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Section # 3 – Prussia and Austria (1618 – 1786)
The Thirty Years War: (1618 – 1648)

In 1618 the Thirty Years War began. The bulk of the war was fought in the Holy Roman Empire, which consisted of many German states. Calvinism, a Protestant sect, was beginning to spread rapidly throughout the predominantly Catholic Holy Roman Empire. Catholic rulers within the Holy Roman Empire, and from all over Europe, opposed the spread of Calvinism and sought to destroy it. When the war ended in 1648, the outcome was a failed attempt a stopping the spread of Calvinism, a weakened and divided Germany, which lost one third of its people, and the rise of France as Europe’s leading power. The official document that ended the war was the Peace of Westphalia, which stated that Calvinism could be practiced in the German states and it divided the Holy Roman Empire into 300 separate states. These religious and physical divisions were a main reason why the Hapsburgs could never unite the entire Holy Roman Empire and establish an absolute monarchy. This inability of the Hapsburgs led to the opportunity of other German states to rise to power in Europe.

The Hohenzollern Monarchy / Dynasty: (1713 – 1918)

One German State in particular that rose to power in Europe was Prussia in the early 1700’s. Prussia is no longer a country today, but during the 1700’s it was one of the most powerful countries in Europe. In the 1700’s Prussia’s boundaries mainly consisted of what is now present-day northeastern Germany, northwestern Poland, and a small part of Russia. Prussia was ruled by the Hohenzollern Family, which had governed the area sine the 1400’s. During the 1700’s the Hohenzollern (Hoh uhn tsahl ern) Monarchy established Prussia as a leading power in Europe by ruling it as an absolute monarchy. The Hohenzollern Monarchy held power of Prussia and present-day Germany up until the end of WWI in 1918 when the last Hohenzollern monarch, Kaiser Wilhelm II (William) was forced to abdicate (step down) because of his role in starting WWI.

Frederick William I (1st): (1713 – 1740)

The first Hohenzollern monarch to rule with absolute power was Frederick William I, also known as the “Great Elector”. Frederick William I took the Prussian throne in 1713, and shrewdly transformed his country into an absolute monarch over the next 27 years of his reign. Because Frederick William I believed that a strong military was an essential component to the success of any ruler, he first created a strong and disciplined military, which would eventually become the 4th largest in Europe. Although Frederick William I was successful at building an army, it was not an easy task. To meet the cost of building this army, Frederick William I raised taxes. This angered the Prussian Nobles, who were also known as “Junkers” (yoon kerz), which created anger towards Frederick William I. Sensing the discontent of the Junkers, Frederick William I didn’t make the Junkers pay taxes which made the Prussian peasants pay more taxes. Not only did he free Junkers from taxes; he only permitted Junkers to be landowners and gave them full power over the Prussian peasants. Frederick knew that these laws would anger the Prussian peasants, but he also knew that there was little the Prussian peasants could do in opposition to the laws. Frederick William I was most concerned with pleasing the Junkers, because he knew that they were the key to him attaining absolute power in Prussia. His plan worked to perfection as the Junkers swore allegiance to Frederick William I making his power absolute.

Frederick William I’s Legacy:

Frederick William I is known today as one of the hardest working, most dedicated, and most powerful absolute monarchs in history. He is credited with bringing absolute rule to Prussia, with building one of the most powerful armies ever, and generating wealth for Prussia by strengthening the Prussian economy. When Frederick William I died in 1740 the Prussian Empire was at its height. Frederick William I passed the throne to his son Frederick William II, with the hope that his son would better what he had already done.

Frederick William II (2nd): (1740 – 1786)

Frederick William II took the Prussian throne in 1740 and continued his father’s success. Like his father, Frederick William II ruled as an absolute monarch. Frederick gave himself the name “The 1st Servant of Prussia”, and in return for what he did for Prussia, the people gave him the name “Frederick the Great”. No aspect of the Prussian Government escaped his attention. Frederick William II strengthened the Prussian economy even further than his father did by exporting a lot of materials and food. Frederick William II began to mine valuable natural resources in demand all over Europe. Frederick William II also improved Prussian farming by encouraging farmers from all over Europe to immigrate to Prussia where Frederick William II introduced scientific farming techniques and new crops for them to grow. With the increase in exports, Prussian wealth under Frederick William II grew out of control. Not only did Frederick generate wealth; he created a fair and lawful Prussian society. He first extended religious freedom to all people except Jewish people, and torture was eliminated as a form of punishment except in cases of murder and treason. Frederick William II also raised law judges salaries to reduce the risk of them being bribed. In general, life in Prussian was great under Frederick William II.

Maria Theresa of Austria: (1740 – 1780)

Just as Frederick took the throne of Prussia in the year of 1740, a 23-year old woman named Maria Theresa took the throne of Austria and became the 1st female Hapsburg ruler. The Austrian Empire at the time included Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary. Despite much controversy surrounding her appointment to the throne, Maria Theresa began her reign of Austria in 1740 and would not give up her throne until her death 40 years later in 1780. Throughout her reign, Maria Theresa and Frederick William II of Prussia were fierce rivals often at war with one another with Frederick William II always being the winner.

Prussian Military:

As has already been stated, Frederick William II had success in many areas during his time on the Prussian throne. Frederick William II’s greatest area of success was the use of the Prussian military to expand Prussia’s territory. During Frederick William II’s reign, Prussia’s army grew to be the 4th largest in Europe, and flexed its muscles quite often. The 1st war under Frederick William II was the War of Austrian Succession, which began because Frederick William II wanted to annex the Austrian province of Silesia. Both France and Spain backed Prussia, and Austria was by backed England. The war lasted from 1740 until 1748. After nearly eight years of fighting, the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the war and Prussia gained the area of Silesia as part of their country. Although Austria retained most of its country, Queen Maria Theresa of Austria was angry at losing Silesia to Frederick William II of Prussia. Maria Theresa’s discontent would lead to the Seven Years War, which would involve much of Europe and take place in Europe, North America, and India.

Seven Years War / French and Indian War:

The Seven Years War took place from 1754 to 1763 and involved much of the same countries that fought in the War of Austrian Succession. The Seven Years War was different from the war of Austrian Succession in two ways. The 1st difference was that the country alliances were completely opposite. The 2nd difference was that the war would be fought on three continents (Europe, North America, and India). In this war, England and Prussia would be allies and Austria, France and Russia would be allies. All five countries would fight in Europe, but two countries would mainly fight in North America. With some help from England, Prussia fought against Austria, Russia, and France to defend the newly acquired land of Silesia. England and France fought mostly in North America over the newly discovered land and growing colonies. It is important to know that the Seven Years War fought in North America is also known as the French and Indian War. The Treaty of Paris 1763 officially ended the war and stated the following; 1) Prussia is to retain almost all of Silesia, while giving a small portion back to Austria, 2) England is to gain most of French Canada and all French land east of the Mississippi River. As you can see, this war was a clear-cut victory for Prussia and England.

1st Partition of Poland:

In 1772 Frederick William II and Maria Theresa had their first peaceful agreement in which both stood to gain something. Known as the 1st Partition of Poland, Frederick II of Prussia, Maria Theresa of Austria, and Catherine II of Russia peacefully divided up Poland into three parts for each country to own and rule. This topic will be explored further in the next section.

Frederick William II’s Legacy:

Frederick truly deserved his nickname “Frederick the Great”. During Frederick’s 46-year reign, Prussian more than doubled its size and population. With its efficient government, sound economy, and a superb army, Prussia was a dominant power in Europe at the time of Frederick William II’s death in 1786.

Maria Theresa’s Legacy:

During her time on the throne Maria Theresa would successfully do what her two predecessors (Leopold I and Charles VI) couldn’t. By the time of her death in 1780, she established an absolute monarchy, improved the Austrian economy by ending trade barriers between Austria and Bohemia, and reconfigured the Austrian tax system. One knock on Maria Theresa’s reign was her inability to defeat Frederick William II and significantly expand the Austrian Empire. Despite her losses, Maria Theresa is still recognized as one of the great leaders in Austrian history. At the time of her death Maria Theresa had given birth to 16 children (11 girls and 5 boys), which left plenty of choices for a successor to the Austrian throne. Her oldest son Joseph II was chosen as Maria Theresa’s successor. Maria Theresa’s most famous child is Marie Antionette who would eventually be the 1st executed queen of France during the French Revolution.

Section # 3 Questions
1.	What are the dates of the Thirty Years War, and what was the reason for the war starting? 2.	What official document ended the war, and what did it state? 3.	Explain how the Thirty Years War contributed to the rise of Prussia. 4.	What family became the ruling monarchy of Prussia? 5.	In what year did the Hohenzollern Monarchy end? 6.	Who was the last Hohenzollern monarch, and why was he forced to abdicate (step down)? 7.	Who was the 1st Hohenzollern absolute monarch, how long did he rule Prussia (include the dates), and what was his nickname? 8.	What was the name given to Prussian nobles? 9.	Why did Frederick William I not make the Prussian nobles pay taxes? 10.	Because the Prussian nobles were not paying taxes, who had to pay more taxes to make up for the losses in tax collection? 11.	Who was the 2nd Hohenzollern absolute monarch, how long did he rule Prussia (include the dates), and what was his nickname? 12.	Who was the 1st female Hapsburg ruler, what country did she rule, how long did she rule the country (include the dates), and who was her rival? 13.	What were the dates of the Austrian War of Succession, what treaty ended the war, and what did Prussia gain form Austria during the war? 14.	What were the dates of the Seven Years war, why was it being fought, and where was it being fought? 15.	What is another name for the Seven Years War? 16.	What treaty ended the Seven Years War, what did the treaty state, and who were the two clear cut winners? 17.	In what peaceful agreement did Frederick II and Maria Theresa both gain land? 18.	What was the one knock on Maria Theresa during her reign? 19.	Who was Maria Theresa’s most famous child?
 * 1618-1648; Catholics wanted to stop the spread of Calvinism.
 * Peace of Westphalia; Calvinism could be practiced in German states and divided the HRE in 300 states.
 * Due to the religious and physical divisions caused by this war, Prussia was able to grow and become a powerful nation itself.
 * Hohenzollern Family
 * 1918
 * Kaiser Wilhelm II; His role in the starting up of WWI.
 * Frederick William I; (1713 – 1740); "Great Elector".
 * Junkers
 * Because making the nobles pay taxes angered them.
 * Peasants
 * Frederick William II; (1740 – 1786); “Frederick the Great”.
 * Maria Theresa of Austria: (1740 – 1780); Frederick William II of Prussia.
 * 1740 until 1748; Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle; Silesia
 * 1754 to 1763; Land; 3 places; North America, Europe and India.
 * French and Indian War
 * Treaty of Paris 1763; Prussia is to gain almost all of Silesia while Austria takes a small portion and England is to gain most of French Canada and all French land east of the Mississippi River; England and Prussia.
 * 1st Partition of Poland
 * Inability to defeat her rival, Frederick William II of Prussia.
 * Marie Antionette