Absolutism+In+Eastern+Europe



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 * Holy Roman Empire- The Holy Roman Empire was the most prominent power in Central Europe and constantly in conflict with France and Protestants. They were controlled by the Hapsburg monarchy for much of it's existence and was dissolved in the Napoleonic era and was fully dissolved in the time of the unification of the German states.**


 * Ottoman Empire-** Most Catholics viewed the muslim Ottomans as an enemy and a threat to take over all of Europe, however the Ottomans were much more tolerant than the Europeans, especially religously. It provided a haven for Jews, Muslims, and Christians from inquisition. They setled in Anatolia(Turkey) and their landholdings stretched from Persia to North Africa to Central Europe. It was built on State and Society with no personal landholdings. The Sultan ruled it, owning all of the agricultural land of the empire with peasants paying taxes to him.


 * Suleiman the Magnificent**- The sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566, he is known for marrying a girl of the harem, which went greatly against Turkish tradition. Also, he is credited with expanded his empire to the point where he was considered a part of the European balance of power.


 * Janissary Corps** - While some Ottoman slaves rose in the ranks to the top of the bureaucracy. The other slaves formed the core of the sultan's army composed of slave conscripts from non-muslim parts of the empire, known as the Janissary Corps. It was highly organized, and very efficient, and gave the Ottomans advantages at war. In 1683 it became so prestigious that it was deemed voluntary.


 * Poland-Lithuania Poland failed to become absolutist because they didn't modernize so they became an easy target.**


 * serfdom:** The idea of peasants living on the noble's land, and serving only the noble. Unlike western absolutists, most absolutists in the east kept serfdom to give the nobles more power and appease them. Eastern absolutists forced peasants to work for their nobles, thus serfdom in the east was much more oppressive. The peasants were basically slaves to the nobles.


 * robot-**


 * Habsburg Empire (Austrian Empire)- Defeat in Central Europe encouraged the Habsburgs to turn away from a quest for imperial dominance and to focus inward and eastward in an attempt to unify their diverse holdings.**


 * Bohemia-Habsburg vict][ory over Bohemia in the thirty years war was important to unifying their empire. Ferdinand II reduced the power of the BohemIan Estates, confiscated the landholdings or Protestant nobles and gave it to loyal catholic nobles. Therefore after 1650 most of the new nobility owed its success to the habsburgs.**
 * Bohemia-Habsburg vict][ory over Bohemia in the thirty years war was important to unifying their empire. Ferdinand II reduced the power of the BohemIan Estates, confiscated the landholdings or Protestant nobles and gave it to loyal catholic nobles. Therefore after 1650 most of the new nobility owed its success to the habsburgs.**


 * Austria proper- The main land of Austria and the Hapsburg** **dynasty.**


 * Hungary - Joseph II, an enlightened absolutist came into power and reformed the country greatly. He gave full civil rights to Protestants and Orthodox Christians, granted freedom of worship to Jews, replaced the empire's language of Latin to German, and gave more freedom to peasants. Later Leopold I took control and changed some previous reforms including the reversal of the language back to Latin, but kept peasant freedom and Protestant equality. Enlightened absolutism came to an end with the succession of Francis I, who brought political instability and unenlightened ideals.**


 * Leopold I- King of Hungary and Bohemia, was an un-enlightened absolutist and spent his reign undoing everything his brother and mother( known as enlightened absolutists) had done in their reigns.**


 * siege of Vienna, 1683-** The Ottoman empire's attempt at taking over Austria. The Ottomans knew that they were losing power so they wanted to send their armies to Vienna to try to take something while they still had power. The Austrians saw the Ottomans as a threat, and wanted to completely wipe them out. The Ottoman army was defeated, and this led to the decline of the Ottoman Empire. Europe would not be invaded by the Ottomans again.


 * Pragmatic Sanction -** The edict that was issued by Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, that made sure his daughter Maria Theresa, was able to inherit the throne. It also stated that other countries could not interfere with her during her reign. Although most countries signed the document, after Charles VI's death many of them attacked Austria right when Maria Theresa was crowned. This led to the War of Austrian Succession.


 * Prussia-** Originaly ruled by the nobals this terrirory was inherited by Frederic William the great elector. He broke off from the Holy Roman Empire and tried to unite his holdings of Prussia, Brandenburg, and small parts of the Rhine. With the next soldier like and penney pinching Frederics they consolidated there power and created a very formidable army.


 * Hohenzollerns- The Prussian Noble Family that included The many Fredrick and Fredrick Williams that would rule Prussia. Came to an end after World War I. Ruled Brandenburg and Prussia.**


 * Frederick William, the “Great Elector”-** the leader of Prussia who came to power in 1640, and was known as "the Great Elector". His goal was to unify the three provinces he had control over (Brandenburg, Prussia, and scattered territories along the Rhine), and then expand them by means of diplomacy and war. He is known for curbing the power of the nobles, expanding the army, and increasing the states income through __#|taxes__.He forced the nobles to pay taxes without consent.
 * Junkers-** This was the name for the nobility of Brandenburg and Prussia. Frederick William the "Great Elector" curbed the power of the junkers by making a deal with them. He gave them reconfirmation of their own privelages, (i.e. authority over their serfs) in exchange for the ability to __#|tax__ without consent. They also had to enlist in the army. Basically if the nobles allowed taxation and the ability to build an army, they could do whatever they wanted after that.

“**king of Prussia” -** Fredrick I son of Great Elector ; coined this as a rewaard for helping the holy roman empire in the War of Spanish Succession


 * Frederick William I-** The grandson of "The Great Elector" or also known as "the Soldiers' King". He ruled from 1713 to 1740, and he finished his grandfathers work of consolidating Prussian absolutism.He eliminated the last traces of parliamentary estates and local self-government. He built a bureaucracy to administer the country and foster economic development. He is also known for establishing Prussian absolutism and forming a military state. He appeased the nobles by enlisting them in high ranking positions in his army, while also requiring all Prussian men to undergo military training and serve as reservists in the army.

“**Sparta of the North”-** A term used to describe Prussia as a nation in which there was a very highly trained military and the people lived a military lifestyle. Because of this belief, many armies hired Prussian mercenaries to fight for them.

Muscovy- the muscovite state forced weaker Slavic principalities to render tribute previously paid to Mongols and borrowed Mongol institutions. Boyars helped the muscovite princes consolidate their power. A historical region and former principality in west-central Russia. Centered on Moscow, it was founded c. 1280 and existed as a separate entity until the 16th century, when it was united with another principality to form the nucleus of the early Russian empire. The name was then used for the expanded territory.

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 * Boyars-** this was the name given to the higher ranking nobility in Russia. To be called a boyar, one needed to own their own land, have serfs, and have a military or political position. They helped consolidate the power of muscovite princes, by giving them their loyalty.


 * Ivan III (“the Great”) -**Ivan was a Muscovite prince, who took control of Russia in the mid 15th century. He used the fact that he was married to the last of the descendants of the Byzantines, Sophia, to legitimatize his new found power. He stopped acknowledging the khan as the supreme ruler. He molded his terriorty to be like the Mongols, with him as the sole source of power. He created a service nobility that were nobles as long as they served him faithfully, granting them titles and land as long as they served him.

“**Third Rome**” A nick name given to Moscow Russia as part of ligitimizing their claim to the Byzantine Empire. After the fall of constantiopal they saw themselves as the protecters of Orthodox Christianity and heirs to be cesar or tsar as they called it. The marriage of Ivan III and the dauter of the last Byzantine Emporer also ligitimized their claim. Wanted to become like Rome so they could be "hub of intellectual, politcal, and trading."


 * Ivan IV (“the Terrible”)** - Tsar who ruled in Russia from 1533-1584. When he was young his mother died and he was insulted by the nobles, causing him to make laws that limited the noble's power severely and execute many people. He also made great territory gains and taxed the peasants heavily. He defeated the remnants of Mongol power and added vast territories to the realm he also laid foundations for the Russian Empire. Ivan also killed boyar families, friends, servants, and peasants because he suspected them of opposing him. At age 16 he crowned himself king


 * Cossacks-** Groups of outlaw armies made up of rebelling peasants in Russia during the reign of Ivan IV. Ivan quickly put these rebellions down by tying the peasants more closely to the lord they were serving and his land.

“**Time of Troubles**”- The time when Ivan and his successor died and Ivan's relitives struggled for power. Then there was crop failure too and the peasents rose up making the nobals gang up on them and put Ivans grandnephew in charge as tsar.


 * Romanov Dynasty- The Russian Monarchy until the Russian revolution. Married Ivan IV into the line of Tsars. They gained Ukraine from Poland, cmpleted conquest of Siberia(Natural Resources), had territorial expansion, growth of bureaucracy, and growth of their army.**


 * Michael Romanov- First Romanov Tsar of Russia. Grand-nephew of Ivan IV.**

“**Old Believers**” Separated from the Russian Orthodox Church in protest to new church reforms brought in by Patriarch Nikon in the 1650's. They maintained the liturgical practices that had been the Russian Orthodox Church before all the reforms.

Was determined to continue the tsarist tradition of territorial expansion. Led an eighteen month tour of Western Europe. After being defeated by Charles XII of Sweden Peter increased state power and his army. He now required all nobles to serve in the army or in his administration for life. He Adlai creates new schools and universities - now requiring five years awaforeign home to all young noblemen. He also introduced the table of ranks- which allowed some people of non-noble origin to rise up to higher positions, as this system was based on loyalty and performance. Everyone started at the bottom and worked their way up.
 * Peter the Great-**


 * Strelski- Moscow Guards, used to put down revolts against the king.**


 * Great Northern War- A war lead by Peter the Great of Russian to take land from Sweden. Russia was successful and became a major player in European politics and the Swedish Absolutists monarchy fell.**

“**Window on the West”-a city, st. Petersburg, that allowed for western trade and culture to flow into Russia resultingin Russia emerging as a greathreat European power in the eighteenth century. They basically want to copy western cities with a large and modern layout.**


 * Table of Ranks** *- A system in Peter The Great's military that meant anyone, regardless of social status, had to work their way up the ranks to become a top officer. It made the nobles of Russia more loyal to Peter The Great because he could promote them. Also it allowed Peter to watch over the nobles, if they were not completing their duties they could be moved down ranks.


 * St. Petersburg-originally a desolate and swampy Swedish outpost, the city was conquered by Peter the great and was transformed into the new capital. The building of the crew capital was an enormous tax levied on the wealthy with peasantry forced to do the manual labor. Moreover, this new city allowed a window to the west. Ibecause of it, Russia became the dominant power in the Baltic, western culture was brought in, and Russia began trading with the west.**


 * Winter Palace- The Romanov's very large expensive winter palace where they resided in the winter. Similar to Versailles in France, located in St. Petersburg Russia.**