Absolutism
A form of government, usually hereditary monarchy, in which the ruler has no legal limits on his or her power.
Fronde
A french rebellion that was caused by Mazarin's attempt to increase royal revenue and expand state bureaucracy, caused Louis XIV to distrust the state and turn to absolutism
Versailles
Palace constructed by Louis XIV outside of Paris to glorify his rule and subdue the nobility.
Intendants
French government agents who collected taxes and administered justice.
Louis XIV
(1638-1715) Known as the Sun King, he was an absolute monarch that completely controlled France. One of his greatest accomplishments was the building of the palace at Versailles.
Marques de Louvois
Reformed the French military. By the end of the reign, royal forces had been thoroughly re-organized and had grown to 400,000
Cardinal Richelieu
(1585-1642) Minister to Louis XIII. His three point plan (1. Break the power of the nobility, 2. Humble the House of Austria, 3. Control the Protestants) helped to send France on the road to absolute monarchy.
Cardinal Mazarin (1602-1661)
Successor of Cardinal Richelieu. He ran the government while Louis XIV was still a child. His bad attempts to increase royal revenue and the state lead to the Fronde.
French Academy of Science
A learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research.
Benedict Spinoza
This 17th-century Dutch thinker argued that all matter is a part of God -- God did not just create the universe - he was the universe (pantheism)
War of Devolution (1667-1668)
France's unsuccessful attempt to seize the Spanish Netherlands (Belgium) as part of a feudal claim
Nine Years' War
1688 - 1697 (War of the League of Augsburg) Result of Louis XIV trying to extend French territory to the Rhine
War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1713)
A war fought over the Spanish throne. Louis XIV wanted it for his grandson and fought a war against the Dutch, English, and the Holy Roman Empire to gain the throne for France. The Peace of Utrecht ended the war.
Peace of Utrecht (1713)
The pact concluding the War of the Spanish Succession, forbidding the union of France with Spain, and conferring control of Gibraltar on England.
Military Revolution
Advances in military technology led to new forms of warfare, including greater reliance on infantry, firearms, mobile cannon, and more elaborate fortifications, all financed by heavier taxation and requiring a larger bureaucracy. Technology, tactics, and
Beuracracy
A system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.
Edict of Fountainbleu (1685)
The legal revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Huguenots fled, diminishing the merchant and intellectual classes within France.
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.
Petition of Right (1628)
A document drawn up by Parliament's House of Commons listing grievances against King Charles I and extending Parliament's powers while limiting the king's. It gave Parliament authority over taxation, declared that free citizens could not be arrested witho
Long Parliament
Parliament convened by Charles I in 1640; lasted on and off for 20 years; passed laws that limited power of monarchy
Star Chamber
A royal court, established by Henry VII of England, for offending Nobility. It was conducted without a jury and was known for its harsh and arbitrary methods.
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. Ruled through Divine Right and will law the foundations of th
Charles I of England
Son of King James; Charles also believed in the divine right of Kings and wanted to force his religious policies among the Puritans. The Puritans saw this as the return of Catholic practices and fled to America instead. He was executed by Oliver Cromwell.
Cavaliers
In the English Civil War (1642-1647), these were the troops loyal to Charles II. Their opponents were the Roundheads, loyal to Parliament and Oliver Cromwell.
Roundheads
A group consisting of puritans, country land owners, and town based manufacturers, led by Oliver Cromwell; fought against the Cavaliers during the English civil war
Oliver Cromwell
English general and statesman who led the parliamentary army in the English Civil War (1599-1658)
New Model Army
The disciplined fighting force of Protestants led by Oliver Cromwell in the English civil war.
Rump Parliament
The Cromwell-controlled Parliament that proclaimed England a republic and abolished the House of Lords and the monarchy.
Charles II (1660-1685)
Stuart king during the Restoration, following Cromwell's Interregnum.
James II (1685-1688)
Final Stuart ruler; he was forced to abdicate in favor of William and Mary, who agreed to the Bill of Rights, guaranteeing parliamentary supremacy.
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.
Bill of Rights (England)
The document signed by William and Mary that limited their power as monarchs in England; it stated that the monarch must gain parliamentary approval to pass laws.
Habeus Corpus Act of 1679
Right to a speedy trial. Political parties start to form.
Test Act of 1673
This was the bill passed that those who did not receive the Eucharist of the Anglican Church had little rights
Treaty of Dover 1670
The agreement between Charles II and King Louis XIV of France without the knowledge of Parliament in which he promised religious toleration for English Catholics and his conversion to Roman Catholicism.
Constitutionalism
Basic principle that government and those who govern must obey the law; the rule of law
Stadholder
The executive officer in each of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, a position often held by the princes of Orange.
Pragmatic Sanction
This was the act passed by Charles VI that stated that Hapsburg possessions were never to be divided, in order to allow his daughter to be ruler
Maria Theresa
This was the queen of Austria as a result of the Pragmatic Sanction. She limited the papacy's political influence in Austria, strengthened her central bureaucracy and cautiously reduced the power that nobles had over their serfs
War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748)
War over the control of Austria due to the fact that Charles VI left Maria Theresa (a girl) as heir to the throne. Frederick II of Prussia invaded due to a want for Silesia and France helped him in order to humiliate their enemy (Austria.) Great Britain a
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
This was the treaty that ended the War of Austrian Succession by giving the Prussians land, taking land away from Maria Theresa, but still allowing her to rule
Silesia
The part of Austria that Frederick the Great captured, and it started the War of Austrian Succession
Diplomatic Revolution
The time of changing alliances between the war of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War, France allied with Austria and Russia, while Prussia is allied with Great Britain
Commercial Wars
An era in which various European countries went to war over economic and political expansion (1650-1763)
Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652-1674)
Three indecisive wars between the British and the Dutch. England annexed the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, which became New York.
Navigation Acts
Laws that governed trade between England and its colonies. Colonists were required to ship certain products exclusively to England. These acts made colonists very angry because they were forbidden from trading with other countries.
Mercantilism
An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought
Seven Years War
Worldwide struggle between France and Great Britain for power and control of land.
Outcomes: Britain wins victories against the French in North America, the Caribbean and in India.
Prussia and Frederick II are able to survive the war and hold onto key ter
Treaty of Paris (Seven Years War)
Treaty ending the Seven Years War (1763)
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
Political theorist advocating absolute monarchy based on his concept of an anarchic state of nature.
Leviathan (Hobbes)
Treatise concerning the structure of society and legitimate government; stated that humans are naturally evil and can only be controlled by an absolute monarch; mankind must cede his natural right. One of the most influential works concerning the social c
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.
Two Treatises of Government
Is a refutation of the divine rights of kings and the absolutist theory of government. A book written by John Locke which stated details about natural rights and that people were born with and entitled to life, liberty, and property.
Ivan the Great
(1462-1505) The Slavic Grand Duke of Moscow, he ended nearly 200 years of Mongol domination of his dukedom. From then on he worked at extending his territories, subduing the nobles, and attaining absolute power.
Ivan the Terrible
(1533-1584) earned his nickname for his great acts of cruelty directed toward all those with whom he disagreed, even killing his own son. He became the first ruler to assume the title Czar of all Russia.
Time of Troubles (1598-1613)
It was the time between the death of Ivan the Terrible and the rise of the Romanov dynasty with Michael Romanov as the first ruler. It was also a period of resurgence of aristocratic power.
Serfdom in Russia
Restrict freedoms of peasants and tie them to the land as serfs. 1649 promulgate law code that establishes strict social order
Peter the Great (1682-1725)
The Romanov czar who initiated the westernization of Russian society by traveling to the West and incorporating techniques of manufacturing as well as manners and dress.
Great Northern War (1700-1721)
War of territorial expansion on the Baltic Sea by Russia against the Sweden of Charles XII; Russian victory under Peter the Great led to territorial gain along the Baltic on which St. Petersburg would be built and from which Russia hoped to become a "west
Westernization
Policy of Peter the Great. Adoption of western ideas, technology, and culture
St. Petersburg
Capital city and major port that Peter the Great established in 1703
Atlantic Slave Trade
Lasted from 16th century until the 19th century. Trade of African peoples from Western Africa to the Americas. One part of a three-part economical system known as the Middle Passage of the Triangular Trade.
Catherine the Great
This was the empress of Russia who continued Peter's goal to Westernizing Russia, created a new law code, and greatly expanded Russian territory and influence.
Commericial Revolution
The expansion of trade and business that transformed European economies during the 16th and 17th centuries
Pugachev Rebellion
During 1770's in reign of Catherine the Great; led by cossack Emelian Pugachev, who claimed to be legitimate tsar; eventually crushed; typical of peasant unrest during the 18th century and thereafter
Agricultural Revolution
A time when new inventions such as the seed drill and the steel plow made farming easier and faster. The production of food rose dramatically.
Prussia
A strong military state that emerged in central Europe in the late 1600's.
Urbanization
An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.
Frederick the Great
(1712-1786), King of Prussia from 1740 to 1786. Enlightened despot who enlarged Prussia by gaining land from Austria when Maria Theresa became Empress.
Plantation System
A system of agricultural production based on large-scale land ownership and the exploitation of labor and the environment. This system focused on the production of cash crops and utilized slave labor.
Enlightened Despot
Absolute ruler who used his or her power to bring about political and social change
Market Economy
Economic decisions are made by individuals or the open market.
Joseph II of Austria
The most radical royal reformer; son and successor of Maria Theresa; introduced legal reforms & freedom of press; supported freedom of worship; abolished serfdom and ordered that peasants be paid for their labor with cash.
Favorable Balance of Trade
an economic situation in which a country sells more (exports) goods abroad than it buys (imports) from abroad
British East India Company
A joint stock company that controlled most of India during the period of imperialism. This company controlled the political, social, and economic life in India for more than 200 years.
Dutch East India Company
Government-chartered joint-stock company that controlled the spice trade in the East Indies.
Investment Capital
Money that a business spends in hopes of future gains.
cottage industry
Manufacturing based in homes rather than in a factory, commonly found before the Industrial Revolution.
putting-out system
system of merchant-capitalists "putting out" raw materials to cottage workers for processing and payment that was fully developed in England
Guilds
Association of merchants or artisans who cooperated to protect their economic interests
Partition of Poland (1772)
Ended the existence of a sovereign Commonwealth. They involved Prussia, Russia and Habsburg Austria dividing up the Commonwealth lands among themselves. 1772, 1793, and 1795.
Consumer Revolution
Time period during which the desire for exotic imports increased dramatically due to economic expansion and population growth.