5.3: France, Austria, Prussia & Russia

Bellringer• Bellringer

– If you became an absolute ruler of your own country, what would be the first 3 policies you would enact? (Please take this seriously, and keep it school appropriate)

• Agenda– Bellringer– PP Lecture with

Guided Notes– Group video

projects– 5.1.1, 5.1.2, 5.1

quiz

Louis XIII

• Henry IV assassinated– 9 years old son

Louis XIII inherited throne.

• Young Louis XIII appointed Cardinal Armand Richelieu as his chief minister and ruled with his help.

Richelieu

• Richelieu wanted to destroy the power of Huguenots and nobles so he:– Smashed the Huguenots cities,

outlawed their armies, took away political and military rights BUT he allowed them to practice their own religion

– Defeated the private nobles armies and destroyed their castles BUT he tied nobles to the king by giving them high posts at court or in royal army

Richelieu’s Main Goals

• Further strengthen the power of the central government (extending royal power)

• Sought to destroy the Huguenots and the nobles, two groups that did not bow to royal authority

• Handpicked his successor, Cardinal Mazarin

Louis XIV

• Son of Louis XIII• Inherited throne at age 5• Believed in his divine right to rule• Took the sun as the symbol of his

absolute power: – Just as the sun stands at the center

of the solar system, so the Sun King stands at the center of the nation

Louis XIV & Marazin• Reign of Louis XIV:

1. Ruled with Marazin´s help2. Disorder again swept France– After Marazin died

Louis took the government under his complete control.

– Claimed “I Am The State.”

Policies of Louis XIV

• Never called a meeting of the The Estates General– The medieval council made up of

representatives of all French social classes

– Had been established to check royal power

Policies of Louis XIV

• Appointed intendants (royal officials from the middle class who collected taxes, recruited soldiers, and carried out Louis’ policies throughout France)

• Why the middle class?a.Cemented Louis’ ties with the

middle classb. Checked the power of nobles

and Church

Policies of Louis XIV

• Under Louis XIV, the French army became the strongest in Europe–Army was used to enforce his policies at home and abroad

• Think-Pair-Share–Do world powers still do this today?

Jean Colbert

• Louis’ finance minister, Jean Baptiste Colbert followed mercantilist policies, helping make France the wealthiest state in Europe. – a. New lands cleared for farming,

encouraged mining and other basic industries, and built up luxury trades

– b. Imposed high taxes on imported goods to protect French manufacturers

Versailles• One of the most

magnificent buildings in Europe

• Symbol of the “Sun King’s” wealth and power

• Could house up to 10,000 people

• Served as the Louis XIV’s home and the seat of the government

Think-Pair-Share• Can you think of any modern examples of people in power living in large, extravagant homes?

Louis XIV’s Accomplishments

• Strengthened royal power, the army, the economy, the arts, and learning– Made France the leading power in

Europe militarily, politically, culturally• Prevented disagreements from

within by keeping the nobles busy in the king’s court instead of battling for power

• Versailles became a symbol of royal power and wealth

Weakening France’s Economy• Waged war to expand France’s

borders which drained his treasury – Other European nations wanted to

maintain the balance of power = a distribution of military and economic power among European nations to prevent any one country from dominating the region

• Expelled Huguenots whom he saw as a threat to religious and political unity,– Huguenots were some of Louis’ most

productive subjects• Effectively bankrupted the nation

Think-Pair-Share• Do you think Louis XIV was a good ruler? Why or why not?

Austria & Prussia• Struggle between Protestant North

and Catholic South in (modern day) Germany triggered the Thirty Years’ War– War led to severe depopulation (roughly

1/3 of the people in the German states died)

• Finally exhausted, combatants accepted treaties like the Peace of Westphalia. – Germany was divided into more than 360

separate, semi-independent states– Each still recognized the Holy Roman

emperor but had their own government, money, church, army, and foreign policy

Hapsburg Austria

• Though weakened by war, the Hapsburg family that controlled Holy Roman Empire and Spain wanted to create a strong, united state.

• Focused attention on expanding their own lands – Added Bohemia (modern day Czech

Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Southeast Europe [Sovenia, Croatia] to Austria)

Maria Theresa

• When Hapsburg emperor Charles VI died, many did not recognize his daughter, Maria Theresa’s right to rule.– No woman had ruled Hapsburg

lands in her own name– Difficult to unite these diverse

lands.• Frederick II of Prussia seized the

Hapsburg province of Silesia, which sparked the 8-year War of the Austrian Succession

Maria Theresa• Maria Theresa appealed

to Hungarian assembly for help .

• Despite resistance, she was able to preserve her empire with support from Britain and Russia, (Britain and Russia didn’t want Prussia to upset the balance of power)

• She strengthened Hapsburg power by reorganizing the bureaucracy and improving tax collection.

• Forced nobles to pay taxes, easing the tax burden on peasants.

• Formed strong Catholic state.

Think-Pair-Share• Do you think Maria Theresa would face similar challenges to her authority if she ruled today?

Prussia• While Austria

was molding a strong Catholic state, a region called Prussia emerged as a new Protestant power

• The Hohenzollern rulers set up an efficient central bureaucracy

• Became one of the great powers of Europe

Frederick William I

• Frederick William I gained the loyalty of Prussian nobles by giving them positions in the government and army, which reduced their independence and increased his own control

• He also created one of the best-trained armies in Europe (40,000 strong)

•Maintained his power by setting up and controlling the General War Commissariat (which controlled the government)

•Gave official positions to noblemen of power (known as junkers).

•Frederick William made sure that from a young age, his son Frederick was trained in the art of war. Frederick is going to be the first king of Prussia.

Russia• Russia is a divided land

-Small domains of control in a huge country.

• By the 1400’s Ivan Vasilyevich becomes supreme ruler of Russia and calls himself “czar” or Caesar of Russia.

Russia

• Ivan is ruthless in taking power

-Destroyed the Russian nobles known as orboyars.

• Was so absolute and controlling that he got the nickname Ivan the Terrible.

Russia• When Ivan died, Russia went into a

period called “Time of troubles”– Untouched by Renaissance and European

reformations– Completely isolated

• The national assembly (Congress) of Russia (known as the zemsky sobor) chose a man named Michael Romanov as the new czar.

• The “Romanov Dynasty” will last over 300 years.

Not until 1682 did a czar emerge who was strong enough to regain order and maintain absolute power of earlier czars.

Peter Mikhailov (Peter the Great) was that czar who pushed Russia to become a great modern power.

Peter The Great

• The most dominant figure in the Russian history

• He learned from European cultures and was inspired by them to completely reform Russia.

• Traveled around Europe examining the way modern government, technology, the military, and culture were managed in Western Europe.

• Wanted to catch Russia up to them.

Peter The Great• Embarked on a policy of westernization, or

adoption of western ideas, technology, and culture– Had difficulty convincing Russians to change their

way of life. • To impose his will, he became the most

autocratic of Europe’s monarchs– Tortured and killed those who challenged him.

• Also strengthened the military to 210,000 soldiers- requiring 25 year enlistments

• He expanded Russian borders, including wars with Sweden to get an “ice free” port (St. Petersburg)

• Brought Russian Orthodox Church under his control,

• Expanded serfdom (like feudalism/slavery). – Used serfs to serve the state (work on government

projects like building roads, canals, etc.)• Enforced mercantilist policies and expanded

trade.

St. Petersburg• Built new capital city at St. Petersburg.

Called it a “window on the West.” • Just as Versailles was a monument to French

absolutism, St. Petersburg became symbolic of Russian absolutism as well as a symbol of modern Russia.

Russian Absolutism• Absolute power of the czars

was inherited• Cruel, almost tyrannical reign

(coined the term “police state” as something positive because it meant safety and stability and peace) of Peter was necessary in order to tame turmoil and prevent upheaval of power in Russia

Think-Pair-Share• Are there any similarities between how Russia was run under Peter the Great and how it’s run today?