Sp Ch15

Speilvogel Ch.15 Unit IV Ch.15 State Building and the Search for Order in the 17th Century Social Crises, War, and Rebellions I. The inflation-fueled prosperity of the 16thc showed signs of slackening by the beginning of the 17thc. Economic contraction was evident in some parts of E in the 1620s. In the 16 30s and 40s, as imports of silver from Am declined, economic recession intensified, especially in the Med area II. The 16thc was a period of expanding population, possibly related to warmer climate and increased food supplies A. It was the 1st major recovery of E population since the devastation of the BD B. There was a leveling off by 1620 and possibly decline by 1650, especially in central and southern E C. Only the F, D, and E grew in number in the 1st ½ of the 17thc III. Another “Little Ice Age” after the middle of the 16thc when average temperatures fell affected harvests and caused famines. These problems created social tensions that came to a boil in the witchcraft age The Witchcraft Craze I. Witchcraft trials were held in E, SL, SZL, G, F, the LC, NE, and Am II. It’s practice had been a traditional part of village culture for cs, but it became to be viewed as sinister and dangerous when the medieval church began to connect witches to the devil, transforming it into heresy that should be wiped out A. After the establishment of the Inquisition, in the 13thc, people were accused of a variety of witchcraft practices and turned over to secular authorities for burning at the stake or hanging The Spread of Witchcraft I. What distinguished witchcraft in the 16th and 17thc from previous developments was the increased number of trials and executions of presumed witches A. As more people were brought to trial, the fear of witches as well as the fear of being accused as a witch escalated to frightening proportions B. The trials began in larger cities but spread to rural areas II. The accused witches usually confessed after intense torture A. Many said that they had sworn allegiance to the devil and attended sabbats or nocturnal gatherings where they feasted, danced, and copulated w/the devil in sexual orgies B. Admitted to using evil incantations and special ointments and powders to wreak havoc on neighbors by killing livestock, injuring children, and raising storms III. Many contributing factors have been suggested to explain why the witchcraft frenzy became so widespread A. Religious uncertainties played a part. Many witchcraft trials occurred in areas where Protestantism had been recently victorious or in regions where Pro-Cath controversies still raged. As religious passions became inflamed, accusations of being in league w/the devil were common on both sides

B. Social conditions also played a part, especially the problems of a society in turmoil. At a time when the old communal values that stressed working together for the good of the community were disintegrating before new economic ethic that emphasized self-concern, property owners became more fearful of the growing numbers of poor among them and transformed them psychologically into agents of the devil C. Old women were especially susceptible to suspicion. Many of them, no longer the recipients of the local charity available in traditional society, may have tried to survive by selling herbs and potions D. Nicholas Remy and many other witchcraft judges were not surprised that most accused of being witches were women. Most theologians, lawyers, and philosophers believed in the natural inferiority of women and thus would have found in plausible that women would be more susceptible to witchcraft Decline I. By the mid-17thc, the witchcraft hysteria had begun to decline. The destruction caused by the religious wars forced people to accept toleration, tempering religious passions II. As governments began to stabilize after the period of crisis, fewer magistrates were willing to accept the unsettling and divisive conditions caused by the witch trials III. By the turn of the 18thc, more and more educated people were questioning their old attitudes toward religion and finding in contrary to reason to believe in the old view of a world haunted by evil spirits The Thirty Years’ War I. Although many E responded to the upheavals of the 2nd ½ of the 16thc w/a desire for peace and order, the 1st 50 years of the 17thc continued to be plagued by crises Background to the War I. Religion, especially the struggle b/w militant Cath and militant Cal, played an important role in the outbreak of the 30 Years’ War (1618-1648) A. As the war progressed, it became clear that secular, dynasticnationalistic considerations were important II. It took place primarily in the Germanic land of the HRE, but it became a Ewide struggle. Some historians view it as part of a larger conflict for E leadership b/w the Bourbon dynasty of F and the Habsburg dynasties of S and the HRE III. The Peace of Augsburg in 1555 had brought an end to religious warfare b/w GCaths and Luths. Religion, however, continued to play a diverse role in G life as Luths and Caths persisted in vying for control of various principalities A. A number of G states had adopted Cal as their state church. At the beginning of the 17thc, the Cal ruler of the Palatinate, the Elector Palatinate Fredrick IV, assumed the leadership in forming a league of G Pro states called the Protestant Union B. To counteract it, the Catholic League of German states was organized by Duke Maximilian of the south German state of Bavaria. By 1609 G was dividing into 2 armed camps in anticipation of the religious wars

IV. The religious division was exacerbated by a constitutional issue. The desire of the Habsburg emperors to consolidate their authority in the HRE was resisted by the princes, who fought for their “G liberties” their constitutional rights and prerogatives as individual rulers A. To pursue their policies, the H emperors looked to Sp for assistance while the princes turned to the enemies of Sp, especially F, for help against the emperors. B. The divisions in the HRE made it almost inevitable that if war did erupt, it would be widespread and difficult to stop The Bohemian Phase I. The BP (1618-1625) began in one of the H own territories. In 1617, the Bohemian Estates accepted the H Archduke Ferdinand as their king but soon found themselves unhappy w/their choice A. F was a devout Cath who began a process of Cath Bohemia and strengthening royal power even though the nobles were Cal B. The Pro nobles rebelled against F in May 1618 and proclaimed their resistance by throwing 2 of the H governors out of the window of the royal castle of Prague, the seat of the B government C. The Cath side claimed that their seemingly miraculous escape was due to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, while Pro pointed out that they fell into a manure pile D. The B rebels now seized control of B, deposed F, and elected as his replacement the Pro ruler Palatinate, Elector Fredrick V, who was also head of the Pro Union II. F refused to accept his deposition. Aided by the forces of Maximilian of Bavaria and the Cath league, the imperial forces defeated Fredrick and the B nobles at the Battle of White Mountain outside Prague on November 8, 1620 A. S troops took advantage of Fred predicament by invading the Palatinate and conquering it by the end of 1622. B. Fred fled into exile in the United Provinces. The S took control of the western part of the Palatinate to gain access to the route from Italy to the NL that they had wanted. Duke Max took the rest of the territory C. Reestablished as the king of B, F declared B a hereditary H possession, confiscated the land of the Pro nobles, and established Cath as the sole religion. D. The Sp renewed their attack on the D, and the forces of Cath seemed on the road to victory The Danish Phase I. The DP (1625-1629) began when king Christian IV of Denmark, a Luth, intervened on behalf of the Pro cause by leading an army into northern G. A. Christian made an anti-H and anti-Cath alliance w/the United Provinces and E. He also wanted to gain possession of some Cath territories in northern G to benefit his family II. F had in the meantime gained a new commander for the imperial forces in Albrecht von Wallenstein who was a B nobleman who had taken advantage of F victory to become the country’s wealthiest landowner.

A. Wallenstien’s forces defeated a Pro army at Dessau and then continued to operate in northern Germany. B. The forces of Christian IV, despite substantial aid from their allies, were defeated in 1626 by an army of the Cath League under Count Tilly and then suffered an even more devastating loss to Ws forces the following year. C. W now occupied parts of northern G, including the Baltic ports of Hamburg, Lubeck, and Bremen. Christian IV’s defeat meant the end of Danish supremacy in the Baltic III. After the success of the imperial armies, Emperor F II was at the height of his power and took this opportunity to issue the Edict of Restitution in March 1629 A. His proclamation prohibited Cal worship and restored the Cath church all property taken by Pro princes or cities during the past 75 years B. The sudden growth of the H emperor frightened many German princes, who feared for their independent status and reacted by forcing the emperor to dismiss W The Swedish Phase I. The Sp (1630-1635) marked the entry of Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden A. Responsible for reviving Sweden and making it into a great Baltic power. He brought a disciplined and well equipped Swedish army to northern G. He was a devout Luth who felt compelled to aid his coreligionists in G II. Gv army swept the imperial forces out of the north and moved into the heart of G A. In desperation, the imperial side recalled W, who was given command of the imperial army and met Gv troops near Leipzig B. At the Battle of Lutzen (1632), the Swedish forced prevailed but paid a high price for the victory when the Sw king was killed in battle C. The Sw forces remained in G but proved far less effective III. The imperial army decisively defeated the Swedes at the Battle of Nordlingen at the end of 1634 and drove them out of southern G A. The victory guaranteed that southern G would remain Cath B. The emperor used this opportunity to make peace w/G princes by agreeing to annul the Edict of Restitution of 1629. But peace failed to come to G C. The Swedes wished to continue, while the F entered the war directly The Franco-Swedish Phase I. By this time, religious issues were losing their significance. A. Cath F were now supporting the Swedes against the C Habsburgs of G and S II. The Battle of Rocroi in 1643 proved decisive as the F beat the S and brought an end to S military greatness. The F then moved on to victories over the imperialist-Bavarian armies in southern G A. By this time, all parties were ready for peace, and after 5 years of negotiations, the war in G officially by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648

B. The war b/w F and S continued until the Peace of the Pyrenees in 1659. By that time, S had become a 2nd class power, and F had emerged as the dominant nation in E Outcomes of the War I. The Peace of Westphalia ensured that all G states, including the Cal ones, were free to determine their own religion. France gained parts of western G, part of Alsace, and the three of Metz, Toul, and Verdun, giving the F control of the F-G border area II. While Sweden and the G states of Brandenburg and Bavaria gained some territory in G, the Austrian H did not lose any but did see their authority as rulers of G further diminished III. The 300 states that made up the HRE were recognized as virtually independent, since each received the power to conduct its own foreign policy A. The H emperor had been reduced to a figurehead in the HRE IV. The Peace of Westphalia also made it clear that religion and politics were separate B. The pope was completely ignored in all decisions at WP, and political motives became the guiding force in public affairs as religion moved closer to becoming primarily a matter of personal conviction and individual choice V. Hurt the G economy and caused the population to decline. Some areas of Germany were completely devastated while others remained untouched A Military Revolution? I. By the 17thc, war played an increasingly important role in E affairs. A. Military power was considered essential to a ruler’s reputation and power; thus the pressure to build and effective military machine was intense II. Medieval warfare had been transformed in the Ren by the employment of infantry armed w/pikes and halberds and arranged in squadrons or battalions A. The use of firearms required adjustments to the size and shape of the massed infantry and made cavalry less effective III. Gv developed the 1st standing army of conscripts, notable for flexibility and tactics. The new tactics required coordination, careful training, and better discipline, forcing rulers to move away from undisciplined mercenary forces A. Many changes included the increased use of firearms and cannons, greater flexibility and mobility tactics, and better-trained armies B. These innovations necessitated standing armies, based on conscription, which grew ever larger and more expensive and could be maintained only be heavier taxes, making war an economic burden and an ever more important part of the early modern E state C. The creation of large bureaucracies to supervise the military resources of the state led to a growth in the power of state governments Rebellions I. Before, during, and after the 30 years war, a series of rebellions and civil wars stemming from discontent of both nobles and commoners rocked the domestic stability of many E governments

A. Monarchs attempted to extend their authority at the expense of traditional powerful elements who resisted the rulers’ efforts B. In order to fight wars, governments increased taxes and created such hardships that common people also arose in opposition II. B/w 1590 and 1640, peasant and lower-class revolts erupted in central and southern F, Austria, and Hungary. Portugal and Catalonia rebelled against S government in 1640. The common people of Naples and Sicily revolted against both the government and nobility in 1647. Russia was rocked by rebellions in 1641, 1645, and 1648. Nobles rebelled in F from 1648 to 1652 to halt the growth of royal power. The northern governments of Sweden, Denmark, and the United Provinces were not immune to upheavals involving clergy, nobles, and mercantile groups