Lecture on Westphalia and the run up to the French Revolution

1. Lecture on Westphalia and the run up to the French Revolution

2. For those of you interested in diplomatic humor, here is a bit of British humor on the conferenbce leading to up the Westphalia Treaty.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-WO73Dh7rY&feature=related

3. The Peace of Westphalia: Treaty of Münster and Treaty of Osnabrück May 1648. Outcome of the Peace: cuius regio, eius religio “the religion of the king or prince would be the religion of the people (Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist),  Church and Austria weakened, Habsburg Spain weakened with loss of Portugal 1640, France acquires territories at the expense of Habsburg especially part of Alsace but not Strasbourg and Mulhouse, Sweden acquires territories in the north, Brandenburg (Prussia) emerges and acquires territories, Switzerland and Netherlands recognized as independent, End of supranational rule over states, no wonder Pope Innocent X declared the treaty "null, void, invalid, iniquitous, unjust, damnable, reprobate, inane, empty of meaning and effect for all times."

4. Westphalia

5. HRE in 1630 superimposed on present day frontiers

6. 1648 – 1815: The rise and fall of France, the expansion of the European state system “The House of Habsburg was humbled by the House of Bourbon and an enlarged France stepped forward once more into the international arena as arbiter of the destinies of Europe”

7. Habsburgs in 1547

9. Summary of Period: • efforts to acquire colonial possessions in Americas and Asia, • wars of succession, • England as the “balancer”: resisting France’s desire to impose its “will” on Europe, • territorial changes and emergence of new powers: Prussian-Austrian rivalry over northern Germany and disappearance of Poland rise of Russia and Prussia while Sweden and Ottoman Empire recede, • French revolution and Napoleonic wars, • Birth of the United States.

10. Colonial developments: • Treaty of Tordesillas(1474) Protugal claimed all of Africa, souther Asia (Macao and Goa) as well as Brazil on the basis of “right to discovery” • Late 1500s competition over Portugese colonies when Spain annexes Portugal, Dutch grab Asian, Spain Central American colonies of Portugal, • England and France join in with explorations especially in north American, England take away many of Dutch colonies (New York, New England, New Foundland, Nova Scotia); France expands into Great Lake region, Louisiana, Mississippi = New France • Throughout the 1700s each war in Europe had its corresponding one in the colonies especially between France and England, paradoxically France grew on the continent in Europe but lost colonies to England in north America (East of Mississippi), also in India, French Caribbean remain under France, Spanish cede Florida to England

11. Wars of succession: Spanish succession wars (1701-1713) Death of childless Charles II of Spain (House of Habsburg) leads two brothers in law Louis XIV of France and Leopold I of Austria to claim Spain while William II of Orange of England tried to arbitrate. Eventually French King installs his grandson Philip IV and war breaks out to resist France and to get Spanish possessions in the Netherlands, Milan, Naples and Tuscany. 

12. Treaty of Utrecht (1712-13): • Philip to remain as Bourbon King of Spain but Spain and France never to unite, • Naples, Milan, Sardinia, Spanish Netherlands to Austria, • England secures Gibraltar, • Savoy – Piedmont become independent, • The “elector of Brandenburg” recognized as King of Prussia, House of Hohenzollern.

13. War of Polish Succession (1733 -1738) France’s candidate, father in law of Louis XV, this time looses and Austria-Russian candidate, elector of Saxony, prevails in return Spanish Bourbons get Two Sicilies from Austria and place a Bourbon daughter as queen.

14. War of Austrian Succession (1740 – 1748) Maria Theresa challenged when Charles IV dies. War between France, Bavaria, Saxony, Prussia vs. England, Netherlands and Austria. • Peace of Aix La Chapelle, 1748 • Prussia gets Silesia • Overseas territorial adjustments in Louisiana, India • Austria looses control of some northern Italian territories to rivals • Otherwise reinstall equilibrium status quo ante bellum

15. Resisting France, England as balancer: Death of Cardinal Richlieu and his successor Mazarin does not alter policy of expansion, Louis XIV (1642 – 1715), Le Grand Monarque “l’etat c’est moi”.  The succession wars constitute good examples of France trying to expand thru diplomacy as well as war and others often led by England trying to resist particularly over the “Low Countries”. Austria after repulsing Ottoman Empire in 1683 could turn around to resist France.

16. Prussian – Austrian Rivalry and rise of Russia: Poland gets gradually absorbed by Prussia, Russia and Austria first in 1772, then in 1795, Tsardom of Muscovy expands pushing off Swedes from the Baltics, Ottoamns from the north of the Black Sea.

17. Rise of the United States: France and Netherlands joined American rebels against Britain. Sued for peace in 1782 and emergence of US as a confederation.