Prussia notes
Poland
Szlachta
The szlachta was the legally privileged nobles in the Kingdom of Poland
Sejm
The Sejm was Poland's Parliament
consisting of the Senate (upper chamber) and the House of Deputies (lower chamber). Until the fall of the First Polish Commonwealth (Republic) in 1795, the Polish Sejm remained the sole representative of the nobility, which accounted for more than 10% of Poland’s total population.
Poland’s Position on Protestant Reformation and Protestantism
During the Protestant reformation Poland tried to stay strictly catholic, Jesuits of poland worked hard to keep it catholic laws were passed saying anyone already catholic could not convert, and it was successful as the protestants in poland were spread about, and few were killed.
Reasons why Poland is considered a “Flawed Monarchy”
Poland was known as a Flawed Monarchy Because it was a commonwealth, it was run by the nobles so there were many people ruling but nobility was hereditary so it still wasn't a democracy.
Powers That Poland’s Parliament Held Over Monarch
Liberum Veto: the legal right of each member of the legislature (Sejm) to veto something under rules requiring unanimous consent.
This meant that any bill presented to the Sejm had to be passed with everyone in agreement.
Stanislaw August Poniatowski
He was the last king of Poland and is a very controversial figure because he failed to save his country while Austria Prussia and Russia destroyed it in the mid to late 18th century.
Tadeusz Kościuszko
He was a skilled engineer with a military education by the time he arrived in the American colonies from Poland in 1776. Offering his services to the revolutionary cause, he masterminded a key British defeat at Saratoga and oversaw the building of military fortifications at West Point. In Poland he did his best to repel the Russian invasions of Poland, but ultimately failed.
Partition of Poland
The partitions were conducted by the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia and Habsburg Austria, which divided up the Commonwealth lands among themselves progressively in the process of territorial seizures in the mid-18th century
Austria
King Charles VI (Austria) Habsburg
He was an descendant of Charles V
He tried to rebuild the empire Charles V but was unsuccessful
He was the author of the Pragmatic Sanction which:
Wanted his daughter Maria Theresa to become the next Holy Roman Empress
He was supposed to become the ruler of Spain but in attempt to make sure the Holy Roman Empire didn’t come back Phillip V Bourbon was crowned king starting the “War of Spanish Succession”
Empress Maria Theresa (Austria)
Pragmatic Sanction made for her
Allowed that monarchs daughters could hold Hapsburg throne
Silesia - the fertile valley of the Oder River that stretched southeast from Brandenburg
Frederick II (Prussian king) marched his army southward into Silesia,. Her Hungarian subjects failed in their attempts to expel Frederick from Silesia.
War of Austrian Succession
Frederick’s success encouraged other countries to ignore the Pragmatic Sanction. Most of the powers of Europe joined in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48). Maria Theresa found an ally in George II of Great Britain. As elector of Hanover, a German state, he feared the spread of Prussia’s power. On the other side the chief allies were Prussia, France, Spain, and Bavaria. In America and on the high seas the conflict raged between France and Great Britain as King George’s War.
“Diplomatic Revolution”
The diplomatic revolution was a series of alliances. France joined Austria which was dominated by the Hapsburgs. France had hated the hapsburgs and suddenly they decided to form an alliance WITH them. Russia then joined Austria and France.
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
The treaty that ended the “War of Austrian Succession” was signed at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748. It confirmed the loss of Silesia to Prussia but restored everything else to the situation at the opening of the war. Maria Theresa won recognition of the principle leader of Austria as per her father when he made the Pragmatic Sanction,
Codex Theresianus
Law code considered by Maria Theresa for her people that she never completed
Emperor Joseph II
Enlightened Despot
Absolute monarch encouraged reform during the Enlightenment
With Catherine the Great of Russia and Frederick the Great of Prussia, as one of the three great Enlightenment monarchs
Emancipation of Peasants
Serfdom Patent diminished Lords’ powers and allowed Serfs to
choose marriage partners
pursue career choices
move between estates
Patent of Tolerance (1781)
Religious Freedom
“Josephinism”
The domestic policies of Joseph
Freed the serfs
Codified laws
** “Musical King”: Mozart and Beethoven
Commissioned the German-language opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail from Mozart
Ludwig van Beethoven was commissioned to write a funeral cantata for him, but it was not performed because of its technical difficulty.
Prussia
Elector of Brandenburg- Frederick William - house of HOHENZOLLERN
“Great Elector”
Restored Hohenzollern dominions after the devastations of the Thirty Years War
Centralized the political administration
Reorganized the state finances
Developed a strong army
Rebuilt towns and cities
Hohenzollern Dynasty
Ruling house of Brandenburg-Prussia from 1415-1918
House of Hohenzollern
Increased land possessions and political influence
Prussia
A German state that originated from the Duchy of Prussia
For many years, it was ruled by the House of Hohenzollern
They expanded Prussia through a very effective and well organised army
Under Frederick I, Brandenburg-Prussia became the Kingdom of Prussia (1701)
Seven Years War
Two major areas of conflict:
1) Between Britain and France & Spain, and 2) between Frederick II of Prussia and Austria, Russia, France, and Sweden.
Britain vs France and Spain : war over maritime and colonial conflict, in which the British eventually won, mostly because of their superior navy at the time
The victories allowed Britain to establish many overseas colonies (such as Quebec, Montreal, Havana, and Manila)
Prussia’s many close victories allowed Frederick to realize how vulnerable his country was and sought to reform it in many ways
Frederick William - “Great Elector”
Long wars w/ the Slavs proves Brandenburg Prussia’s power, round out, consolidate scatter possessions into a strong military state
Frederick William I (“Soldier's King”)
"the soldier's king", truly established Prussian absolutism and transformed Prussia into a military state
Frederick II (“the Great”)
Brilliant military commander who immensely expanded Prussian territory
Enlightened Despot (ism)
A form of government in the 1700s where absolute monarchs were inspired by the Enlightenment to pursue reforms (including educational, social, and legal)
Some enlightened despots include: Frederick II, Peter I, and Catherine II.
“Peopling Prussia” Policy
Land use, draining swamps, opening farmland to colonizers and increasing food supply attracting 300,000 immigrants from outside Prussia (while destroying the environment.
Prussian Academy of Science
Founded by Frederick III of Brandenburg
A French-language institution built in Germany in 1700 where many Huguenots were active, as they were escaping religious persecution in France.
First academy to teach both sciences and humanities
Poland's szlachta (nobility) held significant power, represented in the Sejm, their parliament with strict veto powers. The country maintained a predominantly Catholic stance during the Protestant Reformation. Despite being a commonwealth, Poland was labeled a 'Flawed Monarchy' due to its hereditary nobility system. Key historical figures include:
Stanislaw August Poniatowski, the last king, and Tadeusz Kościuszko, a military leader against Russian invasions.
The partitions of Poland by Austria, Prussia, and Russia led to loss of territory. Austria’s Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II were notable for their reforms. Prussia, under leaders like Frederick II, rose militarily, especially during the Seven Years War, eventually becoming a significant European power.