Central Central EuropeanEuropean

Monarchs ClashMonarchs Clash

KEY IDEA After a period of turmoil, absolute

monarchs ruled Austria and the German state of

Prussia

Central EuropeanMonarchs Clash

Germany had suffered from religious wars that ended in 1555.

As a result of the Peace of Augsburg, the rulers of each state agreed that they would decide whether their lands would be Catholic or Protestant.

  Over the next decades, though, the two sides

had tense relations. Both sides felt threatened by the rising tide of Calvinism in Germany.

Tensions Mount

The Lutherans joined together in the Protestant Union in 1608.

Feeling threatened by this new alliance, Catholic princes formed the Catholic League.

In 1618, Ferdinand II, a Catholic, was appointed the new emperor to the Holy Roman Empire, he immediately began to close some Protestant churches in Bohemia. The Protestants began to revolt- thus the Thirty Years War Begins

The Thirty Years War In 1618, the Thirty Years

War broke out.  In the first half of the

war, Catholic forces, led by Ferdinand, the Holy Roman Emperor, won.

Germany suffered, because Ferdinand paid his large army to loot towns. His huge army destroyed everything in its path.

Ferdinand II

The Course of the War Turns In1630, the Protestant king, Gustavus

Adolphus of Sweden begins to win several battles against Ferdinand. In 1632, Gustavus dies in battle.

Gustavus Adolphus entered the Thirty Years War at a time when the Catholic Church forces threatened to cross the Baltic Sea and attack Protestant Sweden. His brilliant military tactics saved Sweden and helped to preserve Protestant religion in Germany helped to preserve Protestant religion in Germany

Gustavus Adolphus entered the Thirty Years War at a time when the Catholic Church forces threatened to cross the Baltic Sea and attack Protestant Sweden. His brilliant military tactics saved Sweden and helped to preserve Protestant religion in Germany helped to preserve Protestant religion in Germany

Gustavus Adolphus

France Enters the Thirty Years War

Although France was a Catholic nation, Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin feared growing Hapsburg family power. They did not want any other European ruler to have as much power as the French king.

In 1635, Richelieu sent French troops to join the German and Swedish Protestants against the Hapsburgs. Cardinal Richelieu

The Peace of Westphalia

The Thirty Years’ War ended in 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia. This peace was brokered by Cardinal Mazarin. The war had been a disaster for Germany. About

4 million people had died, and the economy was in ruins. It took Germany two centuries to recover. This is a main reason why Germany did not unify into a single state until the late 1800s.

Consequences of the Peace of Westphalia

Hapsburg empire is weakened. Strengthened France by awarding it German

territory German princes became independent of the Holy

Roman emperor Ended religious wars in Europe Introduced a new method of peace negotiation

where peace can be established diplomatically.

European Nations Gain a Sense of Independence

The peace weakened the power of Austria and Spain and made France stronger. Because of this war, each nation of Europe was seen as having an equal right to negotiate with all the others.

This marks the beginning of the modern state system in Europe.

Central Europe Holds on to its Feudal Past

While strong states arose in Western Europe,none emerged in Eastern Europe. The economies there were less developed than in the west. 1. Most people were still peasants.

2. This region had not built an economy based in towns.

3. Nobles enjoyed great power, which kept the power of rulers in check.

Monarchs of Eastern EuropeAustria and Prussia

Even though the Thirty Years War was devastating, two important powers arose.

The Hapsburg family ruled Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia in an empire that linked many different peoples.

The Hohenzollerns ruled over Prussia.

Both families moved toward absolutism after the Thirty Years War.

Maria Theresa of Austria

Maria Theresa was a very able ruler. She devoted herself to her family. Unlike many other monarchs, Maria Theresa married for love. She gave birth to 16 children. She continued to advise her children even after they were grown. One of her most famous children was Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI of France. She often scolded Marie for spending too much money and making the French people angry.

Maria Theresa was a very able ruler. She devoted herself to her family. Unlike many other monarchs, Maria Theresa married for love. She gave birth to 16 children. She continued to advise her children even after they were grown. One of her most famous children was Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI of France. She often scolded Marie for spending too much money and making the French people angry.

As Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, Maria Theresa decreased the power of the nobility. She was very religious. She cared for the well-being of the peasants. She limited the amount of labor that the nobles could force the peasants to do.

Frederick The Great of Prussia

Frederick The Great is considered one of histories greatest military leaders. He also earned the reputation as an enlightened monarch, supporting education, religious tolerance and the rule of law.

Frederick The Great

In public, Frederick always wore a military uniform. A lapse in military discipline might instantly trigger his violent temper. On one occasion, he personally punished a soldier who was missing a button on his coat. He beat him savagely with his walking stick.

He had an unusual admiration of tall soldiers and regarded them as superior. He sent out scouts all over Europe to entice, buy or kidnap the tallest soldiers for service in the Prussian army

Personal Profile: Frederick The Great

The War of Austrian Succession-Silesia

In 1740, Frederick the Great of Prussia invaded one of Maria Theresa’s lands. He wanted the Austrian land of Silesia. He believed that because Marie Theresa was a woman, she would be too weak to defend her lands. The queen fought hard to keep the territory, but ultimately, Frederick seized control of her Silesia.

Silesia Throughout HistorySilesia has long been a pawn in central Europe conflicts. Originally it was a Polish province, it them passed to Bohemia, then to Austria, then to Prussia. Germany occupied the region during World War II. Later, Silesia was returned to Poland.

Maria Theresa of Austria

Maria Theresa, Queen of Austria, managed to increase her power and cut that of the nobles.

She was opposed by the kings of Prussia, a new state in northern Germany. Those kings built a strong state with much power given to the large, well-trained army.

Still, in fighting this War of the Austrian Succession, she managed to keep the rest of her empire intact.

The Seven Years War:1756-1763 Allegiances Switch

The two sides fought again beginning in 1756. In this Seven Years’ War, Austria abandoned

Britain, its old ally, for France and Russia. Prussia joined with Britain. The Prussians and British won.

This war was fought in Europe, India and North America. While the war did not change the territorial situation in Europe, Great Britain gained complete control over the overseas colonies of France.

The Seven Years War is Fought in the Americas

In North America, the Seven Years War was called the French and Indian War. As a result of this war, the British took over the French holdings in the Americas. Today, the French have a large French-speaking population, many of them still believe that they should be independent from Canada. Quebec separation is still an issue today.