Habsburg Monarchy

In the 18th century, Maria Theresa, the young daughter of Holy Roman Emperor and Habsburg Emperor, Charles VI, inherited the Austrian, Bohemian, and Hungarian thrones, despite being a woman. Maria Theresa was the wife of Francis I, and the mother of 16 children, most notably, Joseph II, and Marie Antoinette, who both grew up to become major rulers. The archduchess of Austria came across many hardships and events that would slow down her reforms, but her power did not crumble. Whether it might be denying the ancient Salic Law, constant rivalry with Frederick the Great, or fighting for the land of Silesia, Maria Theresa proved to be a faithful ruler for her people, with some signs of early nationalistic views. She also ruled her nations to the…

(and ultimately) global mastery could begin. Thus, this was the fundamental basis for both the Bourbon Monarchy (France) and the Habsburg Empire (Austria) in The War of Spanish Succession. Moreover, the desire to attain Spain would lead to an global war, where a myriad of nations each beholding their own motives, endeavored to either restore the quasi-peace that Europe had possessed, or plummet into another…

As the Habsburg decline war breaks out between Austria and Prussia, heir to the throne is assassinated and various ethnic groups break up declaring the independence they’d yearned for, thus establishing a republic. “The Habsburgs reached the zenith of power before the end of the 16th century: the duchy of Milan, annexed by Charles V in 1535, was assigned by his son, the future Philip II of Spain, in 1540; Philip II, conquered Portugal in 1580; and the Spanish dominions in America were over…

The Habsburg Family Andrew Overton The Hapsburg Family was one of the most powerful families in the world, who dominated the political landscape across Europe for much of the Medieval ages and throughout the Renaissance. The Hapsburg family ruled a large variety of different nations throughout its reign, including the Holy Roman Empire, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sicily, Hungary-Croatia, colonial possessions in the New World, and other nations. The Hapsburgs were an incredibly powerful royal house…

Many of the towns and cities in the Netherlands resented Habsburg attempts to centralize the administration of the Netherlands(Ker). By the 1560s, Protestantism and Calvinism had become popular in parts of the Netherlands,the Habsburgs attempting to restore Roman Catholicism was one of the reasons why the Netherlands wanted independence from Spain. Philip II needed the Netherlands for its wealth. He would impose taxes on the Netherlands to help pay for wars, citizens of the netherlands greatly…

The Thirty Years War which lasted from 1618 until 1648 and engulfed the entire continent of Europe in a state of war. The Thirty Years War was caused by religious divisions among the protestants and the Roman Catholics in a struggle for the balance of power. The Thirty Years War had many consequences and benefits for different countries, but undoubtedly changed Europe in religious, social, and political ways. In the war between the Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestants…

There is a big difference between an absolute ruler and a constitution. An absolute ruler is country or state that is governed by a single person with unlimited power. This would be like a monarchy. A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is. Absolutism started with Henry IV, sully, and Richelieu. Henry IV founded the…

In October of 1740, Charles VI died. It was time for Maria Theresa, then 23 years old, to succeed to the Habsburg throne. Subjects of her crown lands—the Austrian duchies and Netherlands, and Bohemia and Hungary—were quick to accept Maria Theresa as their empress. But Maria Theresa immediately faced resistance to her succession from European powers who had previously agreed to her father’s Pragmatic Sanction. Under the leadership of Frederick II, King of Prussia, those powers formed a coalition…

potential of tyranny. More specifically James Madison wanted a republic form of government to rule. He believed that by “extend - [ing] the sphere” (Madison 159), or having more territory and citizens, there would be more “variety of interests” (Madison 159) and the decisions made would be more likely suited to that of the people. By creating variety and diversity throughout the people “virtuous ideas were apt to emerge” (Madison 159). However Mercy Otis Warren saw the faults of this…

Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher, stated that humans, “...are in that condition which is called war, and such a war as is of every man against every man”. The state of life is one of warfare among one another. William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies, believed the same idea. In Lord of the Flies, a group of boys are stranded on an island and their civilization slowly turns into savagery. The boys split into two groups, one led by a boy named Jack and the other by a boy named Ralph, and…