The Rise Of Austria and Prussia

By Zuri Marley

The Thirty Years’ War took a terrible toll on the people of the German states. Finally, two great German-speaking powers, Austria and Prussia, rose out of the ashes. Like Louis XIV in France, their rulers perfected skills as absolute monarchs.

The Thirty Years War Ravages Europe

The French Philosopher Voltaire observed that the Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy, Nor Roman.

By the seventeenth century The Holy Roman Empire had become a patchwork of several hundred small small, separate states.

The states were ruled by the Holy Roman emperor who would be chosen by electors.

Electors: Seven leading Germanic princes that chose the Holy Roman emperor.

War Ravages Europe Continued

The emperor had very little power compared to the rival princes. This power vacuum contributed to the outbreak of the Thirty Year War.

What was the Thirty Year War ?A series of wars in central Europe beginning in 1618 that

stemmed from conflict between Protestants and Catholics and political struggles between the Holy Roman Empire and other powers.

The Thirty Years’ War

A Brutal War Begins The war began in Bohemia (Present Day Czech Republic)The Catholic Hapsburg King of Bohemia, Ferdinand sought to

suppress Protestants and to assert royal power over nobles. The war was sparked up when two protestant noblemen

through two catholic officials our of the palace window in Prague. (This was later known as the Defenestration of Prague)

The Defenestration of Prague turned a widespread revolt and then a full on European war.

Europe After The Years’ War (1648)

Monarchs

Ferdinand is Elected Emperor

With the support of Spain, Poland, and other Catholic states, Ferdinand tried to roll back the reformation by force.

Early stages of war: Bohemians defeated and protestant allies. As an effect of this Netherlands sent troops into Germany. Eventually religious issues were put aside and political motives weighed

out the conflicts. Both Catholic and Protestant rulers shifted alliances to suit their own

interests. For example Catholic France joined Lutheran Sweden against the Catholic

Hapsburgs. Foes with a common enemy are friends. The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.

A Terrible Loss Of Life

Roving armies of mercenaries (soldiers) burned villages, destroyed crops, and killed without mercy.

The murder and torture was followed by famine and disease.

The war lead to depopulation. Historians estimate that as many as

one third of the people in the German states may have died as a result of the war.

Peace at Last 1684 : The exhausted soldiers accepted a

series of treaties, called Peace of Westphalia.

The treaties aspired both powers to bring about a general European peace and other international problems.

Amongst the combats France emerged as a clear winner, They gained both Spanish and German territories.

Peace At LastContinued

The Hapsburg were not fortunate for they had to accept the total independence of all the princes of the HRE (Holy Roman Empire)

The Netherlands and Swiss federation (Switzerland) won recognition as independent states.

The Thirty Years' War left German lands divided into more than 360 states. "one for every day of the year” Each state had its own government, currency, church, armed forces and foreign policy, while still acknowledging the rule of the HRE.

The German states had the potential to be the most powerful nation in Europe if they had been unified. They remained separated for another 223 years.

A Woman Emperor Takes the Throne

Emperor Charles VI of Hapsburg Austria had no male heir and persuaded other European rulers to accept his daughter as his successor.

No woman had ever ruled Hapsburg lands.

Charles’s daughter Maria Theresa was intelligent and capable and succeeded to the throne

Maria Theresa 1717-1780 Hapsburg empress at age 23 She appointed superb advisors and was able to maintain

control of her empire. During her 40 year reign, Vienna became the center of

music and arts. Maria Theresa had one thing in common with most

women of her time-being a mother. She gave birth to a total of 16 children, 11 girls and 5

boys. For example: Joseph II, Leopold II, and Queen Marie

Antoinette of France.

The War of Austrian Succession

Frederick II of Prussia seized the Hapsburg province of Silesia.

Maria Theresa appealed for military help from the Hungarians who were ordinarily unfriendly to the Hapsburg

She also got help from Britain and Russia Though she never forced Frederick out of Silesia she won

the support of most of her people She reorganized the bureaucracy and improved tax

collection She forced nobles and clergy to pay taxes and eased taxes

on peasants

Hohenzollern PrussiaTo each his own

Prussia emerged as a new Protestant power The Hohenzollern family united their

scattered holding across north Germany to create Prussia.

In the century following the Peace of Westphalia, ambitious Hohenzollern rulers united their holdings to create Prussia.

Prussia does not exist today.

Creating a Bureaucracy

Hohenzollerns rule set up an efficient bureaucracy Coming to power in 1713 Frederick William I

increased his control by giving nobles positions in the army and government and gaining their loyalty

Frederick placed great emphasis on military values and made one of the best trained armies in Europe

He gained the loyalty of the Prussian nobles called Junkers by giving them positions in the government and army.

A Crown Prince Learns the Art of War

Frederick William I made sure his son understood the art of war

Frederick II preferred playing the flute and writing poetry and he tried to leave the country to escape his father’s harsh treatment

At 18 Frederick II was forced by his father to watch the beheading of a friend

Frederick II later earned the name Frederick the Great, his harsh training had an effect because he used his disciplined army in several wars helping Prussia to be a great power.

The Rivalry of Great Powers

By 1750, Great European powers included Austria, Prussia, France, Britain, and Russia.

These nations formed various alliances to maintain balance of power.

There were two basic rivalries: Prussia battled Austria for control of the German states. Britain and France competed to develop the overseas empires.

Rivalries sometimes resulted in worldwide conflict.

The Second years war lasted from 1756 until 1763.

Prussia, Austria, Russia, France, and Britain battled in Europe, Britain and France also fought in Africa and India.

In North America this conflict is known as the French and Indian War, Native Americans chose between British or French.

Britain was a huge empire, and changed Europe's balance of power for the next hundred years.

Conclusion Austria and Prussia produced strong leaders, some

which fall under the Great Person theory. These empires show trends that many other empires have shown, for example female leader Maria Theresa.

Also conflicts over religion which occurred in many of the growing empire during the development of the modern world.

The empire also shows how rival states can become allies and vice versa, it was about control and power.

This section refers to other important events in history, and were happening at the same time.

For example: Peace of Westphalia

French and Indian War