The Four Stages Of Absolutism

In central and Eastern Europe absolutism was built on social and economic power. During the period from 1050 to 1300 personal and economic freedom for peasants increased, but after 1300 princes and nobles restored harsh serfdom on peasants. The serfdom would ban peasants from leaving the land without the lords permission, lords would take more of the land and impose heavier obligations on the peasants. Later, the hereditary serfdom was reestablished in Poland, Russia, and Prussia. The hereditary serfdom accompanied the growth of estate agriculture. Eastern lords enjoyed much greater political power, however the political power of the peasants were weaker in Eastern Europe and the landlords systematically undermined the medieval privileges of
bohemia was the modern day czech republic, there were mostly catholic rulers and protestants . during the bohemian phase, one of the issue were that catholic rulers were ruling protestant who were a different religion, so the habsburg ruler granted protestants toleration through the letter of majesty that would let protestants continue to practice their own religion.When the holy roman emperor, ferdinard II of bohemia revoked the letter of majesty, that led to the desfestration of prague (may 1618). Defestration meant throwing someone out of a window, in which the protestant did to the emperors men, since they were upset about the emperor revoking their letter of majesty; the men fell 70 feet but they did not die. ferdidnand II was furious about what the protestants have done to his men and in Nov. 8 1620 he comfronted the protestant at the battle of white mountain, which resulted in a win for the
The lutheran king of denmark invades the holy roman empire to help the protestants, but is then ran off by Albrecht von Wallenstein, a bohemian military leader, who offered his help to ferfninard II, using his army of 30,000 to 100,000 men. During the swedish phase (1630- 1635) gustavus adolphus, the king of sweden, led sweden to military supremacy during the war with his mobile artillery during the battle of Brentfeild when he confronted the catholics. During this war, sweden received aid from the french, despite that the french was a catholic country. later, sweden pulls back from the war because gustavus dies during battle. During the french phase, it was the largest, and most fatal phase of the war. During this war Swedish is now funding the french. but, in 1648 they later feel the war is getting exhausting and doesn't want to fight anymore. Later, They all get together to sign the peace of Westphalia, which weakened the holy empire, gave dutch Netherlands its independence, brandenburg gain territory, alsace goes to france, switzerland becomes an independent confederation, calvism and private worship is