New States of Europe – Universal History

The appearance of new states in Europe was the most important event of the 18th century: Prussia emerged as a power in the 18th century due to the work of the Hohenzollern family, which had ruled the Electorate of Brandenburg since the 15th century. This town later gave rise to the German Empire. And the other great state was Russia which originated from two peoples: The Muscoviteswho founded the city of Moscow and Swedishwhich in command of Rurik founded the small republic of novogorod. This possibly occurred in the 12th or 13th centuries.

new states of europe

The new states of Europe were:

Austria

Countries that formed it

In 1714, Austria properly included the duchy of the same name, the kingdoms of Bohemia, Hungary, the Netherlands; the Milanese and Parma in Italy. The sovereign of this Empire was also Emperor of Germany. Each of these towns had different capitals, as well as their own government, but they were under a common emperor.

The reign of Maria Theresa

Maria Theresa of Austria

Emperor Charles VI (1711) was succeeded by his daughter Maria Teresa. This decision was not accepted by some (voters of Saxony and Bavaria), breaking out the War of the Austrian Succession, in which Prussia, France, Spain and later England also took part.
But the energetic and kind queen, harassed by the European powers, managed to save Austria from a dismemberment, losing only the province of Silesia, at the hands of Prussia.
However, he tried to recover Silesia, fighting after seven years against Frederick II of Prussia, who defeated him.
Finally, he intervened together with Russia and Prussia in the division of Poland that disappeared from the map.

Joseph II

María Teresa was succeeded by her son José II, who in 10 years of iron rule (1780-1790) proclaimed the equality of all before the law, established the German language as official for the entire kingdom, and despite being Catholic, guaranteed the freedom of worship
His reforms provoked violent protests in various parts of his kingdom. He died disenchanted by the little reception they received.

Prussia

hohenzollern castle

Prussia emerged as a power in the 18th century due to the work of the Hohenzollern family, which had ruled the Electorate of Brandenburg since the 15th century. This territory later gave rise to the German Empire whose greatness ended in the First World War (1914).
Originally, Prussia was a group of small isolated states that the Hohenzollerns united. Lacking natural defenses, they created the best army in Europe to protect themselves.
The greatness of Prussia was mainly due to two kings:

Frederick William I, the King Sergeant (1713-1740)

Convinced that he could only make his country great with a powerful army, he established compulsory military service, declaring that every Prussian was born to be a soldier. He did not waste money in his court, which only had 37 courtiers and simple wooden furniture, since he dedicated everything to strengthening the army. His only diversion was drinking beer with his officers and watching the troops maneuver. The officers were made up of nobles, since commoners could only reach the class of Ensign.
To favor national industry, he placed high taxes on foreign manufactured products.

Frederick William II, the Great (1740-1786)

Son of Federico Guillermo I. He was an enlightened, industrious sovereign and the best European military leader. He seized several territories, such as Silesia (from Austria) and Polish Prussia (taken from Poland).
In the 23 years of his government, he formed the best army in Europe, doubling the number of his men (from 80,000 to 160,000); and increased its territory from 120,000 square kilometers to 200,000 km2.
He founded schools, protected industry, commerce, artists and philosophers.
Prussia was already a great power.

Russia

How did Russia come to be?

Slavic and Finnish tribes, dominated by the Mongolian Tatars, inhabited Russia until the 16th century. They were very backward peoples.

Ivan the Terrible

But, at the beginning of the 16th century, Ivan the Terrible, head of the Principality of Moscow, one of the most important small states in Russia, managed to emancipate himself from the yoke of the Mongol Khans, founding the Russian state of Muscovy, whose capital was Moscow. . Ivan was named “Zar” which meant Great King of all Russia.
He ruled absolutely, as owner of life and property of his subjects. Society was divided into two classes: the boyars (nobles), owners of the land; and the mujiks (peasants), who lived like the serfs of the Middle Ages.
By force of arms he expanded Russian territory.

the romanof dynasty

On the death of Ivan the Terrible, internal struggles took place, until Tsar Miguel de Romanof was proclaimed, who began a dynasty that ruled until 1917, when the last monarch Nicholas II was executed. The most notable czar of this dynasty was Pedro I, the Great.

Pedro I, the Great (1689-1725)

Pedro I, the Great ascended the throne at the age of 17. He was a gigantic man (he was over two meters tall) who ruled absolutely. Very active, he understood the backwardness in which his people were.
to).-Introduction of western culture: A fervent admirer of Western culture, he disguised himself and learned in Europe how to build ships, fortifications, he saw schools, libraries, etc. Upon returning from his two trips, he called many European artisans and engineers, with whom he built ships, buildings that stood out in the midst of the Muscovite shacks, established schools, academies, printing presses, libraries, factories, and even forced his subjects to change or modify her clothes very old-fashioned, finding resistance that she dominated with the whip. He founded: the city of St. Petersburg on the shores of the Baltic Sea, to be closer to Europe; Naval schools, Engineering, Medicine, etc.
He made agriculture, commerce, industry progress.
b).—Conquest in the Baltic Sea: in order to have “a window on Europe”, he fought against Turkey and Sweden to have access to the Black and Baltic seas, respectively; but, he only achieved success with Sweden, from which he wrested some shores on the Baltic Sea, where he had the port of St. Petersburg built.

Catherine II, the Great (1763-1796)

The successors of Pedro the Great were Pedro II and Pedro III. The latter, not very intelligent and vicious, was married to a German princess, Catherine, who, tired of her husband’s uselessness, dethroned him and proclaimed herself Tsarina, with the name of Catherine II, who would later be called the Great, due to the work that he carried out in 33 years of government, which was the following:

1. —Internally: put down an uprising by Cossacks, colonized the Volga and Ukrainian regions with foreign immigrants; he introduced potato cultivation, opened hospitals, and founded cities like the port of Sebastopol.
2. —Externally: he increased the Russian territory in war against the Turks from whom he took the Crimean peninsula and coasts in the Black Sea, achieving access to this sea; and in the division of Poland (together with Austria and Prussia) he seized Lithuania and other territories, Poland disappearing until 1918.

Catherine II, left her country converted into one of the first powers in Europe.

Europe late 18th century