Ch. 7 - Prussia and Austria
ANCIENT WORLD HISTORY STUDY GUIDE
Chapter 7 : Austria and Prussia (A.D. 1253 - A.D. 1900)
Austria During the Age of Absolutism (pp. 465-469)
1. Holy Roman Empire
-developed by the Catholic Church to strengthen their hold on central Europe
-Germany and Italy were made up of many small kingdoms each with it’s own leader
-difficult to rule because of the conflicts over language, religion, and ethnic background
-leaders were elected by a council of religious leaders and noblemen
2. Habsburg
-rose from a family of local princes with little influence to one of the most powerful families in Europe
-used marriages and diplomacy to acquire the largest amount of land within the Holy Roman Empire
-lost land to France and Germany following the Thirty Years’ War
-gained control of the northern region of Poland during the Partitions of Poland
3. Charles V
-King of Spain and member of the Habsburg family
-also elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
-with conflicts mounting, he gave control of Spain to his son, Philip II
4. Charles VI
-Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
-his father laid claim to the Spanish throne in his name
-battled Philip V for control of Spain, but later gave up claim
-attempted to get other European monarchs to agree to allow his daughter the right to inherit his empire
-not all countries agreed and upon his death the War of Austrian Succession broke out
5. Pragmatic Sanctions
-refers to an official proclamation by a ruler on a subject of great political significance
-the first sanction dealt with French monarchs and their position with the Catholic Church
-the second, declared Charles VI, suggested that in the absence of a male heir that a female could inherit land, title, and power
6. Maria Theresa
-daughter of the Emperor Charles VI who inherited his empire at age 23 when he died
-many disputed a female’s claim to the crown
-created large empire even though it was made up of people from many different backgrounds and cultures
7. War of Austrian Succession
-1740 to 1748
-even though Frederick the Great signed the Pragmatic Sanction, he invaded Silesia one of Maria Theresa’s most important territories
-Bavaria, Spain, and France supported Hohenzollerns, while Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Russia supported Maria Theresa
-Prussia won and Silesia ceded to them
8. Dual Monarchy-
-the Hungarian region of Austria revolted to gain independence
-a single monarchy was established with two parliaments
-Francis Joseph was monarch
-Austria’s met in Vienna while Hungary’s met in Prague
-Austria-Hungary was difficult to unite due to the many ethnic groups it contained
(Austrians, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, Romanians, Poles, Slovenes, Ukrainians, Italians, etc.)
9. Crown Prince Rudolph
-only son of Emperor Franz Joseph and heir to the Austria-Hungarian Empire
-married Princess Stephanie to unite Austria and Belgium, they had one child (Elizabeth)
-committed suicide when he was 30 with his 17 year old mistress Mary Vetsea
Germany During the Age of Absolutism
10. Hohenzollerns
-ruling family in the northern part of Prussia called Brandenburg
-a rival of Austria and the Habsburg’s
-as Protestants, used the Reformation to take over land from the Catholics
11. Frederick William
-King of Prussia called the Great Elector
-used the wealth of the country to build on of Europe’s strongest armies
-refused to spend the nations wealth on lavish palaces and things for the royalty
12. Frederick I
-first to use the title King of Prussia
-tried to copy the court life like Louis XIV of France
13. Frederick William I
-ended his fathers practice of court life
-used money for strong army to strengthen and expand Prussia
-concerned himself with the military and economic aspect of Prussia
14. Frederick II
-became known as Frederick the Great
-was more interested in poetry, flute playing, and philosophy than military and government
-took over Prussia about the same time Maria Theresa became leader of Austria
-in spite of what his father thought, he expanded the borders of Prussia, making the small nation one of the more powerful in Europe
15. Diplomatic Revolution
-occurred during the mid-1700’s and refers to a sharp changing of allies among the European countries in order to maintain the balance of power
16. Seven Years’ War
-1756 to 1763
-entire European continent was at war including colonies around the world
-known as the French and Indian War in North America
-ended with a negotiated peace and no clear winners
-Prussia maintained their processions (including Silesia) : France was forced to turn over most colonies to Britain in North America and India
-after years of war Europe would enjoy peace, but leaders still looked for ways to increase the power and size of their empires
17. Zollverein
-with Prussia divided into many little states, tariffs made trade within the nation difficult
-Prussian Junkers (wealthy landowners) pushed for change
-the Zollverein was a customs union which abolished trade tariffs within Prussia
-industry, trade, and the economy expanded
-this agreement excluded Austria
18. Otto von Bismarck
-appointed by Prussian King William I as head of the Prussian cabinet
-seized the military and power of taxation from the Prussian parliament in order to unify the Prussian states
-used war as a means of gaining territory and unifying the nation
-Dutch War, Seven Weeks War (vs. Austria), Franco-Prussian War
19. Kaiser
-name give to the King of Prussia who controlled the unified German states
-responsible of appointing the chancellor and commanding the military
20. Bundesrat
-upper house of Germany’s representative government
-58 government appointed members
-controlled taxation and distribution of funds
21. Reichstag-
-lower house of Germany’s representative government
-400 members elected by universal male suffrage
-had very limited power
22. William II
-grandson of William I who took over Germany at age 23
-limited the power of chancellor making Bismarck angry
-Bismarck threatened to resign if his power was not restored
-William II accepted the resignation
-under William Germany became a world leader in