13+-+European+State+Consolidation

=**Overview**= toc

The seventeenth century was a time of great upheaval in Europe. Many nations vied for power as turmoil swept through the traditional kingdoms of the continent. New states were born as old ones fell; the balance of power shifted; kings and queens were born and died. This was a period of growth and development for Europe, but it was not a time of peace.

=**Important Figures**=

[|James 1 of England]
· Became king in 1603 when Elizabeth died · From House of Stuarts; previously King of Scotland · Protestant, ruled when Puritans left England for Plymouth · Believed in divine right · Had many male lovers

[|Charles 1 of England]
· Son and successor of James I   · Made England look more Catholic · Created the Court of High Commissions · Got angry at Parliament and did not summon them from 1629-1640 · Created his own army, the Cavaliers · Charles is found guilty of treason and beheaded in 1649

[|Oliver Cromwell]
· Head of the commonwealth of England from 1649-1658 · Hard core protestant, religious tolerance for all except Catholics · Declared martial law and creates the New Model Army · Divided England into 12 sections · Prohibited drunkenness, theatergoing, and dancing

[|Charles II of England]
· <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Became king in 1660 · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Restored Parliament and the Anglican church · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Appointed 5 members of Parliament as advisers – “Cabal” · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Made a secret alliance with Louis XIV of France <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">- France gives England money every year in exchange for Charles to slowly bring Catholicism back · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Died without an heir

[|James II of England]
· <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Became king in 1685; formerly the Duke of York · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Catholic, put down a protestant rebellion started by his nephew James <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">- rebels were arrested, tortured, and killed · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Anglican bishops refused to follow Catholic practices · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">James II had a son and England feared a Catholic dynasty (“Rock a Bye Baby”) · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">England looked to the Netherlands

[|Frederick William of Prussia]
· <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ruled from 1640-1688 · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Known as “The Great Elector” · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Consolidated power in Prussia · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Created a permanent standing army that collected taxes

[|Frederick I of Prussia]
· <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ruled from 1688-1718 · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Not a good ruler, focused on the arts · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Build palaces and founded Halle University · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Assisted Austria in the War of Spanish Succession and was named “King of Prussia” by the Holy Roman <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">Emperor in 1701

[|King Frederick William I of Prussia]
· <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ruled from 1713-1740 · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The “soldier’s king” · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Obsessed with military – loves tall soldiers, personally inspected soldiers <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">- tricked tall boys into joining the army <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">- army grew from 39,000 – 80,000 (4th largest in Europe) · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ruled as an absolutist – thought his dad was too soft

[|Ivan IV of Russia]
· <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ruled from 1533-1584 · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Became king at age 3, his parents died when he was 8, became tsar at 16 · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Known as “Ivan the Terrible” · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Started a war with Poland · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Reinstituted serfdom to stop Cossacks (peasant armies) · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Married Anastasia from Romanov family

[|Peter the Great of Russia]
· <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ruled from 1682-1725 · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Was 6 feet and 7 inches tall · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Wanted Russia to expand westward <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">- needed a warm water port · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Built St. Petersburg and forced nobles to live there · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Brought in foreign experts, initiated a beard tax, and cut traditional long sleeves · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Built baroque palaces and cities from scratch

=**Important Concepts**=


 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Constitutional State **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – a nation governend by laws
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[|States-General] **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – assembly of the estates of the sovereign body of the Netherlands
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Stadholder **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – Head of state representative in the Netherlands
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Merchant Marines **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – the merchant fleet of a country
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hugenot **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – French protestant
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Dragoon **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – Mounted infantry; cavalry troops
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">**[|Peace of Utrecht]**– ended the [|War of Spanish Succession]. It confirmed Philip V as the Spanish ruler and that the thrones of Spain and France were to be separated.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Divine Right **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – the belief that monarchs have a God-given right to rule a nation
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Cavaliers **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – a Royalist supporter of King Charles I during the [|English Civil War]
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Round Heads **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – the nickname given to the supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Magyar **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – a native of Hungary
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bureaucracy **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – nonelective government officials
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Janissary **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – non-Turkish soldiers, who belonged to an elite infantry corps of the Ottoman army
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Junkers **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – member of the Prussian aristocracy noted especially for militarism
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Absolutism **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – a form of monarchical power that is unrestrained by all other institutions, such as churches, legislatures, or social elites
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Czar **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – a male monarch or emperor of Russia
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Cossack **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – an elite cavalry corps in Russia

=**Major Events**=

The Netherlands
[|The Netherlands] underwent a period of intense growth and prosperity in the seventeenth century under the leadership of the House of Orange. The Dutch accomplished such prosperity by building an extensive trade network in East Asia; the Netherlands sustained a strong presence in the region through the first half of the twentieth century. Dutch culture had a strong influence throughout Europe in this period, mainly due to this growth of the Netherlands as a hub of international trade. With the death of William III in 1702, the Netherlands’ universal dominance of European politics and industry began to collapse as it succumed to political and economic stagnation.

Scottish Rebellion and the Long Parliament
Charles I dissolved Parliament from 1629-1640; in 1640, the nation of Scotland, which had been under English control, rebelled against the crown. Charles called Parliament into session hoping for aid, but instead, Parliament passed several resolutions limiting the power of the King and ensuring Parliament met every three years. This Long Parliament met continuously from 1640-1648.

The English Civil War
By 1642, the Irish had joined in Scotland's rebellion, and Charles I was left with a dilemma. Parliament refused to grant him money or soldiers to fight a war against the Scots and Irish. Charles summoned forces from among the English nobility and hired foreign mercenaries to form his own private army, which became known as the Cavaliers. Parliament responded by forming its own army from the London militia which became known as the Roundheads. Charles lost the war and was executed in 1649.

Oliver Cromwell and the English Protectorate
[|Oliver Cromwell], backed by his New Model Army, seized dictatorial control of England following the death of Charles I. He placed the country under martial law, censoring the press and restricting civil liberties. Cromwell died in 1658; martial rule collapsed with his death.

The Glorious Revolution
Dreading the establishment of a Catholic dynasty in England by the infant son of King James II, the people of England invited William and Mary of the Netherlands to England to assume the English throne. James II fled England, and William assumed the throne in 1689, becoming King William II. William recognized the supremacy of Parliament to the monarchy and passed a Bill of Rights ensuring Parliamentary control and the protection of certain liberties. William passed the English crown to the German house of Hanover in 1701.

The Rule of Walpole
Sir Robert Walpole rose to prominence in Parliament in the first part of the eighteenth century; he would later take control of the legislature as Prime Minister, consolidating Parliamentary power to cause it to become stronger than the King. Walpole made many reforms during his tenure, increasing global trade and the strength of the military and propelling England to world power status.

The War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1713)
Charles II, King of Spain, died in 1700 without designating an heir to the Spanish throne. As such, the major European powers of the period (France, England, the Netherlands, Austria, and Prussia) agreed to equally divide Spanish lands between themselves. Charles II, however, had willed all Spanish lands to Philip of Angeoux, nephew of Louis XIV, King of France. As a result Louis XIV claims that all Spanish lands now belong to France; England, the Netherlands, Austria, and Prussia form an alliance to prevent the consolidation of France and Spain from occurring. The war becomes a stalemate, and is settled by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

The Treaty of Utrecht (1713)
The Treaty of Utrecht was signed by the combatants in the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713 and lists the following terms:


 * 1) Philip of Angeoux shall be crowned King of Spain on the condition that the Spanish and French thrones are never to be united.
 * 2) France shall cede eastern Canada to England
 * 3) England shall gain the strategic territory of Gibralter, at the entrance of the Mediterranean.
 * 4) Austria shall gain the territory of the Spanish Netherlands (modern-day Belgium).

This treaty largely equalized the balance of power in Europe.