Western Civ Overview 1555-1715

Spanish Armada July 29, 1588 (559) – England and Spain had generally good relationship until Protestant Queen Elizabeth began tolerating the use of English ports by the rebel Sea Beggars and authorizing English attacks on Spanish treasure fleets. As result, Spain supported Catholic resistance and plots to replace Elizabeth with Mary, Queen of Scots. England raided more and more Spanish ships and then killed Mary, Queen of Scots in 1587. Soooo, a fleet of Spanish warships sailed in, in 1588. The Sp. Armada was supposed to clear the English Channel of English ships for troops under Parma in the Netherlands to cross the Channel on barges. 130 unmaneuverable, poorly armed ships failed and were tormented by the English. The battle of Gravelines (Aug 7-8, 1588), wa the

The Great Elector (605) – Frederick William was primarily responsible for Brandenburg-Prussia to become a powerful state. He got Prussia independence from the Polish while Poland was at war with Sweden and Russia. Then after war was over, he kept the civilian and military body intact (rather than waiting until that was necessary again) which allowed him to bypass traditional council’s and representative bodies. He used the army to force the payment of high taxes. And finally, hegot the Junkers, hereditary landholders, to become loyal to his government in exchange for total control of their won lands. Really the change here is that they surrendered their political independence. He taxed poor people but not rich. This way the rich were investing in state industries. This attracted many skilled refugees, like Huguenot artisans fleeing Louis XIV.

Ivan the Terrible 1547-84 (608-9) – Ivan IV was proclaimed Tsar of all the Russias after his father Ivan III. Ivan IV was known as “the Terrible”. He got a ton of Mongol land in central Asia and continued to push eastward over the Ural Mts to Siberia for the first time. He ruled as an autocrat and was probably mentally imbalanced b/c he used torture and murder to enforce his will. Thousands of subjects died.

Jan Sobreski 1674-96 (604, 607) – Polish king helped Leopold win Hungary from Ottoman Empire b/c his lands in Ukraine were threatened by the Turks (who where helping Hungarians).

Some topics in this essay:
Anne Austria, Sweden Russia, Peace Westphalia, Gravelines Aug, Holy Roman, Louis XIV, Don Quixote, Native Americans, Parlement Bordeaux, India Company, louis xiv, king bohemia, roman emperor, holy roman, rudolf ii, holy roman emperor, prot king, king bohemia holy, bohemia holy, hungary ottoman, fighting empire, habsburg rule, mary queen scots, bohemia holy roman,