How did the basic structure of society in eastern Europe become different from that of western Europe in the early modern period?

How and why did the rulers of Austria, Prussia, and Russia manage to build powerful absolutist states?

3 aging empires:

A. Holy Roman Empire

B. Republic of Poland

C. Ottoman Empire

3 emerging states:

A. Austria

B. Prussia

C. Russia

never very strong Voltaire

30 Years’ War delivered final blow econ, arts, lit, science

religious disunity

central authority Holy Roman empire in 1648

emperor

elected by 9 electors, leaders of imp. German states

Habsburg position – bargain w/ electors to keep it

imperial diet

authority to raise troops & taxes lost after 30 Yrs. War

not able to become absolutist as a whole, but individual states could:

Brandenburg-Prussia (Hohenzollerns)

Austria (Habsburgs)

1806 – HRE dissolved

Brandenburg-Prussia

Austria

Kingdom of Poland + Grand Duchy of Lithuania republic = elected king + constitutional liberties weak central authority real authority = szlachta (landed aristocracy) & regional diets

Heterogeneous (diverse) pop. Catholic

1795 – end of republic: carved up by stronger, expansionistic states

Similar paths of development up to 1300:

trade, towns, pop.

expansion into frontier

opportunities for socioeconomic advancement

Diverged after 1300:

Western Europe Eastern Europe

serfdom abolished serfdom reestablished

weak lords powerful lords

urban agrarian

strong middle class weak middle class

strong states – strong central

authority

weak empires – weak central

authority

How did eastern European landlords return peasants to serfdom?

(1) made rulers issue laws restricting peasants’ movement▪ hereditary subjugation = serfdom passes on through

generations

(2) took over peasants’ land and labor obligations▪ growth of estate agriculture

How were eastern landlords able to enforce their changes to the condition of the peasantry?

Controlled local justice.

Why did serfdom reemerge in eastern Europe? economic interpretation:

14th-15th c. agricultural depression & pop.

labor shortage

landlords tie peasants to land

16th c. prosperity returns but lords finish what they started

flaw in argument: Western Europe had identical economic development but did not reinstate serfdom

Why did serfdom reemerge in eastern Europe? political interpretation: most convincing argument

Western Europe Eastern Europe

What

happened

strong monarchs =

landlords power

weak monarchs + war =

landlords power

Different

concepts of

monarchical

authority

monarch has sovereignty

and protects interests of

his people

monarch is only 1st

among equals; does not

protect interests of his

people

political interpretation (continued):

Western Europe Eastern Europe

Power of the

peasantry

stronger weaker – uprisings rarely

succeeded

Power of the

towns &

urban

classes

stronger: towns

retained greater

privileges

weaker: landlords took power

& privileges away

- lords sold directly to foreign

capitalists instead of urban

merchants

- peasants lost right of refuge

Monarchs vs. landlords successful monarchs gained power in 3 key areas:1) taxation

2) army

3) foreign policy

Habsburgs mostly in HRE,

but also outside to SE

Austrian rulers = HRE emperors

Catholic

Habsburg domains to 1795.

30 Years’ War set stage:

Habsburgs (losers) turn inward and eastward to strengthen state

events in Bohemia (Phase 1) introduce new nobility loyal to Habsburgs Habsburgs reestablish control over Bohemia

Bohemian Estates (Protestant) revolt against Habsburgs (Catholic)

Battle of White Mountain (1620) –Bohemian Estates crushed

Habsburgs take land/power from Protestant Czech nobles and give it to Catholic Czech nobles = new Bohemian nobility loyal to Habsburgs

Habsburgs reestablish control over Bohemia Protestantism

eliminated peasants exploited

even more: enforced labour - the robot

1529 & 1683 –unsuccessful Ottoman sieges on Vienna

Habsburgs acquire Hungary & Transylvania (Romania) from Ottomans

new Habsburg state = Austria, Bohemia, + Hungary

common Habsburg ruler but each state kept own laws/gov’t (Estates)

Pragmatic Sanction (1713) – Habsburg possessions are never to be divided and are to be passed to single heir

Hungary not fully integrated Hungarian nobles revolted somewhat successfully

▪ why and how: religion (Protestant Hungarians vs. Catholic Habsburgs), Hungarian nationalism, Ottoman military support

1703 revolt under Rákóczy Hungarians accept Habsburg rule & Habsburgs restore Hungarian nobility’s privileges

Ferdinand II (r. 1619-1637)

crushes Bohemian Estates & creates new loyal Bohemian nobility

Ferdinand III (r. 1637-1657)

consolidates German-speaking provinces (Austria, Styria, Tyrol)

creates permanent standing army

Charles VI (r. 1711-1740)

Pragmatic Sanction (1713)

Rákóczy’s revolt

Hohenzollerns = elector of Brandenburg & duke of Prussia

elector of Brandenburg – helps choose Holy Roman emperor

1618 – Prussia became possession of elector of Brandenburg when junior branch of Hohenzollern family died out

Hohenzollerns had little power until 30 Years’ War

elector of Brandenburg = position bestowed no real power

Brandenburg: land-locked, no natural defenses, poor land

Prussia: separated from Brandenburg, basically part of Poland

30 Years’ War weakened the Estates (rep. assemblies) allowed monarchs to take more power

Frederick William, the “Great Elector” (r. 1640-1688)

Frederick III, “the Ostentatious” (r. 1688-1713)

Frederick William I, “the Soldiers’ King” (r. 1713-1740)

strengthened central authority: unified 3 provinces: Brandenburg,

Prussia, lands along the Rhine

forced Estates to accept permanent taxation w/o their consent

created permanent standing army

factors enabling his success: foreign invasions Estates more willing to issue funds

for army

Junkers did not support the towns elector broke town liberties

weak focused on copying

Louis XIV’s style

Frederick III

Louis XIV

most influential in est. Prussian absolutism military obsessed

strengthened royal authority:

created best army in Europe

created strong, centralized bureaucracy

▪ honest and conscientious

▪ worked to develop economy

eliminated threat from nobility by enlisting Junkers in army (became officers)

almost always at peace

civil society became militarized – very rigid & disciplined

1250-1700: Russia becomes quite different from W. Europe

cause: Russia under brutal foreign rule (Mongols)

unified eastern Slavs Allowed Russian princes who demonstrated

good service/loyalty to retain some authority.

Muscovite princes served Mongols well given more power. Over time Muscovite princes territory and consolidate power.

Ivan I, “Ivan Moneybags” (r. 1328-1341) Ivan III (r. 1462-1505) Ivan IV, “Ivan the Terrible” (r. 1533-1584) Michael Romanov (r. 1613-1645) Alexis (r. 1645-1676) Peter the Great (r. 1682-1725)

stingy

made $$$ by lending $ to princes for Mongol tax collection

Mongols made him tax collector & great prince

Muscovite power consolidated –no longer recognized leadership of Mongol khan

hello Russian absolutism!

Why did this happen?1. Ivan III felt strong

2. tsars believed they had to carry on Byzantine legacy (Orthodox Xtianity ; Moscow as “Third Rome” after Constantinople)

monarchy became more powerful than nobility

boyard nobility lost power in 15th c.

service nobility – new class loyal to tsar

1st to take title of “tsar” wars of expansion

successful in the E. – took Mongol land

unsuccessful in the W. (Poland-Lithuania)

subjugated boyars – reign of terror service nobles demand more from

peasants peasants flee and form independent outlaw groups = Cossacks

urban traders & artisans bound to towns so Ivan could tax them

limited middle class (vs. W. Europe)

Theodore (r. 1584-1598)

“Time of Troubles” (1598-1613)

fighting over who would be tsar

unsuccessful Cossack rebellion led by Ivan Bolotnikov

Michael Romanov (r. 1613-1645)

elected by nobles – became new hereditary tsar

restored power of the tsar

Alexis (r. 1645-1676) 1649 – peasants enserfed

social class gap widens

split in Russian Orthodox church: Nikon wants reforms along Greek Orthodox model vs. “Old Believers” want to stick to Russian ways “Old Believers” persecuted & Russians alienated from church

1670-71 – unsuccessful Cossack rebellion led by Stenka Razin

Alexis

What were his policies? What made him “great”? Was he really great?