Enlightened

Despotism

What is Enlightened Despotism?

a form of absolutism (or despotism) in which rulers were influenced by the Enlightenment & applied its concepts to their territories

Philosophe’s Influence

• sought to redirect monarch’s power toward:o rationalization of economic & political

structures o liberation of thought

Physiocrats’ Influence

• Economists of the Enl.• In France, urged:

oDeregulation of grain tradeoMore equitable taxes

• In general:– Pro free market– Anti guild

Adam Smith

• Scottish physiocrat• Wealth of Nations• Encouraged “laissez-

faire” (hands off)• Invisible hand of the

free market (supply & demand)

Enlightened Despots

• Tended to allow: o religious tolerationo freedom of speech and the presso the right to hold private property

• Most fostered the arts, sciences, and education

• Greater attn to merit & hard work in bureaucracy

Not So Enlightened Despot

Louis XV

• r. 1715-1774• Great-grandson of Louis

XIV• Cardinal Fleury (chief

minister) • Relatively ineffective

king• Drove France into

deeper debt

Attempts at Enlightenment

• Parlements– Replaced w/ courts where judges could

not own, sell, or inherit office– Portrayed Louis XV as tyrant

• Economics– Gave up price controls on grain (1763) to

open France to a free market– Reversed in 1770 (grain shortage

famine)

Louis XVI

• r. 1774-1791• Restored old

parlements• Jacques Turgot =

chief financial minister, physiocrat

Turgot’s Reforms

• Edicts that: o Freed grain tradeo Suppressed guildsoConverted peasants’ forced labor on

roads into a money tax payable by all land owners

oReduced court expenses

Turgot’s Reforms (cont.)

• Tried to introduce elected local assemblies to make gov’t more representative

• Strongly resisted by nobles & parlement

• Riots re: rising grain prices

Enlightened Despots

Frederick the Great King of Prussia

not the mall…

Frederick II of Prussia

• r. 1740-1786 • AKA Frederick the

Great• Self-described “first

servant of the people”

Economic Policies

• Silesia = manufacturing district• State-initiated agricultural

improvements:o Created more farmland (drained swamps)o New crops: potatoes & turnipso Established the Land-Mortgage Credit

Assoc.ohelped landowners raise $$ for ag.

improvements

However…

• Peasants still burdened by disproportionate taxes

Non-Economic Policies

• Religious Tolerationo Catholics & Jews allowed to settle in

predominately Lutheran territoryo Protected Catholics in Silesiao State benefited from the economic

contributions of more workers

Non-Econ. Policies (cont.)

• Rationalization of Legal Systemo Efficiencyo Unified regional law to match state

law (more central authority)o Decreased nobility’s influence

• Abolished torture

Education Reform

• School Code of 1763oAll kids 5-13 must go to school

Expansion• 1st Partition of Poland (1772)

o Split 1/3 of Poland-Lithuania’s territory & ½ its people among Prussia, Russia & Austria

oWhy? “growing religious tensions” in Poland

Joseph IIKing of Austria

Joseph II of Austria

• r. 1780-1790• Co-ruled

w/mom, Maria-Theresa from 1765 until her death in 1780

• HRE 1765-1790

Joseph II

• impersonal & humorless

• wanted to improve life for his people

Centralization of Authority

• Austria very diverse• Maria-Theresa began some Enl.

policies such as:o More efficient tax system

oclergy & nobility taxed

o Brought educational institutions to the service of the crown

Maria-Theresa (cont.)

• Expanded primary educationo 1774 – General School Ordinance =

state subsidies for schoolsoBy 1789 – ¼ of kids in school

Maria-Theresa (cont.)

• Limited the amount of labor that landowners could demand from peasants

• Goal = to create a pool from which to draw military recruits

Joseph II’s Reforms

• Wanted to o extend his borderso exert his authority over areas his

mother chose to stay out (irrational to have more than 1 leader)

Joe’s Reforms (cont.)

• Tried to est. German as sole language of the empire (irrational not to all speak the same language)

• Didn’t work out, and eventually had to rescind these orders

Joseph & the Church

• Favored tolerationo October 1781 - Toleration Decreeo Lutherans, Calvinists, & Greek Orthodox

permitted to:oHave own places of worshipoSponsor schoolsoEnter skilled tradesoHold academic appointmentsoHold positions in public service

Joseph & Church (cont.)

o Jews:oRelieved of certain taxes & signs of

personal degradationoGranted the right to private worshipoStill did not have equality with other

subjects

More Joseph & Church

• Sought to bring institutions of the Roman Catholic Church under his control (“Josephinism”)oForbade local bishops to communicate

with the PopeoDisbanded JesuitsoDissolved over 600 monasteries & took

their land (exception: schools & hospitals)

Even More Joseph & the Church

o Dissolved est. R-C Seminaries (too much focus on Pope, not enough on parishners) & replaced with 8 seminaries focused on parish duties

o Funded w/ $$ from confiscated monasteries

o R-C priests = employees of the state

Joseph’s Economic Reforms

• Abolished internal tariffs• Encouraged building of new roads• Improved river transportation• Personally inspected farms &

manufacturing districts

Economic Reforms (cont.)

• Created laws to limit authority of landowners over peasantso Abolished serfdomo Granted peasants many personal

freedoms such as the right to: oMarryoEngage in skilled work

o Goal = reduce burdens on peasants

The BIG Economic Reform…

• Land Taxation (GASP!!)o All landowners pay taxeso Peasants no longer had to bear

burden of taxes alone

• Died shortly after this decree & it was never implemented (his brother Leopold was forced to repeal it…)

Catherine the GreatEmpress of Russia

Catherine The Great

• r. 1762-1796• Germanic Princess & wife/widow of

Peter III• Approved (& possibly aided in) the

assassination of her husbando Gregory Orlov, her lover, organized

the coup that murdered Peter III

Catherine the Great

• Enl. ideas convinced her that Russia was backward

• Brought West to Russiao Ex.: Diderot - paid him & offered to

publish his Encyclopédia in Russia when it was banned by French Gov’t

1767 Legislative Commission

• 564 Delegates from all walks of life• Goal = suggest legal reforms

(guided by Enlightenment ideals of Montesquieu & Beccaria)

• Result = nothing, but Catherine got a good feel for her country’s problems

Pugachev Rebellion

• 1771-1775• Most violent peasant uprising in

Russian history• 1773-1774 - serfs and Cossacks

killed 1500 nobles and clergy• This rebellion limited the amount

of reforms geared toward them

CTG’s Legislative Reforms

• Power to nobilityo Had power to oust her, so she made

friends with them

• “Charter of Nobility”o Gave nobles complete control over

serfso Local offices given to local nobles (not

royal offices, though)

CTG’s Economic Reforms

• Cont. PTG’s mercantile ideas• Expansion of the small Russian

urban middle class (vital for trade)• Close tie to philosophes

CTG’s Territorial Reforms

• Cont. drive for warm water ports (fought Ottoman Empire)

• 1774 Treaty of Kuchuck-Kainardji - gave Russia a direct outlet on the Black Sea

• 1st Partition of Poland • 2nd Partition of Poland (1793)

CTG’s Social Reforms

• Created hospitals & orphanages• Limited religious toleration• Slight restriction of the use of

torture by the government