BACK TO THE WEST AND NORTH

NETHERLANDS

SWEDEN

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

A. PART OF CHARLEMAGNE ' S EMPIRE1. After Charlemagne's death in the early 9th. century, the Netherlands became part of the East Frankish Kingdom 2. Frankish rule progressively weakened and _Vikings___ invaded and pillaged the region.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

B. VASSAL STATES: In the 10th. century semiautonomous states emerged which owed nominal allegiance to the __Kingdom of Lotharingia_ . Among these were the bishopric of Utrecht, the duchies of Brabant and Gelders, and the lands held by the counts of Zeeland and the increasingly powerful counts of Holland.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

C. CONSOLIDATION after 1348: The dukes of Burgundy gained control and, under Philip the Bold, many of the separate regions were reunited through marriages and purchases. In 1477, following the marriage of Philip's granddaughter and heir Mary of Burgundy to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, the Burgundian possessions passed into Austrian Hapsburg and--eventually--Spanish control.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

Government of or Netherlands:A. REPUBLIC: Confederacy of member provinces.B. STATES GENERAL: governing body of the central government. It met in the __Hague_______ C. DOMINATION BY HOLLAND: The most prosperous of the provinces exercised the most influence in the States General. The House of

_Burgundy___ was the leading family in Holland.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

RELIGION OF THE NETHERLANDS: __Dutch_ Reformed Church in the north, although it has the ''official'' faith, not an ''established'' church; in the South. The Calvinist Netherlands endorsed considerable religious __toleration___ and became a haven for _religious dissenters__ .

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

REPUBLIC OF the UNITED NETHERLANDSA. SPANISH CONTROL: In 1555-56, __Philip II____of Spain inherited the Netherlands and the rest of the Spanish empire from Holy Roman Emperor_Charles V_____ . From the beginning, Philip encountered strong anti-Spanish and anti-Catholic opposition especially from the Dutch nobility and from Calvinists in the Protestant northern provinces.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

B. REVOLT OF THE NETHERLANDS: In 1568 the Dutch Revolt erupted led by ___William___, Prince of Orange. The conflict would last for eighty years (1568-1648).1. The seven northern provinces (Holland: Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, Groningen, Friesland, and Overijssel) formed the United Provinces and proclaimed their independence from___Spain__ in 158l--a claim unrecognized by Spain until the Peace of ____Westphalia___ in 1648. In the l580's other European countries recognized Dutch independence

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

2. The predominantly Catholic southern provinces remained loyal to Spain and were subsequently distinguished as the Spanish Netherlands and then, after the War of the Spanish Succession, as the___Austrian________ Netherlands.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

GOLDEN AGE OF THE NETHERLANDS: (17th. century) A. TRADE, SHIPPING, and SHIPBUILDING expanded and an overseas commercial empire was established. Dutch traders dominated the textile market. The Dutch also dominated the fishing market and the production of dried fish for export.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

1. DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY, formed in 1602, acquired colonial territories including Ceylon (__Sri Lanka_________ ), South Africa, Java and Sumatra. It took control of the ___spice________ trade in the East Indies, displacing _Portuguese____ . It also won (1641) a monopoly on trade with____Japan_______ . Increasing corruption and near bankruptcy led to the dissolution of the company in 1799. Its possessions and debts were taken over by the Dutch state.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

2. DUTCH WEST INDIA COMPANY, formed in 1621, assisted in the establishment of New Netherland and the acquisition of territories in Brazil, Curacao, and Saint Martin.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

B. STRONG FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS: The Netherlands had the most advanced financial system of the 17th. century and included strong banks, sound credit, and profitable investment opportunities. Shares were bought and sold in the Dutch stock market, the bourse, located in __Amsterdam__

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

C. HIGH URBAN CONSOLIDATION: Most densely populated nation in Europe.D. AGRICULTURAL Changes: In the 17th. century the Dutch drained and reclaimed land from the sea. The reclaimed land was used for profitable endeavors such as dairy farming, raising beef cattle, and _____tulip____ production since basic grain was available cheaply through trade with the Baltic regions.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

END OF THE GOLDEN AGE

As a result of the Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652-74) control of the seas was lost to the British, along with New Netherlands, in exchange for Suriname. The Dutch trading dominance declined as nations began to use their own ships and to trade directly with each other.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

French invasion: in 1672 French troops invaded and were met by Dutch forces under William III, stadtholder of Orange. He would eventually lead the European coalition against France. In 1688 he would agree to take the English throne along with his wife, Mary.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

Hostilities with France ended in 1714. With the death of William in 1701, unified political leadership declined as the various provinces prevented the ascendancy of another strong stadtholder.

The Dutch in the 18th century would continue to dominate the financial markets.

RISE AND FALL of THE NETHERLANDS

18th Century Netherlands: A long period of decline was followed by the end of the Dutch Republic in 1795 when the French set up the Batavian Republic followed by the Kingdom of Holland under Napoleon’s brother, Louis Bonaparte, and in 1810, incorporated the lands into the French Napoleonic Empire

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

WAS

As a result of Sweden’s participation in the Thirty Years’ War, the country received scattered pieces of land in Scandinavia, Finland, the Baltic States and northern Germany. Sweden almost, but not quite, formed an empire out of these areas in Central and Eastern Europe.

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

WASA. Population: In the late 17th century, Sweden’s population was not over a million people. Sweden was smaller than the Dutch Republic. It had actually grown significantly during the 17th century due to two factors:

1. A slight global warming that made farming more feasible in Sweden’s climate

2. The introduction of the potato, from the New World, into Scandinavian agriculture

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

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B. Rulers made Sweden extraordinary

1. Gustavus Adolphus (1611-1632)Led the Protestant alliances in the Thirty Years’ War, winning great victories until the death of Gustavus in 1632. Many of the victories were due to Gustavus’ military genius.

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

WAS2. Christina (1632- 1654)A. She was the only legitimate child of King Gustavus Adolphus. She succeeded her father to the throne of Sweden upon his death at the Battle of Lutzen (1632) during Sweden's participation with Germany in the Thirty Years War. Reportedly she was so hairy and large that the midwives in fact prematurely called out that a boy had been born. Her gender identity was never clear cut. She was educated in the manner typical of men, and frequently wore men's clothes.

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

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B. The first half of Christina's reign was undertaken by her guardian, regent and adviser Axel Oxenstierna, chancellor to her father and until her majority in 1644 the principal member of the governing regency council. As ruler, Christina resisted demands from the other estates (clergy, burgesses and peasants).

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

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C. Christina came under the influence of Catholics and then abdicated her throne on June 5, 1654 in favour of her cousin Charles Gustavus in order to either practice openly her previously secret Catholicism, or to accept her Catholicism publicly so as to be at the center of a scientific and artistic renaissance.

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

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3. Charles X Gustav (Karl X Gustav) (1654-1660) He was the son of John Casimir, Margrave of Pfalz-Zweibrücken and Princess Catherine of Sweden, half-sister of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. He was married to Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

WASEmpire Consolidation and Expansion: Charles began a 50-year attempt by the Swedes to expand their holdings and create an empire around the Baltic Sea.

In 1655 he invaded Poland ( beginning to be known as one of the aging empires in Europe)In 1657 he declared war on Denmark who had come to the aid of Poland. With the aid of the Dutch, the Danish were able to hold off Charles’ advances

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

WAS4. Charles XI (1660 – 1697) His father, who died when Charles was when he was four, left the care of his education to the regents whom he had appointed. So shamefully did they neglect their duty that when, at the age of seventeen, Charles XI attained his majority, he was ignorant of the very basics of kingship and almost illiterate. He was known to be truthful, upright and God-fearing; he devoted himself to manly sports and exercises; and in the pursuit of his favorite pastime, bear-hunting.

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

WASHe continued the expansionist foreign policy of his predecessors and engaged in several wars. He fought the Danish and realized victory in the Battle of Lund and the Battle of Landskrona. The Battle of Lund was, relatively to the number engaged, one of the bloodiest engagements of modern times. More than half the combatants (8,357, of whom 3,000 were Swedes) perished on the battle-field

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

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A.Sweden's weak economy didn't favor wars, even if Sweden was very succesful in conflicts, conscriptions were hated by the peasants and mercenaries cost the government much money.

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

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A.He had seven children, of whom only three survived him, a son Charles, and two daughters, Hedwig Sophia, duchess of Holstein-Gottorp and grandmother of Tsar Peter III, and Ulrike Eleonora, who ultimately succeeded her brother on the Swedish throne.

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

WASCharles XII (1697-1718)He came to the throne at the age of fifteen and left the country three years later to embark on a series of battles overseas, that briefly made Sweden the predominant power in Northern Europe. His youth gave other nations a decent pretext with which to invade Sweden; Saxony, Denmark-Norway, and Russia joined in a coalition to attack Sweden, beginning the Great Northern War. Charles XII turned out to be more astute than the other powers imagined, a great tactician, defeating all of the invaders. However, his strong tactical abilities were not accompanied by strategic and political wisdom.

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

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Great Northern War (1700- 1721)In 1700 Russia, under the rule of Peter the Great began their push to a warm-water port. They chose to push toward the Baltic Sea. Charles defeated the Russians at the Battle of Narva, but he miscalculated the strength of his army and continued the fight by pushing into Poland. The Russians, with vastly more manpower, reinforced their military and re-engaged Charles.

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

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In 1708, Charles decided to invade Russia and became the first world leader to be unprepared for the Russian winter (Napoleon and Hitler should have studied their history). Weakened after the brutal winter, his forces were defeated by the Russians in the Battle of Poltava. Charles forces were pinned down to a defensive position, and Charles was forced to flee to Turkey. He remained a “guest” of the Turks until 1714.

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

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Charles returned to Sweden in 1714 and tried to regain his empire – to no avail. He died four years later – killed by a stray bullet while fighting the Danes.

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

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In 1721 the Great Northern War came to an end. Sweden’s possessions were reduced to present-day Sweden, parts of Finland, and small holdings in northern Germany that they would lose within a century.

Sweden: THE EMPIRE THAT ALMOST

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Sweden would never be more than a minor power in European affairs after 1721