Hapsburg empire
Central European empire that lasted from the 1400s to the 1900s and at its height included the lands of the Holy Roman Empire and the Netherlands
Charles V
King of Spain. Heir to the Hapsburg Empire which included the Holy Roman Empire and the Netherlands. The two empires were in constant warfare forcing him to allow the German princes to choose their own religion.
Phillip II
Had a 42-year reign that expanded Spanish influence, strengthened the Catholic Church, and made his own power absolute.
Absolute monarch
Ruler with complete authority over the government and lives of the people he or she governs.
Divine right
Belief that a rulers authority comes directly from God
Armada
Fleet of ships
El Greco
A famous painter that lived during Spain's Golden Age (1550-1650)
Miguel de Cervantes
One of the most important writers during the Golden Age
Huguenot
French Protestants of the 1500s and 1600s
Henry IV
A Huguenot Prince who inherited the French Throne in 1589. Converted to Catholicism to end conflict
Edict of Nantes
Law issued by French King Henry IV in 1598 giving more religious freedom to French Protestants
Cardinal Richelieu
Was appointed chief minister In 1624. Devoted 18 years to strengthening the central government.
Louis XIV
Inherited the throne in 1643 (5 years old). Was part of the Fronde, an uprising that noble, merchants, peasants, and the urban poor each rebelled in order to protest royal power.
Intendants
Official appointed by French King Louis XIV to govern the provinces, collect taxes, and recruit soldiers.
Jean-Baptiote Colbert
Louis's finance minister. Impose mercantilist policies to bolster the economy
Versailles
Royal French residence and seat of government established by King Louis XIV
Lev�e
Morning ritual during which nobles would wait upon French King Louis XIV
Balance of power
Distribution of military and economic power that prevents any one nation from becoming too strong
James I
The first Stuart monarch, agreed to rule according to English laws and customs
Dissenters
Protestant whose views and opinions differed from those of the Church of England
Puritans
Members of an English Protestant group who wanted to "purify" the Church of England by making it simpler and more morally strict
Charles I
Inherited the throne in 1625. Behaved like an absolute monarch. Imprisoned foes and squeezed the nation for money.
Oliver Cromwell
A leader of the Roundheads. A Puritan member of the lesser gentry. Proved himself to be a skilled general.
English bill of rights
Series of acts passed by the English parliament in 1689 that limited the rights of the monarchy and ensured the superiority of parliament.
Limited monarchy
Government in which a constitution or legislative body limits the monarchs powers
Constitutional government
Government whose power is defined and limited by law
Cabinet
Parliamentary advisors to the king who originally met in a small room
Oligarchy
Government in which ruling power belongs to a few people
Electors
One of seven German princes who would choose the Holy Roman emperor
Ferdinand
The catholic Hapsburg king of Bohemia. Sought to suppress Protestants and to assert royal power over nobles.
Mercenaries
Soldier serving in a foreign army for pay
Depopulation
Reduction in the number of people in an area
Peace of Westphalia
Series of treaties that ended the Seven Years' war
Maria Theresa
The daughter of Charles VI
War of the Austrian succession
Series of wars in which various European nations competed for power in Central Europe after the death of Hapsburg emperor Charles VI
Prussia
A strong military state in Central Europe that emerged in the late 1600s
Frederick William I
A Prussian ruler who came to power upon the death of his father in 1713. Gained the loyalty of the Prussian nobles by giving them positions in the army and government
Frederick II
Seized the rich Hapsburg province of Silesia. Preferred playing the flute and writing poetry
Peter the Great
Used his power to put Russia on the road to becoming a great modern power
Westernization
Adoption of western ideas, technology, and culture
Autocrat
Having unlimited power
Boyar
Landowning noble in Russia under the tsar
Warm-water port
A port that is free of ice year-round
St. Petersburg
Capital city and major port that Peter the Great established in 1703
Catherine the Great
A monarch that took the reins of power into her hands for the Russian empire
Partition
A division into pieces