Army for Absolutist Monarchs throughout Europe

Introduction

Between 1400 and 1650, nobles and rulers re-established serfdom in the east (Bohemia, Silesia, Hungary, eastern Germany, Poland Lithuania, and Russia). These countries gained economic unity but serfs lost rights, and were bound to the land and their lords. A runaway peasant was punished by having his ear nailed to a tree and given a knife to cut it off. These land lords could force peasants to work for up to 6 days without pay.

Discussion

The reason for this was that new law codes set by weak kings to comply with nobles gave them complete control over the serfs. Though there were some peasant uprisings none had any effect, so conditions didn't improve (Farndorn 56). The middle class was also diminished greatly with the cutting of the middle man in foreign trade. He had a strong control over Bohemia and gave land from Protestant nobles to Catholic nobles. This gives him an advantage in that those powerful nobles now owe him a great debt. Though generous to the wealth he cared little about the fact that the peasants worked at least 3 unpaid days a week and were under such harsh treatment.

Ferdinand III, his son, centralized the government in the hereditary German-speaking provinces. For the first time a permanent standing army was created there. A new threat to all of Europe was also arising as the Ottoman Turks came out of Anatolia (now Turkey) and under Suleiman. They ruled the most powerful empire in the world (from west Persia to North Africa to Central Europe), under him. During this period all of Europe was in the grip of fear for no one knew if they would try to expand into their regions. Everyone/everything in the Ottoman Empire was property of the sultan (Sayre Charney Vostal Pless 167-79).

Every year a few thousand Christian children would be collected and trained in Islam, under the sultan's suprivision, and transformed into soldiers for the him. Luckly for Europe the Ottoman's did stop advacing due to certain battles won by European countries and Ottoman's power slowly weakened A In Brandenburg (Prussian province), ruled by the Hohenzollern family, and was called 'the sandbox of the Holy Roman Empire' a Fredrick William, The Great Elector, came to power He was head of electors and tried to unify the 3 separate provinces, and developed a permanent army for Prussia, and created 'taxation without consent.' He made the noble class of Prussia, known as the Junkers, had to serve in the military for a while and were also tax collectors and police men which tripled total revenue of the country.

Fredrick William I, the Soldiers' King, established Prussian absolutism, and created the 4th largest army in the world (best in the world for its training). He was obsessed over tall soldiers and would go throughout Europe to get them. He led a disciplined military life (not like a normal king), and created a strong bureaucracy. He made Prussia the 'Sparta to the North,' ...