Struggles Among the
German States
Chapter 19:iv
Seven leading
German princes,
called electors,
chose a new Holy
Roman emperor
whenever an
emperor died.
From the 1400s on, the electors
always chose a Habsburg as
Holy Roman emperor.
In reality, the
Holy Roman
emperor had
little practical
control over the
rulers of these
small,
independent
states.
There was
constant
friction
between the
German
princes and
the Holy
Roman
emperor.
The Peace of Augsburg allowed
German princes to choose whether
their lands would be Roman
Catholic or Lutheran.
Holy Roman
Emperor
Ferdinand II
worked hard to
restore Roman
Catholicism to
the realms he
ruled.
The Thirty Years’ War began when
hot-headed Czech nobles threw two
of Ferdinand II’s officials out of an
open window onto a dung heap.
Cardinal
Richelieu of
France supported
the German
Lutherans in
order to prevent
the Habsburg
dynasty from
becoming too
powerful.
Famine and
plague broke
out in the
German states
after invading
armies looted
and burned
towns.
A typical
musketeer
and pikeman
of the Thirty
Years’ War.
BANG!
Gustavus Adolphus
• King of Sweden 1611-32
• known for his military prowess
Swedish Tercio of the 1630's
The Swedish were among the first
to employ more musketeers than
pikemen in their formations.
Peace of Westphalia
1648
1. ended Habsburg dream
of a strong central gov’t
2. independence of ~300
small German states was
recognized
3. acknowledged territorial
and political changes of
the previous 50 years
Rise of Prussia
The Hohenzollerns family
had ruled Brandenburg
since the 1400s.
Frederick
William, the
Great Elector,
established
strong rule over
Brandenburg-
Prussia by
building a
strong army.
“A ruler is treated with no
consideration if he does not
have troops and means of
his own.”
-Frederick William,
the Great Elector
German
nobles known
as Junkers
succeeded in
resisting
Frederick
William’s
attempts to
tax them.
King Frederick William I
(1688-1740)
Reorganized the Prussian army:
• doubled its size to 80,000 men
• recruited and trained members
of the Junker class as officers
• drafted peasants to serve as
soldiers
• men swore loyalty to the king
Prussia
became
known as
the Sparta
of the
North
under
Frederick
William I.
Frederick II
seemed an
unlikely
successor to
Frederick
William I
because he
loved to read
books and
play the flute.
Frederick II
continued his
father
Frederick I’s
program of
strengthening
the Prussian
army.
Berlin became the Athens
of the north under
Frederick the Great.
Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI
• no male heir to inherit throne
• feared the German princes and
nobles would not recognize his
daughter Maria Theresa as
ruler of Austria
Maria Theresa
(1717-80)
• became queen of Austria at age 23
-a challenge to her right to rule
resulted in The War of the
Austrian Succession
• a capable and decisive ruler
Maria Theresa
successfully
defended her
right to the
Austrian
crown with
the help of
Hungarian
nobility.
Frederick the
Great benefited
from the War
of the Austrian
Succession
because the
peace treaty
allowed him to
keep Silesia.
West Prussia in 1648
West Prussia in 1789
Seven Years War
(1756-63)
• was fought on three continents
(Europe, North America, and
Asia)
• was called the French and
Indian War in North America