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The Age of Enlightened Absolutism,
1648-1789
Emperor Charles VI in the ceremonial robes and collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, oil painting, c. 1730
Although the Holy Roman Empire no longer had a significant role in European
politics after the Thirty Years' War, it remained important in Germany,
providing a framework for the many German states' and cities' conduct
of their public affairs. The Reichstag, which remained in session at Regensburg
from 1663 until the empire's dissolution in 1806, provided a forum for
the settlement of disputes. On occasion, votes were taken to remove incompetent
or tyrannical rulers of member states. The empire's most important service
was that it provided a measure of security to Germany's many small states
and free cities, without which some would have been swallowed up by larger
neighbors. Because of its weakened condition, the empire could no longer
dominate Germany, even when headed by ambitious and capable men such as
Charles VI (r. 1711-40). During the 1720s, he attempted unsuccessfully
to breathe new life into the empire. Later emperors returned to the traditional
Habsburg practice of using the imperial throne to benefit their own dynastic
holdings.
For nearly a century after the Peace of Westphalia, the main danger to
German states came from abroad. France was the chief threat, seizing parts
of southwestern Germany in the late 1600s, among them the city of Strasbourg
in 1681. French troops also fought on German soil during the War of the
Spanish Succession (1701-14). In addition to these military actions, France
formed alliances with some German states, most significantly with Bavaria,
which sought support against neighboring Austria. The Ottoman Empire also
posed a threat. In 1683 its forces besieged Vienna. The Germans ultimately
were successful against the Ottoman Empire, and after the Treaty of Passarowitz
of 1718, the Turks were no longer a danger.
- The Age of
Enlightened Absolutism
- Austria and Prussia
- The Smaller States
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