Thirty Years’ War through Hobbes and Locke

Defenestration of Prague (1618)

Protestant nobles threw Catholic officials out a window, sparking the war.

Bohemian Phase of 30 year war

Revolt of Bohemian nobles crushed by Habsburgs at Battle of White Mountain (1620).

Danish Phase of 30 year war

Christian IV (Denmark) intervened; crushed by imperial forces under Wallenstein.

Swedish Phase of 30 year war

Gustavus Adolphus entered the war; victories at Breitenfeld & Lützen before dying in battle.

Franco-Swedish Phase of 30 year war

France joined (despite being Catholic) to curb Habsburg power → war becomes political.

Peace of Westphalia (1648)

Ended the war; recognized sovereignty of 300+ German states; ended religious wars in Europe.

Gustavus Adolphus (Sweden)

Creator of the military revolution—used mobile artillery, disciplined infantry, flexible tactics.

Albrecht von Wallenstein

Mercenary general for the Habsburgs; key figure in imperial victories.

Ferdinand II (Habsburg)

Holy Roman Emperor; tried to reimpose Catholicism.

Cardinal Richelieu

Guided French entry into the war for balance of power, not religion.

Political Effects of the Thirty Years' War

Decline of Habsburg power; rise of France; independence of Dutch Republic & Switzerland.

Economic Effects of the Thirty Years' War

German lands devastated (1/3 population lost).

Military Effects of the Thirty Years' War

Shift toward permanent armies and professional warfare.

Social Effects of the Thirty Years' War

Depopulation, famine, and displacement in central Europe.

Religious Effects of the Thirty Years' War

Weakened the political role of religion; reaffirmed cuius regio, eius religio but with broader toleration.

Intendants

Royal officials sent to provinces to enforce royal orders and strengthen the crown's control.

Reason of State (Raison d'État)

Politics > religion; actions justified if they strengthened France.

Nobles of the Robe

Administrative nobility loyal to Richelieu.

Philip III & Philip IV (Spain) Legacy

Bankrupted the empire through wars and poor administration.

Gaspar de Guzmán (Count-Duke of Olivares)

Tried to reform Spain's finances and centralize power—failed.

Divine Right of Kings

Monarchs ruled by God's will (justified Louis's authority).

Versailles

Symbol of royal power; controlled the nobility through etiquette and access.

Mercantilism

Jean-Baptiste Colbert's economic policy—state-controlled economy, tariffs, colonies.

Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685)

Ended toleration for Huguenots.

Louis XIV ("Sun King")

Embodied absolutism; "L'État, c'est moi." ("I am the state.")

Duc de Saint-Simon

Memoirist critical of Louis; described him as vain but politically shrewd.

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

Finance minister; strengthened economy for war and court spending.

Junkers

Prussian landed nobility; allied with the monarchy for control over serfs.

Boyars

Russian nobles; power curtailed by Ivan and Peter.

Serfdom

Expanded east of the Elbe; basis of absolutist control.

Frederick William "The Great Elector"

Built standing army; centralized taxation; foundation of Prussian power.

Frederick III (King Frederick I)

Elevated Prussia to kingdom status.

Leopold I (Austria)

Defended Vienna from Turks (1683); expanded Habsburg control eastward.

Oprichnina

Ivan IV's secret police force; crushed boyars and centralized control.

Table of Ranks (1722)

Peter the Great's hierarchy linking social status to state service.

Westernization

Modernization of military, government, and culture on Western European models.

Ivan IV "the Terrible"

First tsar; expanded territory; known for violent purges and autocracy.

Peter the Great

Modernized Russia; built St. Petersburg ("window to the West"); reformed army, church, and government.

Republicanism

Power held by provinces and merchants, not a monarch.

Amsterdam

Financial center of Europe; Dutch East India Company.

Religious Toleration

Attracted skilled immigrants and economic growth.

Rembrandt, Vermeer

Cultural flourishing—art as civic pride, not royal propaganda.

James I (1603-1625)

Advocated Divine Right of Kings; clashed with Parliament.

Petition of Right (1628)

Limited Charles I's taxation and imprisonment powers.

Charles I

Ignored Parliament; dissolved it; ruled as absolute monarch → English Civil War (1642-1649).

Oliver Cromwell

Led New Model Army; executed Charles I; set up Puritan Republic (Commonwealth) → later became military dictatorship.

Charles II (Restoration)

Restored monarchy; continued conflict over religion.

James II

Tried to restore Catholicism → opposition led to Glorious Revolution.

William & Mary

Invited to rule (1688); accepted Bill of Rights (1689) → constitutional monarchy.

State of Nature

Hypothetical pre-political condition of humanity.

Social Contract

Agreement to form government and surrender certain freedoms.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan, 1651)

Humans are naturally selfish and violent; advocates absolute monarchy for order and protection.

John Locke (Two Treatises of Government, 1689)

Humans are rational, capable of reason and cooperation; government exists to protect natural rights: life, liberty, property.