extent and limitations of the Enlightened Despots/Absolutists in Prussia, Russia, and Austria
Thesis: The Enlightened Absolutists in Prussia, Russia, and Austria did all attempt to go along with the enlightenment era but didn't always make the best decisions and ended up not following the enlightenment ways as best they could.
Austria
Extent
1711 HRE and Austrian monarch Charles VI issued the Pragmatic Sanction (1713 which persuaded Europe’s rulers to accept a female monarch and to never divide the Habsburg land)
Maria Theresa became queen of Austria.
She took local control away from the regional diets made German the language of the empire, created a large bureaucracy taxed the nobility and the clergy took control of the Roman Catholic Church. Limitations
1740 Frederick II became king of Prussia rejected the Pragmatic Sanction and invaded the Austrian province of Silesia this started the War of Austrian Succession (1740-48) 1748 the war ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Joseph II succeeded his mother in 1780 as an enlightened despot he initiated sweeping reforms he was against serfdom and abolished the robot in 1789, the year of the French Revolution. these reforms came too fast many peasants took advantage of the situation and revolted
Leopold II followed Joseph and repealed most of the reforms to pacify the nobility he reintroduced serfdom and the robot which remained in existence until the revolution of 1848.
Russia
Extent
Peter the Great (1682-1725) turned Russia into an empire
Peter was fascinated by all the changing in Europe
1703 he built a new capital called St. Petersburg the "window to the West"
Russia won the Great Northern War (1700-21) against Sweden’s Charles XII and signed the Peace of Nystad (1721) ending the war
Westerners and western ideas flowed to Russia including enlightenment ideas
New ideas of statehood took hold and Russia became closer to Europe than Asia
Limitations
The gap between the educated and the peasants widened few Russians were wealthy, the vast majority of people
Austria
Extent
1711 HRE and Austrian monarch Charles VI issued the Pragmatic Sanction (1713 which persuaded Europe’s rulers to accept a female monarch and to never divide the Habsburg land)
Maria Theresa became queen of Austria.
She took local control away from the regional diets made German the language of the empire, created a large bureaucracy taxed the nobility and the clergy took control of the Roman Catholic Church. Limitations
1740 Frederick II became king of Prussia rejected the Pragmatic Sanction and invaded the Austrian province of Silesia this started the War of Austrian Succession (1740-48) 1748 the war ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Joseph II succeeded his mother in 1780 as an enlightened despot he initiated sweeping reforms he was against serfdom and abolished the robot in 1789, the year of the French Revolution. these reforms came too fast many peasants took advantage of the situation and revolted
Leopold II followed Joseph and repealed most of the reforms to pacify the nobility he reintroduced serfdom and the robot which remained in existence until the revolution of 1848.
Russia
Extent
Peter the Great (1682-1725) turned Russia into an empire
Peter was fascinated by all the changing in Europe
1703 he built a new capital called St. Petersburg the "window to the West"
Russia won the Great Northern War (1700-21) against Sweden’s Charles XII and signed the Peace of Nystad (1721) ending the war
Westerners and western ideas flowed to Russia including enlightenment ideas
New ideas of statehood took hold and Russia became closer to Europe than Asia
Limitations
The gap between the educated and the peasants widened few Russians were wealthy, the vast majority of people