Russia, Prussia and Austria

Russia

Seen as backward, no warm water ports, little trade, undeveloped resources

1613: Boyars (nobles) elect Michael Romanov as Tsar.

Streltsy (Moscow garrison) have some control as well.

Peter the Great(1682-1725)

• Streltsy install Peter as Tsar

• Power struggle between, Sophia, streltsy and Peter.

• Four goals = 1) tame boyars and streltsy, 2)control of church, 3)reorganize gov., 4)develop the economy

Westernization

• Impressed by the West so enforces new customs

• 1697 Visited Western Europe in disguise to inspect shipyards, docks and military “factories”, and to seek help vs. Turks

• 1703 Relocates capital at St. Petersburg

Controlling Opposition

• 1698 streltsy rebel; 1,200 put to death

• In 1722 published the Table of Ranks that says privilege and social position are now from from rank in army and bureaucracy

• Clergy opposed westernization; 1721 replaced patriarch with a synod, no monks under 50

Domestic Administration

• Created “colleges” that dealt with foreign affairs, war and economy

• 1711 creates a nine-member senate to rule while he was away

• Needed a bureaucracy to collect taxes for military spending

War

• Fought the Ottoman Empire

• Fought Sweden in the Great Northern War (1700-1721); Peace of Nystad grants control of Estonia, Livonia and Finland and warm-water ports.

____________________________________• 1725 dies with no heir. Chaos ensues.

Habsburg Empire

• After 1648 Habsburgs still have title of H.R.E.

• Needed control of other territories

• 1714 gain control of Spanish Netherlands after War of Spanish Succession

Obstacles to Power

• ethnic and religious diversity of Empire

• legal diversity of claims

• established central councils but regional

The Habsburg Empire

Significant Rulers

• Leopold I (1658-1705): resists Turks and Louis XIV in Nine Years’ War, extends territory on the Balkans

• Pragmatic Sanction = legal doc. That allows hereditary succession of H.R.E.

• Maria Theresa (1740-1780) left without a strong army or treasury, has to elevate Hungary b/c War of Austrian Succession

Prussia• Hohenzollern family ruled Brandenburg, East

Prussia and other territories (2nd only to Habsburgs)

• Frederick William aka the Great Elector (1640-1688) broke the medieval parliaments, organized royal bureaucracy, and built a strong army

• Gave Junkers control over their serfs, tax collecting power, and military prestige

Monarchy Established

• Frederick I (1688-1713) receives crown from H.R.E. Leopold I for help in War of Spanish Succession.

• Frederick William I (1713-1740) militarized the bureaucracy and expanded the military, made the officer corps the highest social class

• Frederick II (1740-1786) invades Austria and consolidates Germany

The War of the Austrian Succession: (1740-1748)• Prussia seizes the Austrian province of Silesia with France

supporting Prussia. Britain comes to Austria’s aid to keep Belgium Austrian

• Prussia becomes head of a powerful German state• Ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle

The Seven Years War: (1756-1763)• Prussia invades Saxony. France, Austria, Sweden, Russia

and other German states oppose while Britain aids.• Britain takes over France’s colonies in Canada and Prussia

becomes a great continental power.