Struggles Among the German States

Chapter 19:iv

Seven leading German princes, called electors,

chose a new Holy Roman emperor

whenever an emperor died.

From the 1400s on, the electors always chose a Habsburg as

Holy Roman emperor.

In reality, the Holy Roman emperor had

little practical control over the rulers of these

small, independent

states.

There was constant friction

between the German

princes and the Holy Roman

emperor.

The Peace of Augsburg allowed German princes to choose whether

their lands would be Roman Catholic or Lutheran.

Holy Roman Emperor

Ferdinand II worked hard to restore Roman Catholicism to the realms he

ruled.

The Thirty Years’ War began when hot-headed Czech nobles threw two of Ferdinand II’s officials out of an

open window onto a dung heap.

Cardinal Richelieu of

France supported the German Lutherans in

order to prevent the Habsburg dynasty from becoming too

powerful.

Famine and plague broke

out in the German states after invading armies looted and burned

towns.

A typical musketeer

and pikeman of the Thirty Years’ War.

BANG!

Gustavus Adolphus

• King of Sweden 1611-32• known for his military prowess

Swedish Tercio of the 1630's

The Swedish were among the first to employ more musketeers than

pikemen in their formations.

Peace of Westphalia1648

1. ended Habsburg dream of a strong central gov’t

2. independence of ~300 small German states was recognized

3. acknowledged territorial and political changes of the previous 50 years

Rise of Prussia

The Hohenzollerns family had ruled Brandenburg

since the 1400s.

Frederick William, the

Great Elector, established

strong rule over Brandenburg-

Prussia by building a

strong army.

“A ruler is treated with no consideration if he does not have troops and means of his own.”

-Frederick William,the Great Elector

German nobles known as Junkers succeeded in resisting Frederick William’s attempts to tax them.

King Frederick William I(1688-1740)

Reorganized the Prussian army:• doubled its size to 80,000 men• recruited and trained members

of the Junker class as officers• drafted peasants to serve as

soldiers• men swore loyalty to the king

Prussia became

known as the Sparta

of the North under

Frederick William I.

Frederick II seemed an unlikely

successor to Frederick William I

because he loved to read

books and play the flute.

Frederick II continued his

father Frederick I’s program of

strengthening the Prussian

army.

Berlin became the Athens of the north, under Frederick the

Great.

Prussia During the Enligntenment

• No seaports.

• Poor mineral resources.

• Very strong military. Third largest army in Europe.

Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI

• no male heir to inherit throne

• feared the German princes and nobles would not recognize his daughter Maria Theresa as ruler of Austria

Pragmatic Sanction

• guaranteed Hapsburg

lands would not be

divided

• recognized Maria

Theresa’s right to the

Austrian throne

Maria Theresa(1717-80)

• became queen of Austria at age 23 -a challenge to her right to rule resulted in The War of the Austrian Succession

• a capable and decisive ruler

The War of the Austrian Succession

this war included:

•King George's War in North America

•War of Jenkins' Ear (which formally began on 23 October 1739)

•First Carnatic War in India

•First and Second Silesian Wars

Maria Theresa successfully defended her right to the Austrian

crown with the help of Hungarian nobility.

Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle

• ended the War of

Austrian Succession

• required all combatants

to return to pre-war

borders

Frederick the Great benefited from the War

of the Austrian Succession because the peace treaty

allowed him to keep Silesia.

Battle of Leignitz

West Prussia in 1648

West Prussia in 1789

Seven Years War(1756-63)

• was fought on three continents (Europe, North America, and Asia)

• was called the French and Indian War in North America

Peace of Paris

• Great Britain acquired

New France

• Spain acquired Louisiana

• France recovered trading

stations in India

The Partition of Poland• Causes:

• 1: Chaotic political structure.

• 2: Weak king.

• 3: Divided nobles.Poland taken by Austria, Hungary, & Russia.