Rise of Austria and PrussiaChapter 17.4

The Thirty Years’ War

• By the early 1600s the Holy Roman Empire has fallen into several hundred small, separate states.

• The Holy Roman Emperor became an elected position and had very little power over the states princes

• Regional conflict also fuelled the Thirty Years’ War• North – Protestants (mainly Lutheran)• South - Catholics

The Thirty Years’ War Cont’• The war was both Political and Religious

• It began in Bohemia (present day Czech Republic)

• When King Ferdinand of Bohemia (Hapsburg) sought to suppress Protestants and assert royal power over local nobles

• Ferdinand was elected Holy Roman Empire in 1619 and with the support of Spain and Poland there was a fight to push back the Reformation

The Thirty Years’ War

• When Protestant states like Sweden and the Netherlands heard of what was going on in Bohemia Protestant troops were sent to fight the Catholics

• However both Catholic and Protestant rulers shifted sides when they would benefit the most• EX: Catholic France joined Lutheran Sweden against

the Catholic Hapsburgs• Hapsburgs controlled Spain as well as Austria

The Thirty Years’ War Cont’• Many roving armies of mercenaries

destroyed all things in their way

• Murder and torture were followed by famine and disease which lead to depopulation in much of central Europe.

• In 1648 the Treaty of Westphalia was signed ending the Thirty Year’s War

Treaty of Westphalia

• France comes out smelling like a rose• France gained land on both the Spanish front and

German Front

• Hapsburgs lose big• Accept almost total independence of all Princes in

the Holy Roman Empire• Leaves Germany divided into 360 separate states

• Netherlands and the Swiss Federation won recognition as independent states

Hapsburg Austria

• Even after the Thirty Years’ War the Hapsburgs still wanted a strong nation under them

• By the early 1700s the Hapsburg empire included Germans, Slavs and others

• Hapsburgs allowed each to practice and live as they did before. But the Hapsburgs would step in when they saw fit

Maria Theresa

• Charles VI had no son and no women has every controlled Hapsburg land by herself

• Charles convinced many European families into recognizing Maria right to the throne. Many ignored that promise after his death

• In 1740 the largest threat came from Frederick II of Prussia • This will become the 8 years war of Austrian

Succession

Rise of Prussia

• As Austria emerged as a strong Catholic State, Prussia emerged as an equally strong Protestant State.

• Under the leadership of the Hohenzollern (HOH uhn tsahl ern) family. Prussia began to build a large and very strong army.

• Also the Hohenzollern families set up a system of bureaucracy to reduce the power of the local nobles known as Junkers

Frederick William I

• “Prussia is not a state which possesses an army, but an army which possesses a state.”• By 1740 Prussia was strong enough to

challenge Austria

• Frederick II – Frederick William trained him as a military leader• Frederick preferred to play the flute and

write poetry

Frederick II

• Frederick with the help of a friend were going to flee the country. Frederick William discovered these plans.

• Frederick William forced his son to watch the beheading of his own friend.

• Fredericks military training was not lost because in in 1740 the War of Austrian Succession was started by him

Balance of Power• As Austria and Prussia became more

powerful in just added two more powers to Europe

• Many wars broke out across Europe• The largest was the 7 Years’ War 1756-1763

• (we know it better as the French and Indian War)

• Was fought on 4 different continents• Prussia, Austria, Russia, France and Britain fought in

Europe• Britain and France fought in India, Africa and North

America• Treaty of Paris ends the war and gives England a huge

Empire