Germany, from the beginning of the 1700s - for a little more than two hundred years - was dominated by two families, the Hapsburgs and the Hohenzollerns.  They ruled Austria and Prussia respectively.  Throughout the 1700s they vied with each other to control northern and eastern Europe.  The two leading states in Germany took divergent paths to power.  The Austrain Hapsburgs faced outward, snapping up territories here and there around Europe.  In spite of internal reforms they could never completely consolidate their gains.  In Prussia, however, the growth was Germanic for the most part.  The Brandenburg-Prussian Hohenzollerns unified their territories and created an efficient kingdom were the best and brightest were recruited into the military and government.  These two powerful families would fight over the soul of Germany, with tremendous repercussions for later history.  The Hapsburgs would long have the upper hand, but eventually the Hohenzollerns would provide the nucleus for a state that would one day, briefly, conquer nearly all of Europe. 

Source:  http://www.indepthinfo.com/history/german-powers-in-1700s.htm?temp-new-window-replacement=true


When Hieronymus was twenty the War of the Bavarian Succession (July 1778 - May 1779) was fought between the Habsburg Monarchy and a Saxon-Prussian alliance to prevent the Habsburg acquisition of the Duchy of Bavaria.  The war had no battles beyond a few minor skirmishes, but still resulted in significant casualties, as several thousand soldiers died from disease and starvation.  Reflecting the soldiers' frustrating quest for food and forage, the conflict was also called the 'Kartoffelkrieg' (Potato War).

Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Bavarian_Succession?temp-new-window-replacement=true

 

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