European History Notes

1500-1750 Europe: Expansion, Kingdoms, and Colonialism

Seventeenth Century Crisis and Rebuilding

• Crisis among peasants and the urban poor:

  • Little Ice Age: Europe experienced a decades-long period of cooler, wetter climate.

  • Food Shortages: The climate change made it harder to grow crops, leading to food shortages.

  • Economic Recession: A massive economic recession occurred simultaneously.

  • Famine and Disease: Famine and disease became rampant throughout Europe.

• Unexpected Climate Change: Such an ice age was unexpected, as Europe hadn't experienced one for about 6,000 years.

• Duration: This climate change lasted for a couple of decades before things returned to normal.

• Rising Prices and Inflation:

  • Less food led to rising prices and increased inflation.

  • People had little money to purchase goods.

  • Farming, the primary occupation, became difficult.

• Loss of Food, Money, and Employment: This resulted in the loss of food, money, and employment.

• Industry Suffered: Widespread unemployment and suffering occurred.

• Protests and Riots: Low wages led to protests and riots, expressing disgust at the situation.

• Theft and Reselling of Food: People resorted to theft and reselling food at what they considered fair prices.

• Early Ideas of Revolution: The rich and wealthy had stores of food, leading to the beginnings of revolutionary ideas.

• Western Europe: Mostly peasants, poor farmers, and laborers.

• Eastern Europe: A return to serfdom, where peasants were tied to the land and had to work for the nobility.

• Serfdom as a Version of Slavery: Peasants were tied to the land, had to work for the wealthy, and pay off debts.

• Black Death:
  *The Black Death bubonic plague killed millions.

  • The eastern aristocracy restricted peasants' movements, preventing them from seeking better opportunities.

  • Education was almost nonexistent for the poor.

  • Serfs were practically slaves with no rights, forced marriage, and could be sold with the property.

  • Families could be sold, and there were no legal rights.

  • A large population decline occurred due to warfare, plague, famine, and disease.

Impact of the Crisis

• The crisis led to power being concentrated in the hands of landlords, wealthy nobility, and aristocracy.

• They ruled with absolute authority with very little control by the populations themselves.

• The poor were the hardest hit, with 90% of the population in the lower-income category.

• The wealthy and middle-income groups generally survived, controlling the military and having a distinct advantage.

Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)

• One of the deadliest conflicts in world history.

• Peace of Augsburg (1555):

  • An agreement after the Protestant Reformation allowed local rulers to decide whether their region would be Protestant (Lutheran) or Catholic.

  • Tensions between different religious groups, primarily Protestant and Catholic, eroded the Peace of Augsburg.

• Religious Divisions:

  • Lutherans formed the Protestant Union.

  • Catholics organized into the Catholic League.

  • Fears of another war arose.

• Battle of White Mountain (c. 1620):

  • The first major battle of the Thirty Years' War.

  • Catholics won most of the early battles.

• Four Phases of War:

  • Bohemian, Danish, Swedish, and French phases primarily based on their geographic location of battles.

  • Kings from Denmark, Sweden, and France were involved.

• Early World War: The conflict involved several of the greatest world and colonial powers at the time.

• Peace of Westphalia (1648):

  • Ended the conflict after thirty years.

  • Established authority in Central Europe to 300 different princes, small regional leaders, instead of the Holy Roman Emperor.

  • The Holy Roman Emperor was deemed ineffective in maintaining peace.

  • The Peace of Augsburg (1555) was reinstated.

• Calvinism: Became a new recognized religious faith under the Protestant banner.

• Population Decline: Approximately 40% decline in the European population during this period.

• Causes of Decline: War, ice age, famine, strife, unemployment, and poverty levels.

• Worst Time in European History: One of the worst for poor peasants or serfs.

• Human Loss of Life: Perhaps the greatest single incident of human loss of life, with both natural and human causes.

Map Review

• Austria, Holy Roman Empire, Spanish, other German states, Swedish lands, Ottoman Empire.

• Most of the destruction occurred in Central Europe, primarily Germany and Prussia.

Achievements in State Building

• Increase in Centralized Power: Post-crisis, many kings and dynasties aimed to consolidate their power.

• Power Vacuum: Power-hungry people thrived in the absence of centralized authority.

• Governmental Systems:

  • Constitutional governments (primarily in Western Europe) based on the rule of law acted as a document that protects the people.

  • Absolutist governments (generally in Eastern Europe) with all power in the hands of a ruler.

  • Both systems centralized power in the hands of a ruling elite.

  • Constitutional governments gave more rights and responsibilities to the people.

  • Absolutist governments were less so

• Elements of a Powerful Centralized Government:

  • National tax system.

  • Powerful military and policing system.

  • Large government bureaucracy.

  • Obedience of the people (voluntary through constitutional governments or forced in totalitarian governments).

Sovereignty

• Seventeenth-century states approached total sovereignty, total power, and authority over the population and their borders.

• Limitations existed due to communication and transportation constraints.

• Local authorities were often unwilling to cede power to a supreme ruler, requiring forced obedience.

Absolutism in France and Spain

• Absolute rule in Western Europe, with power concentrated in one person or authority.

France

• Cardinal Richelieu:

  • First minister of France.

  • Served Queen Anne of Austria, head of the French government, during Louis XIII's reign (since he was only nine years old)

  • Sought full control and aimed to repress Protestants, increase taxes and royal authority.

  • Sought absolute power for himself, not necessarily for the Catholic Church.

• Goals:

  • Weaken Austria to increase France's power.

  • Gain land, territory, and money, enriching himself.

• Cardinal Mazarin:

  • Succeeded Richelieu and continued centralizing policies.

  • Served as first minister during Louis XIV's youth.

• France's Debt: Faced persistent debt due to continuous warfare.

• Increased Taxes: Mazarin increased taxes and revenues, leading to protests and riots known as the Fronde because of the constant warfare.

• The Fronde: Response to the oppressive authority in France.

• Royal Control: Increased, and Louis XIV even had to flee the country.

Louis XIV (The Sun King)

• Louis XIV took the throne in 1661 when Mazarin died.

• Divine Right: Believed in the divine right of kings, chosen by God to rule mortal world, us, the French citizens.

  • The idea was that the king was chosen by God.

Estates General

• The estates general was formed, Like the congress, supposed to represent estates of church, peasants, nobility.

• Represented the classes (peasants, nobility, church).

• The King had the assembly assembled it. Now kings often did, That was how it was written into law.

• The King could not do it if he chooses.

• Rarely assembled it, as he didn't want to challenge his power.

• Continued policies of Richelieu and the Catholic Church.
  Continues repression of Protestants, The power was the king and the catholic church.

Life at Versailles

• The royal palace, the most heavily defended part of France.

• Royal Etiquette: Rituals from waking up to bedtime performed every day.

• The nobility was forced all the nobles, the thousands of nobles to serve him to get the king's favor.

• Patronage: System based on the Romans that required doing this for access to the king.

• Force: nobles forced to cooperate.

• how He wielded power, controlled Everything about Wealth, authority.

• Three Way Thing:

  • Divine Right: He states that he was chosen by God.

  • Military: Catholic fully supported by the Catholic Church.

  • Money: Church Military Bbacking Church, and People Who Believe Divine right.

  • Manipulation: He was believed to be a master manipulator.

• Life, he was truly someone who believed that his legacy would be art.

• French culture they were the most cultured people in Europe.

• That was the way to do it the place of the best culture, best Education, status.

• Warfair: for something like forty years he sat on the throne. His entire time as emperor, basically France was at war.

• Expansion: Initially he had a lot of success expanding his borders, he gained commercial centers, he gained land territory, mines.

• The French army tripled in size with by the end of Louis' time in office, the French army alone numbered something like two million people.

• Spainish: became indirectly involved in the war of Spanish Succession to decide the ruler of Spain when Charles the second died.
  Louis his grandson moved and toke over thrown.
  Alliance written to the law of France and Spain, to not combine, they did not combine for the fear of an empire that would be too grade.
  Territories to England.
  Alliance the two most Powerful empires in Europe globally Internationally Spain.
  Louis Dies, France Bankrupt most of the Country is Starving Constant warfare Millions.

Decline of Absolute Spain

• Wealth use, wealth wealth all these new world wealth colony, they had all kinds of money mines from 15 and 1600s.

• Silver world comes from Spanish mines.

• Decline with disease, Depopulation

• Native American, Americas 50 to 100,000,000 Natives Americas 2 Centuries or almost all dead because of infections and the diseases.

• Aristocracy had had EXPENSIVE LIFESTYLES increasing taxes

• Decrease Production, violence pop decline, global wars.

• Global wars with the dutch and with the French were

Eastern Europe

• Eastern Europe became consolidated with countries Were led by Absolute Rulers with power

• Austarian Empire build build under ferdinand the second and ferdinand the third, These were the two biggest Monarchs.

• Ferdinant central Gov Germany territories of Ostria, Moravia, Buhima and large Standing Army eliminate Any protestant

• Eastward Kush Twards Ottormian Empire, Hungria , Transalvania, Ottoman Empire is pushing to the outside

• Kill Any one that not the devout Catholilc

• Prruisa anoth absolutist

• Frederick Williams, The great electror consolidate through diplo and war.

• Prroudsia the region and the eastern what what will become German State in many years

• Junkers were the land Aristracrats, Frederick william tax to Consolita perusian, and create stading army

Consolida Prussion, Elimates Parliamentary,
Military state, no self rules, total power to the king
Prussion the best Miliary Europes
Sleashis from Ausria Doubles Powers taking other
territories great the power in Ceentrall Eastern.

Russian Rule in Russia

• Now the Mongol asian the Ruler and then the threen Four Hundreds Russia north Cental Russia for centuries

• largest Empries History of Russia in a fourth century time

• Then Russia, Ivann third expanded the princlialic Moscow balt Sea.

• ignoring the KHAN, and the KHA, and Moscow the enforca and have indepenident declare led to leadsellf.

• Ivan declare Autorcatsm the SOUL POWER Soul Ruling Leaving RELIGION.

• Highest Ruling CLASS THE RUSISAN OLITE BOARS AIST MOsCowlite

• Ivan marrid the dauther the LAT Bsatinzing empriire

• Take Roman Czar Emire and the Czar's claims to from the Roman Empiore as they adopt the eatern orthof ox

• Russias the greatest land control of any power, it creates Gold and, gold trade routes

• Ivan terrible expanded the power, the biggest Multire ethic. Cathoics Muslims easten Othor doc religouse

Ivan's Death

• After His Wife died, the boriars, who WERE The Ruling Outlie.

• Warrfair Peasents The Poor Class Fled the the warr, Because they Did not want to be sefrf them selves

• Then the warrior the the Cosskack becaem violent and then it creates Alient with The Cosssk at 1574

• the teretorry to the elited Sck shock troop. Following invan the detah Strugle ensused called The Time Trouble and it will be crushd .

• Michal Roman Of starts the new emperor, Mass to increase East all the naturals resource,

• Eventually it doesn't because of The Location its far the Eastern edge and they couldn't bring the might and the powers.

• Peter Increase the state strengten forces.
  *Commoners Conscriptions, Forced Labor, peasant worst rate

• Most it has historacl the west constant intertacioin technologe cuase intaceraction. So PEter to Created Moden impried, modern countru and technalage .to reflect modernixzaton to westernize russia

• Bulit rodes Bulit Bridges change the languges

Alternatives (The Dutch, The English)

• The Nertherland and English Govenment, Constituall electer Represeatitve,

• James of Scottlands believe in divine Power no Care or governamet, and the son wants the rull and has the rull over everythone.and then the the and that wants that change

• England and the Scoths Arent happy and then become the evil

• And Parlimnt beleive that there is an inapoproate thing parliament the army ansever parliaments.

• The Hoouse Come passes Act the trie ninal act where the king has to has summon The parliment.

• The King gose creates army ainst parliaments.

• The the first Time that publicly has be executued in enalnd. Because it could have be the the has given authority

• Thames Hoobes adictat strong cental governmnet divien rght has to continuous There for the couthry

Defetes a the king charlles in the protector to protest the the gov and the for for for for for all be protet the deivine and all
many cathaloc a war.

• Cromwells take cathaloc Lands. it it lead to a war and has caused the hate between the cathalic and protessent
  Leviatahn has all the all and military and religion to rule england.

• The puritan suttinings the there the smiths, the carters, the porters and saders surnames the all that worke in the the

THE INGLISH Monarky is BACK

• the the the all still Believet a monarky still want a confoited.

• Testt ACT denay vote other than the chruch england.

• Charlees that dealth where they will rturn the in power.

• James Seonds appoint goverment offices cathlaocs people from the French.

• Secret offered a marri to william and marry offer from paralite the King
  all james fleeded after england now the protestand
  Consisitautional monarky that the parliment power to law of the powers to create that all that will power cathlica
  will of life litiber the pursuit hapiness and
  tyranncal of the powers rebal.ameriacn govemnmnt is bad
  americna said gov and that there is tyran of enalnat
  and then sepprearte .

AMERICAS IN THE END THE IS GOING TO BE AMERCINA

• Colnalial Expansision.
  The the new they almost all Buisness Ventur for proifts wealth

• Spain France ENGLANd Dutch Power that are Econcomiall all about makkert

• Tobacto great fourth thing,
  Militay and it was privat to buisnesses to come in and that has helped to fell govern.
  Jamstown has a very sucessfull, but most people live in intured,
  New England communites Escapist Religions middles coone other colonies power Eurpean French.s
  to harvest and trad