Land acquisition of Louis XIV
Louis XIV aimed to expand the borders of France. His military seized important commercial centers like Flanders and the Spanish Netherlands, which brought him to much economic power. Through 1680-1690, his wars became more futile as the French started to run out of resources without gaining anything politically.
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| Peter the Great of Russia |
Reign of Peter the Great
Peter the Great was determined to continue territorial expansion. As a result, he encouraged advances in weapon technology to build an improved army. He built a clandestine alliance with the English and the Dutch to go against Sweden— he desired to secure the Baltic Sea and expand westwards. He was shown up by 18 year old Charles XII in the Great Northern War.
Court of Louis XIV moved to Versailles
Louis renovated his palace and relocated it to Versailles. Nobles were required to live there so Louis could supervise them. Versailles became the political hub of France and the royal bureaucratic office.
Habsburg drive out the Ottomans
The Ottomans were driven out of Hungary and Transylvania by the Habsburgs. The Habsburgs grew strong as a result of Ferninand III’s reign, as he established a permanent standing army.
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| Great Northern War |
Great Northern War
It was a war waged between Peter the Great and Charles XII of Sweden. Charles XII threw Peter off guard as he defeated Denmark then fought Russia. Peter stepped it up by requiring all nobles to serve for life and building military schools for young nobles. In 1709, Peter was able to crush Sweden in Ukraine.
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was triggered when Louis XIV violated the treaty that Spanish possessions would be split between the Holy Roman Emperor and the king of France.
Great Alliance
Louis XIV experienced many countries ganging up against him such as the English, Dutch, Prussians, and Austrians in a “Great Alliance”.
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| First edition of the Peace of Utrecht |
Peace of Utrecht
Ended the Great Alliance and the war, and also allowed Louis’ grandson to remain king on the grounds that the Spanish and French crowns would never be unified.
Reign of Frederick William I
Known as the “Soldiers’ King”, William I got rid of parliamentary estates and local lands which self governed. He contributed to most of Prussia’s absolutism and militarism. Prussia had the 4th biggest army as a result of William’s rule by 1740.
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