Central and Eastern Europe

Central and Eastern Europe Central and Eastern Europe By Pierce Barnett and Jacek Cencek By Pierce Barnett and Jacek Cencek

Central and Eastern Europe • Successful and Unsuccessful Paths to Power (1686-1740) • Deals with Sweden, Ottoman Empire, Poland, Habsburg Empire, and Prussia.

Sweden: Gustavus Adolphus II • Gustavus Adolphus II (r. 1611-1632) established control of the Baltic from the Russians and controlled one of the largest armies in Europe. • However, their economy was based off of iron exports, which was not enough to stay strong. • Rising tensions with Russia over the Baltic Sea made the people uneasy.

Sweden: Charles XII • Charles XII ruled from 1697 to 1718. • He was known as a very headstrong leader, and some thought he might have been insane. • In 1700, Russia tried to take control of the Baltic Sea for a warm water port. This became known as the Great Northern War, which raged until 1721.

The Decline of Sweden • After the death of Charles XII, Sweden lacked a strong central monarchy. The nobles argued amongst themselves, and the country had little role in Europe after this.

The Ottoman Empire - Religion and Politics • The government and majority of the people in the Ottoman Empire followed Islam, but religious toleration was granted to others. However, non-Muslims were called zimmis. They did not have full rights and could not serve the country. • Little to no interaction/integration between different religious groups. People were grouped by religion, forming units called millets.

Rise and Decline • The Ottoman Empire had been expanding into Europe from the south-east for many years. It reached its highest level of expansion in 1683, when it tried to take over Vienna, but the siege ultimately failed. • After this failed battle, the Ottoman Empire began to decline. There was too much rivalry for power between nobles, political groups, and military leaders. Each of these groups worked for their own benefit instead of the empire's, so the country weakened. • After the 17th century, the European neighbors of the Ottoman Empire began taking it apart, but it still existed until the end of World War I in 1918.

Poland • The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the largest state in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. • Peaked in power during the early 17th century • Was declining after that for several reasons: there was a distrust among the nobles and they failed to elect a strong leader. There was also an absence of strong central authority. • An exception was King John III Sobieski (1674 - 1696), who led a Polish army in 1683 to rescue Vienna from the Turkish assault.

• Throughout the 1700s, the political problems in Poland persisted. • Polish nobles, due to their distrust of each other, often kicked each other out in an action called a liberum veto. • It was nearly impossible to raise taxes because the country did not feel unified and punishment for tax evaders was impossible due to differing opinions. • By 1795, Poland had been completely taken over due to lack of political unity.

The Habsburg Empire and the Pragmatic Sanction • After the Thirty Years' War, Austrian Habsburgs lost a lot of power, along with Spain. Their goals of conquerng Germany and making it Catholic both failed. • The Habsburgs, along with the rest of the Holy Roman Empire, tried to reorganize from within to regain control. However, they ended up like Poland - without political control in Austrian Habsburgs.

Consolidation of Austrian Power • The first attempt to gain control was to restore the hereditary crown - the Crown of Saint Wenceslas. • The Crown encompassed Bohemia (Czech and Slovakia), duchies of Moravia and Silesia, and the Crown of Saint Stephen - Hungary, Croatia, and Transylvania. • In the early 1700s, the Crown extended to the (then Spanish) Netherlands, Lombardy and Naples (both Italy). • Expansion was difficult - the King had to cooperate with all the local parliaments in foreign countries, making foreign affairs difficult. This was especially problematic for their rule in Hungary due to their difference in religion and culture.

• King Leopold I fought against the Turks and Louis XIV and achieved sovereignty from the Ottoman Empire. He suppressed rebels effectively in Magyar (a very heated part of Hungary) and took the Balkan Peninsula and western Romania. • The new land in the east helped gain power for a German campaign. A Mediterranean port was established in Trieste (Romania), booming the economy. The extension of land compensated for the fact that the Ottomans could not gain land westward from the Holy Roman Empire. • Leopold was succeeded by Joseph I in 1705. He continued Leopold's policies.

The Habsburg Dynastic Problem • When Joseph I's successor, Charles VI, failed to have a male heir, he was worried that his empire would fall to foreigners. • He got approval from family and allies to have his daughter, Maria Theresa, as queen in a document called the Pragmatic Sanction. • His nobles consented and saw Maria as the rightful heir, but foreign countries felt that they would be weaker with a female ruler, namely Frederick II of Prussia.

The Hohenzollern Family • Ruled the German territory of Brandenburg since 1417 • Acquired other German territories throughout the 1600s, such as the duchy of Cleves, East Prussia, and Pomerania • The territories made up a considerable size but they were scattered and weak • Territories were also subject to foreign aggression

Rise of Hohenzollern Power Several rulers developed the power of the Hohenzollern family in the German territories: • Frederick William, The Great Elector (1640-1688) • Frederick I, King of Prussia (1688-1713) • Frederick William I of Prussia (1713-1740) • Frederick II (the "Great") (1740-1786) The army became the most important aspect of Prussia.

Frederick William, the Great Elector (1640-1688) • Started organizing the scattered Hohenzollern territories • Broke down noble estates • Organized a royal bureaucracy • Established an army • Was known as the "Great Elector" because German princes elected the Holy Roman Emperor • Began to use force against the noblity: used army to collect taxes

Frederick I, King of Prussia (1688-1713) • Obtained a royal title as king, granted by the Holy Roman Emperor in exchange for helping him during the War of Spanish Succession • Built palaces • Founded Halle University • Patronized the arts

Frederick William I of Prussia (1713-1740) • Started a policy of Kabinett government: lower officials handed in all documents to him, then he made the decisions and isued orders by himself • United all departments under the General Directory and imposed taxes on the nobiltiy • Expanded army from 39,000 in 1713 to 80,000 in 1740. He used a system of requiring each local district to supply a certain amount of soldiers • Was a military fanatic and greatly expanded the power of Prussia, but he avoided conflict; the army was rather a symbol of strength and unity

Frederick II (the Great) (1740-1786) • Unlike his father, he didn't refrain from using the army • Broke the Pragmatic Sanction of the Habsburgs and invaded Silesia • Started the Austrian-Prussian competition for power

Central and Eastern Europe