Topic Five Discussion Twenty Four:  The Formation of and Austrian Monarchy

 

1.     The Recovery and Growth of Habsburg Power

a.      Eminence of the Habsburg was based on role of HRE

b.     Thirty Years War ends the potential for a centralized monarchy over the HRE

c.     Spain is in decline and the importance of connections with Spanish Habsburg is less significant and then vanishes (Bourbons)

d.     Austria successfully thrusts itself into European affairs as an Empire

e.      Austria proper is made up of three dominions

                                                  i.      Hereditary provinces of Upper and Lower Austria

                                                ii.      Kingdom of Bohemia (formerly Protestant)

1.     Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia

                                              iii.      Kingdom of Hungary

1.     Hungary, Transylvania, and Croatia

                                             iv.      Region is knit together by force

f.       Hungary comes to Austria through Europe’s response to the Turks

                                                  i.      1683 Poland (Sobieski), Russia, and Italy help push the Turks away from Vienna (Parthenon)

g.     Eugene of Savoy helps modernize Austria

                                                  i.      Organizes the military after the model of Louis XIV

                                                ii.      Defeats Turks and wins Hungary, Transylvania, and Croatia for Austria

                                              iii.      1700 Focus shifts to the west and in 1714 wins Spanish Netherlands, Naples, and Milan

                                             iv.      Focus shifts to the east and the Turks are push further

1.     1739 wins Croatia and eastern boundary is established for 300 years

2.     Trieste gives Austria water access

2.     The Austrian Monarchy by 1740

a.      Monarchy stretches to the bounds of the Danubian Basin

b.     Diverse populations are represented

                                                  i.      German, Czech, Croatian, Hungarian, Italian

c.     Stands against Protestants, democrats, nationalists

d.     Strong agricultural base

                                                  i.      Landlords are left in charge

                                                ii.      Peasants will struggle

                                              iii.      Industrialization is minimal

                                             iv.      Protestantism is repressed and lands are seized and redistributed

1.     Heterogeneous population is generated (Hungary)

e.      Various relationship with the members of the Empire were based on the leadership of the Habsburgs

                                                  i.      Title was to be hereditary to prevent chaos and keep the crowns united under one person

f.       Charles VI organizes the “Pragmatic Sanction”

                                                  i.      All internal members of the Empire agree to let Maria Theresa inherit all titles of the empire

                                                ii.      Foreign powers agree with Pragmatic Sanction as well

1.     England receives trade concessions

                                                iii.      1740 Charles VI dies and “War of the Austrian Succession” breaks out