AHWH2 Chapter 22-23 Terms

Italian Renaissance

Primarily an artistic movement, this developed in Italy and marked a time period in which people of the time challenged old beliefs, introduced new ideas, and brought back styles from Rome and Greece. The focus of humankind as the center of intellectual and artistic endeavor, or humanism, was a key idea during this movement. This movement was important because it changed the human outlook on religion and their place in the world. It focused on secular topics such as love and introduced many new ideas and political theories.

Old Believers

These were a group of distant religious conservatives who were exiled to Siberia or to southern Russia, where they maintained their religion and extended Russia's colonizing activities. They separated from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon because they refused to accept the reforms that he and the Russian Church were imposing upon them. They were significant because they had influence in the colonization of Northern and Eastern areas of Russia. Also, they resisted the western innovations introduced by Peter I.

Protestant Reformation

This began with Martin Luther and the 95 Theses in 1517. He believed that belief in faith alone was required to achieve salvation. He also did not believe in the sacraments, or the worship of Saints or Mary. Erasmus was a Christian humanist and a part of this movement, and he believed that people are good and can improve their lives. This movement is important because there were different sects that came out of this reformation. For example, Henry VIII founded the Anglican church, John Calvin founded Calvinism, and others founded other sects. It is also important because it was the first time there was a rebellion against the church.

Romanov Dynasty

This dynasty ruled from 1613 to 1917 in Russia. Among this dynasty were Michael I, Alexis I, Peter the Great, and Catherine the Great. This dynasty rose to power in the wake of the Time of Troubles which followed the death of Ivan IV, who did not have an heir. It wasn't until 1797 that they established a clear line of succession, which was put in place by Paul I, which kept the rulers within the Romanov family. Before this, Peter I created the succession law that the ruler could choose his successor, which is how Catherine the Great came to be in power. It is significant because it established order in Russia after the Time of Troubles. Without it, Russia would have been disorganized and susceptible to volatile changes in rulers.

Absolutism

This is a concept of government which was developed during the rise of nation-states in western Europe during the 17th century. It featured monarchs who were able to pass laws without parliaments, appointed professionalized armies and bureaucracies, established state churches, and imposed state economic policies. It was largely used in Russia during the Romanov dynasty and when Ivan III & IV ruled. This is significant because the absolute ruler was able to do whatever they wished and had ultimate power, to be used for good or for evil. It is also significant because there were many very good absolute monarchs, such as Peter the Great and Ivan the Great, but also many vicious ones, such as Ivan the Terrible as well as Catherine the Great, although she did many good things for Russia.

Enlightened Absolutism

This is when absolute rulers use enlightenment principles to reform society. Some examples of these principles were introducing religious tolerance, movement towards a secular focus, freedom of speech, and freedom of press. Joseph II of Austria and Frederick the Great of Prussia were both these types of rulers, as well as Catherine the Great of Russia, although she was less enlightened than the other two. This type of ruling is significant because it allowed more areas to be affected by ideas of the Enlightenment.

Ivan the Terrible

This man ruled Russia during the 1550's. He confirmed the power of the Tsarist autocracy by attacking the authority of the aristocracy, or the boyars. He continued the policy of Russian expansion. One way he did this was by recruiting peasants called cossacks to migrate to new lands. This man is especially significant because he established contacts with western European commerce and culture. Also, this expansion added diversity to Russia so that it was multicultural like the Mughal and Ottoman Empires. Especially important to this was the addition of a large Muslim minority.

Louis XIV

This man was a French monarch of the late 17th century who personified absolute monarchy. He created the most wealthy empire, which is shown by his extravagant palace of Versailles. He is significant because he is personified as the pinnacle of absolutism.

John Locke

This man was one of the first philosophers to support empiricism, which is the concept that everything one knows is constructed from the senses. His work "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" addresses this matter. He is also the author of "Two Treatises of Government". In the first, he rejects Sir Robert Filmer's defense of absolute monarchy by refuting his claim that all men are born free. In the second, he provides his alternative government theory, one in which men have natural rights defended by the government. He is significant because his ideas were largely prominent in the American and French revolutions.

Ivan the Great

This man was the Russian Tsar who freed much of Russia from the Mongols. After gaining support in elections through his support of the Orthodox Christian church, he claimed power in 1462. He organized a strong military and made extremely large territorial claims in and around Poland. He is significant for greatly expanding Russian territory.

Peter the Great

This man was the third of the Romanov dynasty and built new features from 1689-1725. He wished to move the country more fully to Western diplomatic and cultural order, yet not fully westernize the country. He concentrated on improvements in political organization, economic development, and cultural change. He wished for Russia to be respectable in western view, so he increased women's status. He also created the first Russian navy. He is significant because he continued the growth of absolutism and conquest in Russia,and also included a more definite interest in changing select aspects of economy and culture through imitation of western European models. This is known as selective westernization.

Northern Renaissance

This movement was the Renaissance which passed northward as creativity faded in Italy. It was focused in France, the Low Countries, Germany, and England, beginning after 1450. Classical styles in art and architecture became popular. Humanists part of this movement were more religious than the corresponding ones in Italy. Kings of this period were still confined by political powers of feudal landlords, and ordinary people were not touched much by this movement. Still, it is significant because it was a rebirth from the Middle Ages which started focusing on the here and now, as well as challenging the authority of the church.

Scientific Revolution

This occurred around the 17th century when people started to use reason to explain the physical world. It was the shift from religious to analytical focus in the west. It is significant because it called the church into question. For example, Copernicus came up with the Heliocentric theory, which hypothesizes that the sun is in the center of the universe. Johannes Kepler built on this theory, and Galileo eventually proves it. This theory goes against the church. Among others were William Harvey, who demonstrated the circular movement of blood, and Isaac Newton, who developed calculus and published the Principa Mathematica during the 17th century.

Partition of Poland

This occurred in 3 partitions in 1772, 1793, and 1795, which eliminated Poland as an independent state, and Russia held the majority of the spoils. It is significant because the basis for further Russian involvement in European affairs had been created. This, in turn, would show Russia's ultimate role in putting down the French armies of Napoleon after 1812.

30 Years' War

This occurred within the Holy Roman Empire between the German protestants and their allies (Sweden, Denmark, and France), and the emperor and his ally (Spain). It ended in 1648 after the great destruction with the Treaty of Westphalia. It occurred in the Holy Roman Empire as the Catholics vs. the Protestants, yet ended as a political and regional fight. The significance of this event is that it ended with religious toleration.

Johannes Gutenberg

This person introduced the printing press to western Europe in the 15th century. This is significant because the printing press is credited with greatly expanding the availability of printed books and pamphlets, which in turn spread knowledge throughout the world.

Catherine the Great

This ruler was installed as empress in 1762. She defended the powers of the central monarch and put down the peasant uprising of the Pugachev rebellion. She used this as an excuse to further extend the powers of central government. She was a selective westernizer like Peter I. Although she liked the ideas of the French Enlightenment, her image was not consistent with her policies. She gave new powers to the nobility over their serfs and increased the harshness of punishments the nobles could decree for their serfs, even though she was an advocate of a strong Tsarist hand. She is significant for pursuing the tradition of Russian expansion with success by resuming campaigns against the Ottoman Empire as well as expanding Russia's territory in central Asia, claimed Alaska, and was able to agree with Austria and Prussia for the partition of Poland, in which Russia held the majority of Poland.

Pugachev Rebellion

This was a peasant revolt against Catherine the Great of Russia from 1774 to 1775. It was led by Emelian Pugachev, and ultimately ended in failure with his execution. This event began because of the worsening conditions of serfs, making peasants increasingly displeased with the government and social structure. Pugachev took advantage of this and gained support from the peasant class, the Cossacks, and the Old Believers in a massive rebellion against the absolute monarchy. This event was significant because it showed how discontent many of the citizens were with the government. Also, Catherine the Great was able to use this event as an excuse to extend the powers of the central government to regional affairs.

Enlightenment

This was a political movement that began in France in the 17th and 18th centuries. Spurred by the progress of the Scientific Revolution, this movement brought new ideas to the world of politics, such as the idea that humans are naturally good and did not need the strict rule imposed by monarchy. Frederick the Great of Prussia was the first monarch to establish these principles in his nation. This movement was important as it created new interest in classical government formats such as the democracy and the republic, and gave birth to the parliamentary systems that run many European nations to this day. It is significant because it was responsible for the revolutions that founded modern democratic nations, such as the Republic of France, the United States, and various countries of Central and South America.

English Bill of Rights

This was a result of the Glorious Revolution and limited the power of the monarch in the political form of parliamentary monarchy. It was passed in 1689. It is significant because it lays down limits on the powers of sovereign and sets out the rights of Parliament and rules for freedom of speech in Parliament, as well as the requirement to regular elections to Parliament and the right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution. This document is significant because it introduced parliamentary monarchy and limited the power of an absolute monarch.

Catholic Reformation

This was the reforms passed by the Catholic Church after the Protestants began gaining traction in the 16th century. One of the main complaints made against the church was the lavish lives the priests led, as well as the indulgences. Although the church did cut down on the indulgences, many of the old ideas were reaffirmed, including the worship of Mary. This event did not have a large impact on the Church because not many things changed. It is significant, however, because it caused more conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants, which was one of the causes of the Thirty Years' War.