Ch. 17: Absolutism in Eastern Europe – Flashcards
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What were some of the differences between Eastern absolutism and Western absolutism?
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West: strong middle class, limited nobility, peasantry not serfs, built on well-developed medieval monarchy + strong royal bureaucracy East: weak middle class, strong nobility, peasantry = serfs
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What were the conditions of the serfs like?
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-limited/no freedom of movement -little/no pay -more land confiscated -tied to lords -heavy labor -forced laborers
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Serfdom
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system used by nobles and rulers where peasants were bound first to the land they worked and then, by degrading obligations to the lords they served
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What political factors influenced the rise of serfdom in the east and decline in the west?
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-more political power in east than west -evil landlords -peasant political power weak -monarchs almost equal to nobles -lords' power increased during wars
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In what 3 areas did monarchs of east Europe gradually gain/monopolize political power?
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1. tax without consent 2. permanent standing armies 3. relations with other states freely
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What effect did the Thirty Years War have on the Habsburgs of Austria?
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1. drained a lot of their money/resources 2. authority of the emperor declined/almost vanished 3. made Habsburgs turn inward and eastward to fuse holdings into a unified state
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What 2 holdings did they turn to?
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Bohemia and the Czechs
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Why/What did the Bohemian nobility owe to the Habsburgs?
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Ferdinand II reduced power of the Bohemian Estates; most was from recent foreign origin; owed "everything"
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What effect did the Bohemian nobility have on the Habsburgs?
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helped est. a strong direct rule over reconquered Bohemia
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What were some of the policies of the Ottoman Turks?
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-everything owned by sultan (ruler) -no private landed property -everyone dependent on sultan -slave tax -need constant expansion in order to keep functioning -convert to Islam
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Why did the Turks' system begin to crumble after 1570?
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westward expansion stopped
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Who did the Ottoman Empire ally with against the Christian Empire?
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Louis XIV
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Who won in the war between Austria and the Turks?
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Austria; strengthened Habsburg army and promoted unity
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What were the 3 territories of the Habsburg state?
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1. Austria 2. Bohemia 3. Hungary
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Pragmatic Sanction
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proclaimed by Charles VI in 1713 that stated Habsburg possessions never to be divided and always passed intact to a single heir
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How did the Hungarian nobility prevent the full development of Habsburg absolutism?
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-revolted against Vienna's attempts to rule -Protestant = would not re-Catholicize -allied with Turkey -War of Spanish Succession: Prince Francis Rakoczy led Hungarian rebellion >Charles VI restored traditional privileges of Hungarian aristocracy in return for Hungarian acceptance of hereditary Habsburg rule
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Hohenzollern family
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-largest landowners in a landlord society -became imperial electors of Brandenburg when the dukes of Prussia had little power -"Hohenzollern Absolutism"
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Frederick William
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-the "Great Elector" -moved towards absolutism -came to power in 1640 -determined to unify 3 provinces (Brandenburg, Prussia, areas around Rhine) -est. permanent standing army and taxation -reduced power of the Estates because of his financial independence and force -revenue tripled -died in 1688
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Frederick III
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"the Ostentatious"; focused on imitating style of Louis XIV -only accomplishment was to be crowned King Frederick I in 1701 as reward for aiding HRE during War of SS
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Frederick William I
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-"the Soldier's king" -Hohenzollern family -best army in Europe -est. Prussian absolutism -concept of struggle for power -believed welfare of king and state depended on strength of army -conflict of power with the Junkers > tried to destroy them, but just enlisted them in the army; in command of peasantry = :) -result:civil society rigid and highly disciplined
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Junkers
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Estates of Brandenburg and Prussia dominated by the nobility and landowning class
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Describe the Mongol army.
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savage, large, ruled eastern Slaves, led by Khan
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Alexander Nevsky
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became skillful in serving Mongols -tax collector, put down uprisings -in return, emerged as hereditary great prince -began reign of Ivans
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Ivan I
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"Ivan the Moneybag" -built up large personal fortune to buy land, loan money, and increase influence
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What 2 developments reinforced the Muscovite idea of absolutist authority?
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1. Ivan III stopped acknowledging khan as supreme ruler 2. Fall of Constantinople to Turks (1453) > tsars saw themselves as the only rightful/holy rulers
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Tsar
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prince of Moscow
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Ivan III
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-conquered principality of Novgorod (1480s) -nobility held property on the condition that they serve his army
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Ivan IV
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"Ivan the Terrible" -rise of new service nobility -expanded Russia -responded to Cossacks by tying peasants to land -urban traders/artisans bound to towns + jobs = tsar could tax them more heavily -all responsible to tsar
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Cossacks
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free groups/outlaw armies that peasants formed as a result of Ivan IV's suppression of them
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Time of Troubles
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refers to the confused/chaotic period of time between the death of Ivan IV and the crowning of Michael Romanov as new tsar
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Michael Romanov
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new "true tsar" -nice to nobles, harsh to peasants = mass upheaval/protest
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Why was the Russian Orthodox church split?
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Nikon wanted to model Russian church after Greek orthodox; peasants resisted -resulted in Russian masses alienating from est. church
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Nikon
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purist who wanted to model the "corrupted" Russian practice after the Greek Orthodox model
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Stenka Razin
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led peasant Cossack revolts
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Peter the Great
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new tsar after Romanov in 1689; many reforms, the greatest being the army
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What were characteristics of the Russian army PRIOR to Peter the Great's reforms?
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-made up of service nobility, boyars -lagged in technology -very expensive
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In what ways did Peter the Great reform Russia?
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ARMY -all noblemen required to serve army for life -education: schools, universities to create skilled technicians/experts -military-civilian bureaucracy: 14 ranks -invited talented foreigners
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Great Northern War in Sweden (1700-21)
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major Russian victory *largest in history -marked Russia as a great European power & dominance of the Baltic sea
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What were some of the consequences of royal absolutism in eastern Europe?
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-nobles served rulers in new ways -armies improved (larger, more pro) -taxes ^ -baroque culture, art, literature, music -rulers inspired by Louis XIV to glorify themselves through art
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What did palaces symbolize in east Europe?
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age of absolutist power; meant to awe people and display monarch's strength
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Schonbrunn Palace
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enormous Viennese Versailles done by Emperor Leopold
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Karlsruhe
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capital city of small German principality that was remodeled
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St. Petersburg
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-originally a small Swedish fort on the Neva River -Peter the Great had it transformed into the new capital of Russia -men required to aid in construction and money
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What were the 3 political goals of Peter the Great when building St. Petersburg?
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1. make it "modern" 2. all buildings follow the architectural regulations 3. each class assigned to certain sect of the city
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Bartolomeo Rastrelli
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architect of Elizabeth (daughter of Peter) who built the Winter Palace
