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Chapter 6: Warfare, Crisis, and Absolutism

Don't be overwhelmed by all the factual information. The best way to master the chapter is to take it section by section and to discover the main theme(s) of each section. In every case, ask yourself how the material/themes of each section point to Black's main argument.

Make sure you familiarize yourself with

  • the main points of the Thirty Years War and the War's significance
  • absolutism--why does Black put this word in quotation marks?
  • Louis XIV: his style of government and his wars. What were these wars and why were they significant?
  • the conflict between Habsburg Austria and the Ottoman Turks
  • Russia's rise to prominence under Peter the Great; the Great Northern War (battles).

    Make sure you know when the various wars occurred.

    Don't forget the winner-loser analysis. What were the powerful states in Europe by 1700? Which states had lost military prestige by 1700?

    What is the historical significance of the illustration on p. 216?

    Links

  • Museum of the Thirty Years War
  • Edict of Restitution, Peace of Westphalia (24 October 1648).
  • Map: Principal seats of War in Europe: 1618-1660.
    Map: Europe in 1648, the Peace of Westphalia.
  • Map: Treaty of the Pyrenees, 1659.

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