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Comparison Chart   Summary Chart  I, Tashell Mitchell, do hereby nominate Emperor Joseph II to receive the Monarch of the Century award. This award stands to be given to one who has successfully exemplified both authority and control. Joseph, the Holy Roman Emperor, was the eldest son of Maria Theresa, and was the most difficult to manage. He was instructed by a Jesuit tutor, which only led to his disregard of religion. He was later tutored by one who emphasized the importance of physiocracy, which provided him with his views of the rights of man. Fredrick the Great and Voltaire also influenced him with the French Enlightenment. He was a friend to religious toleration, anxious to reduce the power of the church, to relieve the peasantry of feudal burdens, and to remove restrictions on trade and on knowledge. After the death of his father in 1765, he became emperor and was made co-regent by his mother in the Austrian dominions. As emperor, he had no real power, and his mother was resolved that neither husband nor son should ever deprive her of sovereign control in her hereditary dominions. He placed a great strain on her patience and temper, as in the case of the first partition of Poland and the Bavarian War of 1778, but in the last resort the empress spoke the final word. Until the death of his mother in 1780, Joseph was never quite free to follow his own instincts. Joseph sought to reform jurisprudence, but he constantly allowed the rule of the Hapsburg to be lessened. He abolished serfdom, but the peasantry still managed a great deal of responsibility to work and fix the economy. He enacted an Edict of Toleration, which granted Jews, Lutheranists, and Calvinists the right to worship freely. He began what is known as Josephism, which reinstated the priests and monasteries. He wanted to be fair, and tax everyone in efforts to stabilize the economy. He increased the German culture, Austrian dignity, and major advances in social and religious toleration. He actually gave his large inheritance to ease the national debt. He was able to cut government spending, built several public parks, and put the responsibility of caring for the sick in the hands of the Church. He was revolutionary. He abolished many Catholic traditions, such as the Rosary. Joseph has always been a favorite of the common man, and not so much with the aristocracy and clergy. This award is one to be presented to a monarch with the right idea. Emperor Joseph has always viewed it his duty as an absolute monarch to protect and serve his nation and all of his people, despite religion or class. Joseph pledged to achieve the common good for all of his subjects. He the felt people should be able to express their views freely, so he encouraged public debate and limited press censorship, granting almost anyone the right to publicly express their opinion. He eliminated cruel punishments and the death penalty, in hopes of improving the lives of the people. In attempts to make governing smoother, he wanted to establish German as the sole language of the empire. He enhanced the lives of his subjects by encouraging the building of new roads, improving river transportation, and creating laws to limit the authority of landowners over peasants. He granted peasants many personal freedoms, such as the right to marry and engage in skilled work without the permission of the landowner. Emperor Joseph has always felt that his prime purpose was to serve and improve the lives of the people. By nominating him for the Monarch of the Century Award, one must notice all of the groundbreaking improvements he implemented during his rule. He understood the importance of breaking away from the traditions, to something bigger and better. While advancing his country and territories, Joseph was able to help move towards equality and the betterment of his people. POLITICS Idea: She recognized that the nobility gave her crown to her, so she favored them. The middle class was still very important though, so she sought to appease them. Actions: The Charter of Nobility was granted, giving more power to nobles. The legislative commission was created for total representation of the citizens, but it later dissolved. She didn’t carry out many reforms, as the nobility was a necessity for her. Idea: Declaring himself the “first servant of the State”, Frederick II looked out for the Prussian nobility. Jobs were to be given by merit. Actions: The Prussian Civil Service Commission in 1770 sorted all major government appointments on education and examinations. Jobs would henceforth be given not by status but merit. Few nobles were created, and if they were it was again for their duty to the state and king. Idea: He aimed to increase the Habsburg emperor’s authority in his lands. He also aimed to create central authority in social and political life. Actions: In order to reduce the level of power Hungary held, he refused to crown himself there. He also sent the Crown of Saint Stephen back to the Imperial Treasury in Vienna. All local governments were redone to emphasize his power. Only German was used in the case of governmental affairs. Idea: His main goal was to keep the crown on his head and subdue the streltsy. Actions: The streltsy irked Peter in that they helped his sister Sophia stage a coup against him. He always remained suspicious against them, and time and time again he fought them back. He also had to convict his own son (the heir Aleksei) when he was accused of planning against the king. ECONOMICS Idea: Her plan was to continue under Peter the Great’s plan. She favored trade by the middle class. Actions: She tried to internal trade barriers. She also increased exports of grain, flax, furs, and naval stores. Idea: He wanted to fix the legal system so that there was less violence, more efficiency, and limiting capital criminals. There was a little more preference toward nobles here too. Actions: He brought workers from outside Prussia to help build the economy. A land mortgage credit association helped landowners in settling farms. He also brought new crops and advocated migration to better areas. The taxes were also harder on the peasants than nobles. Idea: He tried to create unity amongst the states as well as bring more money into Vienna for the whole state’s profit. Actions: He did away with internal tariffs as he tried to ease the burden of taxes off his people. So that the peasants could worry less about money and be more productive, Joseph II also created a new system for taxation of lands. He declared in 1789 that all land owners were going to be taxed no matter their status in society. Idea: Institutions called colleges were made so as to teach people of the economy to further advance it. Actions: Eight colleges were made. In these colleges several governmental classes and appointments were made such as the collection of taxes. War, economic affairs, and foreign relations were also subjects to be followed. The positions in the college were given to those who Peter believed loyal, as well as nobles. The economy, he believed, would prosper through reforms in education. Idea: Actions: SOCIAL/CULTURAL Idea: She was the least of all of the enlightened persons. Still, she also worked seriously toward the betterment of her people. Actions: Catherine did not favor reforms, as she knew that it was the nobility that gave her power. The French Revolution also severely disturbed the public, and so Enlightenment ideals were put away. She did work for her people though, erecting hundreds of schools and hospitals. Idea: He was a prominent follower of the Enlightenment. Actions: His state was very important in his eyes. Prussia experienced religious toleration, increased loyalty of the military, and used the junker nobility. He was against torture and he established civil service exams for the new middle class. Elementary schools were also established for the peasants and university professors were given their jobs. Idea: Joseph II did follow Enlightenment ideals however he was not very fond of them. Actions: After witnessing the violence of the French Revolution, he began to support the view of traditional order offered by his sister Marie Antoinette. His reforms took place in the relationship between him and the Church, and landowners and serfs. He attempted to break from the Roman Catholic Church, but he was the very Holy Roman Emperor himself. This proves his Enlightenment thoughts. Idea: Peter’s ideas for total reform of Russia were early versions of the Enlightenment. Actions: Although he did was not a large advocate for religious toleration or even for total education, he did support progress. He studied shipbuilding, moved the capital, westernized the people, and took Russia into modern day. Examples would be with the cutting of the long sleeves, or the taxation on all long beards. MILITARY Idea: She hoped to gain warm water ports. Actions: Going to battle with Turkey, Russia eventually got the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainardji in 1774. This gave them free navigation rights, and linkage to the Black Sea. Eventually, Russia’s borders would extend from the Black to the Baltic Sea. Idea: Frederick II was majorly involved in war throughout all of his life. This was due to the protection of his state, as he needed to reinstate the power and name of the kingdom of Prussia. Actions: The biggest enemy that he had to face was Maria Theresa of Austria. Both fought for several years over Silesia. During the Seven Year War he was a strong ally at the age of 40. Although he was outnumbered, Frederick II moved first to keep his state alive. Finally in 1763 the Hubertusburger Peace Treaty was signed in which he kept Silesia, defeating Maria Theresa. Idea: He attempted to reform imperial jurisprudence. Actions: He was one of the causes of the Bavarian War of Succession as he tried to exchange the Austrian Netherlands for Bavaria. He also tried to have Austria become a center of power in Central Europe. After the Poland’s first partitioning he did gain some land. Later in the Austro-Russian war it was his army that won over Belgrade, despite the fact that the major victories went to Catherine. Idea: Peter’s military strength was reserved for defense and access to ports. Actions: The main goal for Peter was not military or territorial expansion, but rather progressiveness. Westernization was his key focus and so he stayed busy with those tasks. However, he did need to seek warm-water ports and he acquired such through the Battle of Poltava. This battle was one in which he actively fought for access to the port. Otherwise, he used his army to display strength and protect his borders. RELIGION Idea: Marrying into Russian monarchy, she would have to compromise her childhood religion. Actions: Upon marrying Peter III she converted from Lutheran to Orthodox. Idea: He came under Enlightenment ideals with full religious tolerance. Actions: He offered to build mosques for Turks, protected the Catholics in Silesia, and offered land to the Jews as well. Idea: In reaction to Enlightenment thought, Joseph II was tolerant towards other religions. Actions: He himself was a Catholic, but he let Lutherans, Calvinists, and Jews worship in his states. Aside from Jews, others were allowed places of worship, to hold public office, and even school sponsors. He also reformed the Catholic Church to suit his demands and thoughts. Idea: The Russian Orthodox Church was made to be less independent. It was reformed to be to his favor. Actions: Peter abolished positions that threatened his notions, such as the patriarch. He also created departments such as the Holy Synod. This form of government was to rule secularly as the tsar saw fit. CIVIL RIGHTS/LIBERTIES Idea: Catherine believed that the only way that the nation could succeed would be through progress. This would be done when people became independent. She still favored nobility but attempted to keep peace with the peasants and serfs. Actions: She began to reconstruct the environment and learn of the land through maps and censuses. The number of civil servants doubled by 1767 and built a plan for towns to be modeled after. Roads and bridges were also repaired, as were orphanages and prisons. Idea: He was a large contributor to the Enlightenment. This was clearly seen through his leniency with education. Actions: Frederick II granted certain liberties to professors as they were allowed to teach a high variety of new subjects. Many nobles went to university to learn and eventually earn positions. Just the same were the middle class and so both groups studied together equally. Further religious tolerance and loyalty spread. Idea: In order to bring about better inter-mingling between his broken up territories, Joseph II created many new civil services for his people. Actions: This monarch built new roads, advocated river transportation, fixed the judicial system, and decreased the power that local landlords held. He also made landlord authority less extreme with royal officials keeping an eye on them. Peasants were given the right to marry freely, take part in skilled jobs, and teach their children the skills without earned permission. Idea: He wanted to move his nation forward, and for that he needed to implement certain laws on them. Each law however was done for further westernization of the state. Actions: The Table of Ranks allowed for the lower class to ascend higher statuses through their bureaucratic rank and privilege. He also ordered for all people to own a boat and sail. This helped bring activity into daily life. OTHER Idea: She was a large collector of arts. Actions: The Imperial art grew to 3926 works under her. She had great pride in Russia and so she built operas and enjoyed plays. She herself wrote plays and stories. Idea: A strong advocate for the Enlightenment, Voltaire’s ideas were pleasing to him. Frederick II enjoyed the reasonable arguments of Voltaire. Actions: Voltaire was invited to the court and stayed for a few years as his guest. Voltaire’s philosophy was largely around freedom to speak. It was not until Voltaire got caught in a legal problem that the friendship began to diminish, during which he left. Idea: He ruled alongside his mother Maria Theresa for several years and so several times he felt stuck in his position. Actions: Maria Theresa’s views at times conflicted with Joseph II’s as he was more passionate and hasty. Although he hoped for his people’s betterment, eventually he would be the cause of several rebellions by both aristocrats and peasants. His brother Leopold II would have to remove some of his policies, as they couldn’t function in their Austria. Idea: Peter was more of an absolute monarch than the others, but he still shared the crown through crowning Catherine, his second wife. Actions: Catherine had proved her faithfulness to the king and so he was pleased with her. He believed her to have helped greatly with military operations and setting her secular needs aside. For this he personally crowned her at the Kremlin in Moscow. This took place after the war with Sweden ended. SUMMARY OF MAJOR IDEAS & ACTIONS OF 18TH CENTURY ENLIGHTENED DESPOTS PETER THE GREAT IDEAS: The Enlightened Despots aimed to use their authority rationally in economics and politics. In enlightened absolutism the main monarch’s government becomes more rationalized at the cost of smaller circles or political power. This would include aristocrats, parliamentary bodies, and even the church. Many rulers were influenced by the humanitarian writings. These rulers adopted certain reforms only when they benefitted them with social integration and such. Enlightened absolutism theories involved working for self-betterment according to what pleased the people. There was also much more secularism involved with these monarchs, giving way to religious toleration and IDEAS: Peter the Great of Russia did his best to westernize Russia. His central goal was to move the country forward and so he studied and researched various methods. His monarchy was less challenged by outside forces (aside from the streltsy) and so he ruled alone. Peter’s policies were almost opposite the enlightened despots in that he worked the people for the self-betterment of the state itself, using his own knowledge and power. There was less secularism, despite the foreign technologies and methods that Peter brought into Russia. ACTIONS: Frederick the Great of Prussia allowed almost total religious toleration. He welcomed Catholics, Jews, and even offered to erect mosques for the Muslim Turks. Catherine the Great of Russia excelled in public relations. She appeased the nobility by following many of their demands and granting them the Charter of Nobility, but she also tried to work for the people through the legislative commission. Joseph II wanted to please the serfs as well as the nobles. Although his methods failed, he abolished serfdom granting them their freedom. He further distanced the Habsburg line from the Catholic Church as he took more rationalistic approaches to everything. ACTIONS: Peter the Great did not do much for religious toleration, but he did reform the Orthodox Church. He made it so that the bishop was removed and in his place came the Holy Synod to implement his laws. In order to further the state’s prosperity and guarantee a noted future, Peter had all men shave their beards. He studied shipbuilding on his visit at the Great Embassy. Gaining a warm port, he ordered all men to have boats. He instigated greater trade and relations. He also cut off irrational sleeves. In this way he was thinking for the state’s future.