ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM Frederick the Great Catherine the Great

ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, Joseph II, enlightened despotism

EVALUATING “ENLIGHTENED ABSOLUTISM” To what extent did Enlightenment ideas influence monarchs of the time? Is “enlightened absolutism” a useful term to describe these monarchs?

WHO ARE THEY? Enlightened Despots – absolute rulers who rule with the good of the people in mind They still believed that people could not rule themselves

ENLIGHTENED ABSOLUTISM OVERVIEW Philosophes believed in natural rights Equality before the law Freedom of religious worship Freedom of speech and press Right to assemble Right to hold property In order for these natural rights to be established, philosophes believed people needed to be ruled

ENLIGHTENED ABSOLUTISM OVERVIEW Enlightened Absolutism (or Despotism) Term used to describe: … Absolute monarchs (rulers) who were influenced by the Age of Enlightenment “Enlightened despots” 18 th century monarchs who, without renouncing their own absolute authority, adopted Enlightenment ideals of rationalism, progress, and tolerance

HISTORIOGRAPHY OF THE TERM mid-19 th c: concept of “enlightened absolutism” develops 1960 s: historians start questioning term’s validity … see monarchs as pursuing conventional aims of state-building above all self-defense was key: need strong armies and strong admin/fiscal systems to support them enlightened policies existed but were “mere windowdressing” enlightened policies were often incomplete & limited 1970 s/80 s: back to the idea that “enlightened absolutism” is a valid term (product of detailed studies on particular countries)

MOST HISTORIANS AGREE THAT: monarchs did encourage and spread cultural values of Enlightenment monarchs believed in change from above & tried to enact reforms improvements were only modest life of peasantry remained very hard

HISTORIANS DIFFER ON THE QUESTION OF WHY REFORM WAS SO LIMITED. WAS IT THAT… … monarchs were not really sincere in their efforts? … powerful nobilities blocked absolutists’ sincere desire to enact reforms?

WHAT’S THE RIGHT ANSWER? Some historians fuse the two ideas: monarchs were committed to reform but humanitarian objectives were secondary. But what do you think? History is a matter of debate, and you are all budding historians!

ASSIGNMENT Enlightened Despot Report Cards

ENLIGHTENED DESPOT RESEARCH Your country group will be assigned an enlightened despot. Answer the following questions about your person in your notes. The country they ruled The years they ruled FOUR reforms which perhaps helped secure individual rights and better the lives of the people TWO failures from their reign Each despot has a special question. Answer that question after the above four questions. Do NOT include foreign policy (wars) in your answers.

SPECIAL QUESTIONS Frederick the Great What was the overall goal of Frederick the Great’s reforms? Give three examples. Catherine the Great Describe the Pugachev Rebellion and how it impacted her view of the peasantry. Maria Theresa How did Maria Theresa centralize her rule in the diverse Austrian empire? Provide two examples. Joseph II What happened to many of Joseph II’s reforms once he died?

FINALLY. Quiz Enlightened Despotism Discussion Writing Activity? Random Fact of the Day Middlesboro, KY is the only city in the United States built within a meteor crater.

FREDERICK THE GREAT – PRUSSIA R. 1740 -1786 Influence of the Enlightenment on his personality Claimed himself to be the “first servant of the state” GOAL OF REFORMS – increase power of the state Peasants didn’t see many improvements

FREDERICK THE GREAT Allowed religious freedoms Not for Jews though Promoted education in schools/universities Codified and streamlined laws Freed serfs on the crown’s lands – so they could fight Reduced censorship Abolished capital punishment Required examinations for civil servants

What the King Conquered, the Prince Shaped, the Field Marshal defended, the Soldier saved and united.

CATHERINE THE GREAT – RUSSIA R. 1762 -1796 The least “enlightened” of the despots of the late 18 th century German princess who became queen after having husband Peter III assassinated Lover of French culture Refused to speak German/Russian

CATHERINE THE GREAT Pugachev Rebellion (1773) Huge serf uprising led by Eugene Pugachev Landlords/officials murdered all over SW Russia After rebellion put down, Catherine gave COMPLETE control of serfs to the boyars Catherine ends any “enlightened” support for serfs

CATHERINE THE GREAT OTHER THINGS SHE DID Imported western culture to Russia Supported first private printing presses Restricted use of torture Limited religious toleration – civil equality for Jews Shortcomings Only the state and government benefits Condition of serfdom becomes more severe

MARIA THERESA – AUSTRIA R. 1740 -1780 Assumed the Hapsburg empire from her father, Charles VI Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 Rule is characterized as conservative and cautious – seeks to improve lives of her people but NOT considered enlightened despot Centralized control of Hapsburg Empire Limited power of nobles and Catholic Church Promoted economic development Give serfs some freedoms – make them more productive

JOSEPH II R. 1780 -1790 Abolished serfdom in 1781 Opposed by peasants b/c leftover dues had to be paid in cash, not labor Freedom of civic rights for Protestants and Jews Freedom of the press Abolished torture & death penalty Established mental institutions Made parks and gardens available to the public

JOSEPH II After Joseph II’s death, Austria struggled in many wars and came close to losing parts of her empire Leopold II had to undo many of Joseph II’s reforms to keep control of the empire

WRITING ACTIVITY Write an INTRODUCTION to ONE of the following prompts. Use BART in setting up your intro. 1. To what extent is the term “enlightened despot” appropriate when describing the reigns of Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, and Joseph II?

ENLIGHTENED ABSOLUTISTS CONCLUSION Of these rulers, only Joseph II sought truly radical changes based on Enlightenment ideas Both Frederick II and Catherine liked to talk about Enlightenment reforms, and even attempted some Neither seemed seriously affected by Enlightenment thought Necessities of maintaining the existing system took precedence over reform All used the ideas of the Enlightenment to strengthen their grasp on power