Alden DSouza P.1 Ch. 17 Reading Guide Absolutism in Central and Eastern Europe 1.

. The reestablishment of serfdom in Eastern Europe between 1400 and 1650 was unfortunate for the peasants and a reversal of the trend during the High Middle Ages, where peasants began to gain some power. Explain the cause of this reversal after the 1300s, and why eastern and western Europe went in very different directions. The Black Death depopulated Europe. In the west, serfs were becoming able to leave their masters because they had cities that were big. In the East, their cities were extremely small, so serfs couldnt escape in them. Also in the East the king passed a law that the serfs couldnt leave their lord. The west was also more agricultural. 2. What is hereditary subjugation? Its when peasants are bound to their land and lord. This binding passes down to their children. It also passes through the lords. 3. Absolutism in Eastern Europe developed somewhat differently than in France. Germany after 1648 (actually still called the HRE) was completely divided. Remember, the 30 Years War destroyed central government of HRE. Nation was composed of more than 300 fully sovereign states; the strongest were Brandenburg-Prussia (north) and Austria (south). German nobles were stronger than their French counterpartswhy was this? Nobles had so much power because they had total control of their lands. Cities are very lacking in the East. Peasants couldnt flee their lord in the East and go into cities because they werent large enough that you could simply disappear into the crows. The King passed laws that made it unable for serfs to run away. 4. List some characteristics of Prussian absolutism, which began with Hohenzollern Frederick William the Great Elector (who will gain the title of king of Prussia in 1657 from the emperor in return for his contribution of Prussian troops to fight France in the War of the League of Augsburg): Unify three areas of Prussia Force weakened states to accept permanent taxation Use military to suppress subjects Build lots and lots of palaces 5. Who were the Junkers? The Junkers were the nobility in Prussia. They are resisting the centralizing efforts of the King. The Soldier King makes the Junkers the officer corps of his military.

6. What contributions did Frederick William I, akathe Sergeant King (your book calls him the Soldiers King) make to Prussian absolutism? The Sergeant King revolutionized Prussias army. He made the 4th largest army in Europe with an extremely small population. He also made them soldier for soldier the most powerful fighters. He made sure his nobles were educated, though mainly for war. He militarized the whole country and made them all subservient to him. He subjugated the nobles by making the offices in his army.

Alden DSouza P.1 7. In Austria, the Habsburgs worked to create an absolutist state. List some of the challenges they faced and the ways in which they successfully built up Austrian absolutism: Successfully built up by - imposed & collected permanent taxes w/o consent - maintained permanent standing armies - conducted relations w/ other states Challenges included - After effects of 30 yrs. war - Efforts to root out Protestantism & turn HRE into an actual state failed - The power lied with the 300 jurisdictions, not the Hapsburg family 8. What was the robot? The robot was that nobles forced their serfs to work 3 days a week for them unpaid. Some lords took this even further and had their serfs work 6 days without pay. 9. List a few key characteristics of the Ottoman Empire that made it different from European powers: 1. They were more tolerant of religious differences. 2. Had self-governed millets for the different religions. 3. No one except the Sultan could own property, so he owned it all 4. Nobility wasnt passed down. 5. The sultan defended the peasants 10. How were the Turkish wars beneficial to the Habsburgs? The Turkish War forced the Habsburgs to strengthen their army. It also promoted a sense of unity within the Habsburg. Everyone was given a joint enemy. 11. What was the Pragmatic Sanction? It stated that the Hapsburg land couldnt be split to multiple heirs and that the land and title could pass to a woman. 12. What was the result of the Hungarian rebellion led by Prince Rakoczy in 1703? They didnt succeed, but they werent completely crushed either. Russia: 13. Who were the boyard nobility? The Boyard nobility are the traditional lad owning nobles of Russia. 14. What was meant by the Mongol Yoke? The Mongol Yoke is the period of time, when the Mongols rule and control Russia. Ivan III is the first Russian to cast out the Mongols with Wars. 15. What two developments in Russia reinforced the idea of absolutism (and the uniqueness of what Russians called the tsar)? 1. Ivan III is able to cast off the Mongols, but before this he learns leadership from them. He used the same leadership skills that they did

Alden DSouza P.1 2. When Constantinople falls to the church and as the symbol of the Eastern Orthodox Church is moved to Russia. This makes the Tsar a religious leader also. 16. What steps did Ivan the Terrible take to consolidate his power? Ivan IV slaughters the boyard nobility to take their land. He slaughters all of their servants with their lords. Ivan crowns himself Tsar, which relates him to Caesar. HE marries Anasthoesia, a Romanov and goes to war with the Mongols. By eliminating them he further expands his power. 17. Who were the Cossacks? The Cossacks were a group of people who disagreed with the Tsar. They ran away to the wild frontiers to escape taxation and becoming serfs. They have small militia bands that fight the Tsar. 18. Why did a strong middle class not emerge in Russia as it did in Western Europe? The strong middle class didnt emerge in Russia because whenever a business got prosperous, the government took it over. This stopped people from becoming wealthy. 19. Why was the period of 1598-1613 called the Time of Troubles? Ivan the Terrible dies and he doesnt have an heir. The nobles are fighting for the throne. People are killing each other and welcoming invading Swedes and Poles. When the Cossacks bands start to attack, the nobles banded together to crush the rebellion, which they do. 20. List at least three important consequences of Peter the Greats reign: He creates a military in Russia, thats merit based. It doesnt matter who you are, you start from the bottom and have the ability to rise to be the highest ranking person. He gathers some lands from the Swedish war. Russian serfdom became more important and oppressive. A class of Russians became more educated because of his compulsory five years of learning. Russia becomes a great power in Europe thanks to their military power.