Thirty-Years War
Often called the "last of the religious wars", it is a series of wars fought in central Europe.It was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, and one of the longest continuous wars in modern history.
Peace of Westphalia
The treaty that ended the Thirty Years War
Absolutism
The sovereign power or ultimate authority in the state rested in the hands of a king who claimed to rule by divine right
Divine-right monarchy
The divine rights of kings is a political and religious doctrine of royal and political legitimacy . The monarch is subject to no early authority, deriving the right to rule directly from the will of God
Bishop Jacques Bossuet
French theologian and court preacher who expressed his ideas in a book titled "Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture". He argued that government was divinely ordained so that humans could lice in an organized society.
Louis XIV
A French king that has traditionally been regarded as the best example of the practice of absolute monarchy in the seventeenth century (1643-1715)
Cardinal Richelieu
Louis XII's chief minister from 1624-1642. He initiated policies that eventually strengthen the power of the monarchy. He eliminated the political and military rights of Huguenots while preserving their religious ones.
Intendants
Royal officials called to the provinces to execute the orders of the central government. As their functions grew, they came into conflict with provincial governors.They were sent by Richelieu.
Cardinal Mazarin
Richelieu's trained successor, allowed by Anne of Austria to dominate the government. An Italian who had come to France as a papal legate and then become naturalized, Mazarin attempted to carry on Richelieu's policies until his death in 1661
Versailles
An elaborate structure that served different purposes: personal household of the king, location of central government machinery, and the place where powerful subjects came to find favors and offices for themselves and their clients.
Ottoman Empire
A Muslim empire based in Turkey that lasted from the 1300's to 1922.
Jean-Baptise Colbert
Economic adviser to Louis XIV, believed in mercantilism, army and navy produced money, didn't allow colony to trade with anyone else.
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
joins Thirty Years' War in 1629, king of Sweden, Protestant leader, stands up for fellow Protestants, military genius, wins a lot for Protestant team; supported by Richelieu, who wants to end Hapsburg power; killed in 1632 at battle of Luetzen
Edict of Restitution
An edict that outlawed Calvinism and Lutheranism in many parts of Germany and prompted Sweden to enter the Thirty Years' War. Emperor declared all church territories that had been secularized since 1552 to be automatically restored to Catholic Church
Defenstration of Prague
First act of the Thirty Year's War in Bohemia (1618); Bohemians threw HRE emissaries out of a window; caused a revolt against the Hapsburgs and the Church;
Albrecht von Wallenstein
mercenary general who was paid by the emperor to fight for the HRE, he won many important battles against the Protestants.
standing armies
Armies comprised of full-time soldiers that were maintained in war and peacetime
Parlement of France
Louis IX established the Parlement of France
La Fronde
Revolt of the Parliament of Paris which desired a share in the government, nobles who wanted their power back, and tax payers who were suffering under high taxes. Ended in victory for Mazarin because the leaders of the revolt distrusted one another. Peasa
Bourbon Dynasty
Dynasty in France started by the reign of King Henry IV, powerful and EXTREMELY wealthy, rulers of this Dynasty wanted hegemony (dominant power), wanted to see shift of balance of power
War of the League of Augsburg
1688-1697. Louis XIV. France vs Spain, HRE, Dutch, Sweden and England. Brings economic depression to France. Ends in Treaty of Ryswick
War of the Spanish Succession
war fought over the Spanish throne; Louis XIV wanted it for his son and fought a war against the Dutch, English, and the Holy Roman Empire to gain the throne for France
Peace of Utrecht
1713, ended Louis XIV's attempts to gain military power and land. Marked the end of French expansionist policy. Ended the War of Spanish Succession.
Hohenzollern Dynasty
Powerful German Family of Northern Germany situated in Prussia. Ruling Family of Prussia. Will become rivals of the Hapsburgs for supremacy in central Europe. Ruled Brandenburg since 1417; acquired the duchy of Cleves, as well the countries that border Br
Brandenburg-Prussia
Group of German territories, ruled by the Hohenzollern family, that became one of Europe's most powerful states in the seventeenth century. Its military strength was supported by its hereditary landowners who were granted autonomy in their territories.
Frederick William the Great Elector
leader of Prussia (a German state), built a large and efficient army that became the forth largest army in Europe and made Prussia a major power
Ivan the Terrible
(1533-1584) earned his nickname for his great acts of cruelty directed toward all those with whom he disagreed. He became the first ruler to assume the title Czar of all Russia.
Boyars
Russian landholding aristocrats; possessed less political power than their western European counterparts
Peter the Great
(1672-1725) Russian tsar (r. 1689-1725). He enthusiastically introduced Western languages and technologies to the Russian elite, moving the capital from Moscow to the new city of St. Petersburg.
Great Northern War
Broke out as Peter attacked Sweden(with assistance from Poland and Denmark) in his quest to establish a Russian trading port on the Baltic. After being routed initially, Peter re-organized his army on the western model and eventually gained Estonia, Livon
Janissaries
Christian boys taken from families, converted to Islam, and then rigorously trained to serve the sultan. Elites and solely loyal to Sultan
William of Orange
King of England and Scotland and Ireland, he married the daughter of James II and was invited by opponents of James II to invade England; when James fled, William III and Mary II were declared joint monarchs (1650-1702)
United Provinces of the Netherlands
formed in 1581-Dutch Republic-received aid from Elizabeth I-major blow to Philip's goal of maintaining Catholicism throughout his empire
James I of England
The son of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, he succeeded the childless Elizabeth as James I of England. He was not popular and was an outsider. He inherited a large royal debt and a divided church.
Gentry
A class of powerful, well-to-do people who enjoy a high social status
Charles I of England
1600-1649; King of England 1625-1649; numerous conflicts with Parliament; fought wars with France, Spain, and Scotland; eventually provoked Civil War (Puritans had fled to America), convicted of treason, and beheaded
Long Parliament
(1640-1648) desperate for money after Scottish invasion of northern England-Charles finally agreed to demands by Parliament: Parliament could not be dissolved w/o its own consent; had to meet a min. of once every 3 years; ship money abolished; leaders of
English Civil War
Conflict from 1640 to 1660; featured religious disputes mixed with constitutional issues concerning the powers of the monarchy; ended with restoration of the monarchy in 1660 following execution of previous king
Oliver Cromwell
Lord Protector" officer of Parliamentary army who emerged as a military dictator after the Civil War, Rump Parliament, known for the Commonwealth and Protectorate. England
Levellers
Radical religious revolutionaries-sought social and political reforms, a more egalitarian (equal) society.
English Restoration
(1660-1688) Restoration of the monarchy in England, marked the return of Charles II as king after the period of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth, bishops were restored to Parliament, expansion of colonial trade
Glorious Revolution
A reference to the political events of 1688-1689, when James II abdicated his throne and was replaced by his daughter Mary and her husband, Prince William of Orange.
William and Mary
King and Queen of England in 1688. With them, King James' Catholic reign ended. As they were Protestant, the Puritans were pleased because only protestants could be office-holders.
English Bill of Rights
King William and Queen Mary accepted this document in 1689. It guaranteed certain rights to English citizens and declared that elections for Parliament would happen frequently. By accepting this document, they supported a limited monarchy, a system in whi
Thomas Hobbes
..., English materialist and political philosopher who advocated absolute sovereignty as the only kind of government that could resolve problems caused by the selfishness of human beings (1588-1679). Wrote "Leviathan
John Locke
17th century English philosopher who opposed the Divine Right of Kings and who asserted that people have a natural right to life, liberty, and property.
Mannerism
Artistic movement against the Renaissance ideals of symetry, balance, and simplicity; went against the perfection the High Renaissance created in art. Used elongated proportions, twisted poese and compression of space.
Baroque
An artistic style of the seventeenth century characterized by complex forms, bold ornamentation, and contrasting elements
Peter Paul Rubens
is the most famous Baroque artist who studied Michelangelo in Italy and took that Renaissance style to the next level of drama, motion, color, religion and animation, which is portrayed in his paintings
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Italian architect and sculptor; famous during the baroque movement; completed Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome
Dutch Realism
Dutch artists were neither classical nor Baroque, they were interested in the realistic portrayal of secular everyday life.
Rembrant van Rijn
greatest Dutch artist of the period; painted portraits of wealthy middle-class merchants and groups; used sharp contrasts of light and shadow to draw attention to his focus
William Shakespeare
(1564 - 1616) English poet and playwright considered one of the greatest writers of the English language; works include Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet.
Jean-Baptiste Moliere
(1622-1673) French Theatre: catered to the upper class, the aristocrats. His comedies mocked religion but Louis XIV thought it was funny