AP euro absolutism and enlightened rulers

philosophes

believes a powerful monarch who embodied enlightenment ideas is the best way for those ideals to spread

camrealism

monarchy is the most effective from of government, so all other groups should be subservient, but power should be used for the bettering of society

haskalah

jewish philosophers who argued that the in toleration of Jews was unfitting for the enlightenment period

bullionism

early form of mercantilism, idea that a nation should accumulate as much gold as possible and prevent outward flow

liberum veto

voting in polish parliament that required unanimous

robots

non-serf peasants

boyars

russian nobles who were exempt from the army as compensation for supporting the crown

strelski

moscow gaurds who had overthrown previous leaders

impressment

forced military labor

thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

• pessimistic view of humans without civilization

• ideas known as enlightened despotism

  • people transfer sovereignty to the monarchy in exchange for safety

Jean Bodin (1530-1596)

• believed only absolutism could provide order and force people to obey government

Bishop Jacques-Benige Bossuet (1627-1704)

• advocate of divine right

• believes that monarchy does not owe authority to anyone else

Henry IV (Henry of Navarre)

• issued edict of nantes

• encouraged French colonization in New World

• strengthened social government institutions (parlements, universities)

The Frond (1640s)

• Cardinal Jules Mazarin rules for Louis XIV as regent

• sword nobles revolt against Mazarin

  • civil war between nobles allow them to be defeated

  • Louis is determined to control nobles throughout his reign

Louis XIV

• quintessential absolute ruler

  • divine right

  • head of French catholicism

  • checked power of local rulers

  • large standing army

• Versailles palace reinforces his image

  • used to control nobility as pleasure prison

• France becomes undisputed major power (1683) and french culture dominates

edict of fountainbleu

• issued by Louis XIV

• revoked edict of nantes

• causes Huguenots to flee France

jean-baptiste colbert

• minister of state for Louis XIV

• France becomes leading industrial economy

  • manufacturing of military weapons stimulates economy

• goal: economic self sufficiency

  • government supported monopolies

  • new roads and canals

  • reduced internal tariffs, lower prices

wars of Louis XIV

• initially successful, but eventually become economic burden

• contribute to French revolution

• first time single country dominates politics (eventually balanced by collation of powers)

• war of devolution, dutch war, nine years war, war of Spanish succession

war of devolution (1667-1668)

• france invades spanish-netherlands without declaring war

• treaty of aix-la chappelle

  • France gets 12 border cities

  • Spain gets burgundy

dutch war (1672-1678)

• france invades south netherlands

• dutch flood countryside to prevent french and English invasions

• peace of nijmegan

  • France takes back burgundy, Flemish towns, and alsace

nine years war (1688-1697)

• france invades spanish-netherlands

• league of Augsburg balances power

• William of orange brings England into war

• maintains status quo

war of Spanish succession (1701-1713)

• will of Charles II gives all Spanish territory to Louis XIV’s grandson

  • consolidation of french and Spanish crowns are feared

  • grand alliance forms

grand alliance

• forms in opposition to france during war of Spanish succession

• England, dutch republic, HRE, Brandenburg, portugal, savoy

league of augsburg

• HRE, sweden, burgundy, Spain, Saxony, dutch republic

• forms in to balance france’s power during nine year war

• ended with treaty of ultrecht

treaty of Utrecht (1713)

• ends war of Spanish succession

• most important since westphalia

• maintained balance of power

• ended france’s expansion

• partitioned Spanish empire

hre

• aging, feudal, medeival

• emporer elected by 7 electors

• religious divisions

ottoman empire

• aging, feudal, medieval empire

• “sick old man of Europe”

• loses territory in eastern Europe and Balkans after austrian and Russian expansion

polish kingdom

• liberum veto

  • monarchy cant consolidate, partitioned by Russia, Austria, and prussia

Frederick William “Great Elector” (ruled 1640-1688)

• prussian king

• calvinist but tolerant of Catholics and jews

• encouraged industry in textiles and iron by importing early industrialization

• established Prussia as a great power

junkers

prussian nobles/landowners with total control over their serfs

frederick I “The Ostentatious” (ruled 1688-1713)

• sought to imitate Louis XIV

• Prussian king

• focused on improving education

frederick William I “The Soldier’s king” (ruled 1713-1740)

• prussian king

• calvinist

• most important hohenzollern king in developing absolutism

• made Prussia into highly militaristic society

maria theresa (ruled 1740-1780)

• austrian

• centralized controll of Habsburg empire

  • taxed nobility and church

  • reduces peasant taxes

  • partially freed serfs

  • large standing army

  • reduced torture

pragmatic sanction of 1713

• charles VII of HRE had no male heirs

• contradicted traditional Habsburg rule by stating that his daughter, Maria Theresa could rule

romanov dynasty (1613-1917)

• russian empire

• conquest of siberia

• favored boyars for support

• western ideas gain ground, old believers of Orthodox church burn themselves

peter the great (ruled 1682-1725)

• ends revolt of strelski

• focused on military power

  • non-nobles able to move up ranks

• brings Russia closer to mainstream

  • imports western technology and culture

• builds st. petersburg

great northern war (1700-1721)

• russia, Poland, denmark against sweden

• treaty of nystad (1721)

  • Russia wins (finishes modernizing)

  • Russia gains Latvia and estonia

characteristics of absolutism in eastern europe

• threat of war with Europe and asia

• reduced nobility power but more control over serfs

• serfs heavily restricted

• permanent standing army

• heavy taxes

• subjects not involved in international relations

Frederick II “Frederick the great”

• prussian

• enlightened despot

• justifies rule through policies that improved subject’s lives

  • bureaucratic reforms

  • abolished torture

  • favored protestants but tolerant of others

war of Austrian sucession (1740-1748)

• cause: Prussia did not believe pragmatic sanction was fair

• Prussia seized Silesia, increasing power

• Austria allies with France and russia

• ends with treaty of aix-la-chappelle

seven years war (1756-763)

• cause: Maria Theresa wants to regain silesia

• diplomatic revolution of 1756

• Prussia outnumbered 15 to 1

• Russian tsar Peter III pulls out of war (admirer of Frederick)

• Treaty of Paris (1763)

treaty of Paris (1763)

• prussia gains silesia

• France loses north American territories

• Britain gains territory in india

  • spice and slave trade

• ends seven years war

diplomatic revolution of 1756

• traditional enemies ally

  • Britain and prussia

  • France and austria

reform of Frederick the great

• religious freedom (less for jews)

• education in schools for upper class only

• improved bureaucracy (required civil servant exams)

• reduced censorship

• encouraged immigration and industrial/agricultural growth

catherine II “catherine the Great” (ruled 1762-1798)

• russian

• one of greatest rulers

• confiscated Orthodox lands

• assasinates Peter III (husband)

• enlightened despot

Catherine II’s goals

• continue to westernize Russia (printing press, imported artists)

• outlaw torture, some religious toleration

• educational reforms

• territorial expansion

pugachev rebellion (1773)

• cossack soldier euguene pugachev leads rebellion against serfdom

• result: nobility gets total control of serfs and do not pay taxes