With the end of the Thirty Years War, Europe was ready to rise out of the ashes of confessional based conflict. While the this war wasn’t purely or primarily focused on confessional beliefs, the the world before it was certainly different than that of after. In this new and long 18th century, we see the rise of Dynastic politics and warfare.
This time period also sees multiple revolutions; the seeds of the industrial revolution is planted in Britain while the seeds of philosophical revolution are planted in Spain under Spinoza and picked up by others with the Enlightenment. There is a revolution of governance, with the strengthening of the State throughout most of Europe, a rise of Enlightened Despots that shaped their kingdoms and the nations to come.
Finally, with the change in government and leaders, we have a change in fashion. Courts become centralized and draw power from this centralization but culture also grows from this. We have the rise of famous courts like Sanssouchi or the ever famous Versailles. Culture becomes more focused and wide spread from single points.
While the West has a long history with multiple currents that shape it to the way it is now, these hundred and fifty one years are highly influential and set up contemporary Europe.
Le Dramatis Personae
/u/hazelnutcream ‘s focus is on British Imperial governance at the close of the Seven Years’ War with a focus on the origins of the American Revolution. They also have a particular interest in the place of Britain’s other kingdoms, Scotland & Ireland, and their place within the British Empire.
/u/Itsalrightwithme is focused on Early Modern Europe but with a focus on the Habsburg realms, for today that will be Spain and the Spanish/Austrian Netherlands. He will be happy to answer questions on how Habsburg Spain and it’s successor, Bourbon Spain, reacted to the challenges of the 17th and 18th centuries. n.b. He does not live in the Low Countries.
/u/ColeVintage studies the trade and construction of fashionable consumer goods and how they affected both political movements and their daily life.
/u/alexistheman will be answering questions on His Majesty’s Britannic Royal Government.
/u/elos_ will be speaking about the Spanish and French New World, the genocide of native people’s, and the evils of Colonialism. He may help with mainland France.
/u/Bakuraptor expresses his sincerest regrets that he will not be able to attend as he is traveling.
Finally, /u/DonaldFDraper will express his love for France, particularly the Second Worst part of French history, the ancien regime.
Ask your questions! And we will try our best!
Thanks for doing this AMA guys!
I have seen the term “fiscal-military state” often used to describe the state-structure of the European powers during this period, specifically Britain during the early 1700s. What precisely is meant by this term? Do the state-structures of this period conform to such a definition?
To what extent, if at all, did Louis XIV attempt to standardize the patchwork of local administrations that characterized the ancien regime, especially given his centralization of royal power at Versailles?
At the end of the 18th century, Gustav III was king of Sweden, and it's generally said that he lived in the wrong times. Had he lived 60-70 years earlier, he'd have been perfect for the task. As it was, in the times of the French revolution where the people demanded more rights and more power, he went the opposite direction and tried to rule as an absolute monarch. Needless to say, it didn't end well for the king.
How common was this approach in the rest of Europe? Do we see the same tendency of trying to force power back to the kingship or do they relent in favour of the mob?
I've heard the Charles V tried to protect the rights and wellbeing of the natives in his colonial empire but couldn't really enforce it so he just gave up. To what extent is this true?
What role did the possession--or lack--of an overseas colonial empire play in the construction of nationalism and national identity among European countries in this era?
How did medieval and early modern rulers keep their generals in check? Rome and China were famously plagued by rebellious generals. The modern era has seen a resurgence of coup d'etats starting with Cromwell and Napoleon and continuing to the present day. In the intervening eras, however, military coup d'etats seem to have been seldom attempted and rarely successful. How did the European monarchs fare so much better than their Roman predecessors?
For /u/ColeVintage
How easy was access to silk to the lower nobility and the middle class? Did this affect fashion trends for these groups?
Geoffrey Parker theorizes that the growth of naval and colonial warfare in the 17th and 18th centuries was the result of the continental military revolution, where improvements in siege warfare made decisive battlefield victory elusive, if not impossible. Do your readings of Early Modern history support the idea of decisive victory in naval and colonial theaters, compared to indecision on the continent?
What happened to "the war feeding itself" as a doctrine (if such a word isn't anachronistic) after the Thirty Years War? Was the practice continued by any factions in future wars, such as the rest of the Franco-Spanish war?
What practical benefits did colonies provide for their rules? Were they mostly sources of natural resources, a release valve on population pressure, markets, or what?
Was there a country in this era where the power of nobles actually increased?
Were the Spanish & Portuguese motivated to colonize American territories for the same reasons they would soon try and defend these lands?
What was the Pope's view on catholic France's generous subsidies to help protestant Sweden wage wars on other catholic nations (for example Poland-Lithuania or the 30 years war)? Did the Papal State pick a side in the France-Habsburg rivalry?
I've been reading a lot into the Holy Roman Empire recently and want to know what happened to some of the immediate vassals.
When did Imperial Knights and City States stop existing? Did they have much of an impact on the empire through the next century?