Chapter 15

absolutism

a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

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. Confirmed power of tsarist autocracy by attacking the authority of the boyars; continued policy of expansion; established contacts with western European commerce and culture.

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.

The Thirty Years War

(1618-1648), Anti-Imperialists (non-Catholics) vs. Imperialists (Catholics), started as a religious struggle, Catholic forces led by Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I (won for the first half), then Protestant King of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus (Gustavus II) won several battles against him; Catholics throughout the war were led by the Hapsburg Rulers of Austria; Bourbon (CATHOLIC) rulers of France wanted to extend power and gain land at Hapsburg expense, supported the Protestant cause; Swedes and French defeated Imperialist army, ended in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia

Peter the Great

(1672-1725) Russian tsar (r. 1689-1725) at age 10. He enthusiastically introduced Western languages and technologies to the Russian elite, moving the capital from Moscow to the new city of St. Petersburg. Fascination with West & shipbuilding. Streltsi rebelled while he was doing the "tour" of Western Europe. Put down rebellion brutally.

Charles XII

1697-1718, King Of Sweden - elective kingship made hereditary -> Westernization and modernization. Defended Sweden from Danes, Poles and Russians. At first Sweden was beneficiary from Westphalia - S. Baltic coastline - Baltic = Swedish Lake. But in long term Sweden back to original borders. Charles was one of 3 prominent leaders of Sweden from time of 30 years' war - Adolphus, Christina and Charles XII.

witchcraft

An explanation of events based on the belief that certain individuals possess an innate psychic power capable of causing harm, including sickness and death.

Dutch Realism

Dutch artists were neither classical nor Baroque, they were interested in the realistic portrayal of secular everyday life.

The Peace of Westphalia

Ended the Thirty Years War. 1. Recognized independent authority of German princes. 2. Allowed France to intervene in German affairs. 3. Pope couldn't participate in German religious affiars.

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" and believed people were naturally cruel, greedy, and selfish; he also believed only a powerful governemnt could keep an orderly society

Oliver Cromwell

English military, political, and religious figure who led the Parliamentarian victory in the English Civil War (1642-1649) and called for the execution of Charles I. As lord protector of England (1653-1658) he ruled as a virtual dictator.

William of Orange

He was the governor (stradtholder) of Holland. Became 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)

Louis XIV's wars

In 1667, the first is against the Spanish Netherlands and the Franche-Comte. English, Swedes, and Dutch force him to sue for peace in 1668. In 1672, he leads his country to invade the United Provinces. Spain, Brandenburg, and the Empire ally to force peace at Nimwegen in 1678. He gets Franche-Comte. The third is from 1689-1697. He annexed part of the Empire. Spain, the Empire, the United Provinces, Sweden, and England unite in the League of Augsburg. He gives up his conquests at the treaty of Ryswick

Philip IV

In, Philip IV, who ruled France from 1285 to 1314, was involved in a quarrel with the pope. The pope refused to allow priests to pay taxes to the king. Philip disputed the right of the pope to control Church affairs in his kingdom. As in England, the French king usually called a meeting of his lords and bishops when he needed support for his policies. To win wider support against the pope, Philip IV decided to use commoners in the meeting. When King Philip IV of France asserted his authority over French bishops, Pope Boniface responded with an official document. It stated that kings must always obey popes. Philip merely sneered at this statement. In fact, one of Philip's ministers is said to have remarked that "my master's sword is made of steel, the pope's is made of [words]." Instead of obeying the pope, Philip had him held prisoner in September 1303. The king planned to bring him to France for trial. The pope was rescued but the elderly Boniface died a month later. Never again would a pope be able to force monarchs to obey him. In 1305, Philip IV persuaded the College of Cardinals to choose a French archbishop as the new pope. Clement V, the newly selected pope, moved from Rome to the city of Avignon in France. Popes would live their for the next 69 years.

Charles I

King of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1625-1649). His power struggles with Parliament resulted in the English Civil War (1642-1648) in which Charles was defeated. He was tried for treason and beheaded in 1649

James II

King of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1685-1688). He was overthrown because he attempted to re-impose a Roman Catholic system on Britain. The last Stuart king to rule both England and Scotland, he was overthrown by his son-in-law William of Orange.

King Louis XIV

King of France, ruled for 72 years, built the palace of Versailles, absolute monarch, believed in the divine right of kings. He weakened the power of the nobles by excluding them from his councils, and increased the power of the intendants. He was devoted to helping France attain economic, political, and cultural brilliance. He was unsuccessful in attempts to conquer the Netherlands.

standing armies

Permanent military forces maintained by the nation that are always trained, equipped and ready for war.

Puritans

Protestant sect in England hoping to "purify" the Anglican church of Roman Catholic traces in practice and organization. English protestant dissenters who believed that God predestined souls to heaven or hell before birth. They founded Massachusetts Bay colony in 1629.

Frederick III

Prussian King during Napoleonic Era, instituted political and institutional reforms in response to Prussia's defeat by Napoleon. (reforms included abolition of serfdom, created self-government though town councils, expansion of schools, and establishment of a national army). However, Prussia remained an absolutist state with little intrest in unity.

The Romanovs

Royal dynasty in Russia which begins with Michael and lasts till the Bolshevik revolution in 1917. Michael-Placed by Russian nobles, restoring monarchy. Alexis-Imbalance between noble and peasant responsibilities continues to grow. More upheaval. Peter the Great-6'7", interested in westernization, but mostly as regarded his military. He organized permanent army, westernized culture, controlled the church, and built a strong absolutism state organization.

Baroque

Style in art and architecture developed in Europe from about 1550 to 1700, emphasizing dramatic, curving forms, elaborate ornamentation, and overall balance of disparate parts. Associated with Catholicism.

The English Civil War

The English Civil War (1641-1651) was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first (1642-46) and second (1648-49) civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war (1649-51) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II and supporters of the Rump Parliament. The Civil War ended with the Parliamentary victory at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651. The Civil War led to the trial and execution of Charles I, the exile of his son, Charles II, and replacement of English monarchy with first, the Commonwealth of England (1649-53), and then with a Protectorate (1653-59), under Oliver Cromwell's personal rule.

Frederick William the Great Elector

The weakening of the Estates helped the very talented young elector Frederick the Great (r. 1640-1688) to ride roughshod over traditional representative rights and to take a giant step toward royal absolutism. This constitutional struggle, often unjustly neglected by historians, was the most crucial in the Prussian history for hundreds of years, until that of the 1860's. When he came into power in 1640, the twenty-year old Great Elector was determined to unify his three quite separate provinces and add them by diplomacy and war. These provinces were Brandenburg, Prussia, and the Rhine in western Germany. The nobility and the landowning classes, known as the "Junkers", dominated the Estates of Brandenburg and Prussia. The struggle between the Great Elector and the provincial Estates was long, complicated, and intense. To pay for the permanent standing army he first established in 1660, Frederick William forced the Estates to accept the introduction of permanent taxation without consent. The power of the Estates declined rapidly thereafter, for the Great Elector had both financial independence and superior force. The Great Elector reconfirmed the privilege pf the nobility in 1653 of the nobility's freedom from taxation and its control over the peasants. Even a while after reducing the Estates political power, the nobility growled but did not bite. It accepted a compromise whereby the bulk of the new taxes fell on towns and royal authority stopped at the property owner's gates. (572-574)

The Fronde

This was a rebellion against the regency of Anne of Austria by the officeholders, Parisian landowners, and nobility of France. While Louis XIV was a child, she and her advisory Mazarin ruled. The rebellion was in response to taxation, and was led by the Parliament of Paris, which refused to register various taxes that Anne wanted to pass. They demanded control of the government's financial policy, but Anne had several of them arrested before she, Louis, and Mazarin fled Paris. There was some military conflict, which Mazarin ended in order to avoid a Spanish invasion. In the end, Louis XIV became a powerful king and this group accomplished very little.

The Glorious Revolution

This was the 1688 overthrow of James II and his replacement by William and Mary -- It derives its name from the fact that little blood was shed during this transfer of power, and that it seemed to firmly establish constitutional government in England

The Stuarts

This was the Scottish royal family that ruled England after Elizabeth I (the last Tudor); introduced the Divine Right of kings monarchy. Led England into civil war. Eventually ushered in democracy by signing the Bill of Rights.

The Ottoman Empire

Took over Turkey from the Byzantine Empire and strived to expand its borders into Eastern Europe, mainly fighting the Holy Roman Empire and its various princes throughout the Middle Ages. This empire did not develop econically and instead worked to maintain military control over many different ehnicities. Rather than advances, this Empire maintained the status quo as Western Europe bcame much more advanced. Over time it started to shrink and grow weaker, it was dismantled after WWI.

John Locke

Wrote Two Treatises on Government as justification of Glorious Revolution and end of absolutism in England. He argued that man is born good and has rights to life, liberty, and property. To protect these rights, people enter social contract to create government with limited powers. If a government did not protect these rights or exceeded its authority, Locke believed the people have the right to revolt. The ideas of consent of the governed, social contract, and right of revolution influenced the United States Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. He also laid the foundations for criticism of absolute monarchy in France. Opposed the Divine Right

divine right monarchy

a monarchy based on the belief that monarchs receive their power directly from God and are responsible to no one except God

Austria

a mountainous republic in central Europe. Under the Habsburgs (1278-1918) Austria maintained control of the Holy Roman Empire and was a leader in European politics until the 19th century

Versailles

a palace built in the 17th century for Louis XIV southwest of Paris near the city of Versailles. Would consume 1/2 of annual budget of Fr. to maintain the Fr. royal court. Would be hub of Europe.

Mannerism

an artistic movement that emerged in Italy in the 1520s and 1530s; it marked the end of the Renaissance by breaking down the principles of balance, harmony, and moderation. 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.

intendants

imposed by Louis XIV, they were law officials who collected taxes and administered justice, and were cause of much discontent, "government agents"; took power from nobles and consolidated power of the King

Gustavus Adolphus

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

Cardinal Richelieu

the chief minister of Louis XII who ran the French government from 1624 to 1642. he was a political genius who wanted to make the king supreme in France and France supreme in Europe. he set out to destroy the power of the nobles and the Huguenots who were protected by the Edict of Nantes. He strengthened France economically and appointed intendants. King Louis XIII was a weak ruler and Richelieu filled the void, more or less running the empire via his advice to the king. A clever politician and strategist, Richelieu expanded royal power, punished dissent harshly, and built France into a great European power

James I

the first Stuart to be king of England and Ireland from 1603 to 1625 and king of Scotland from 1567 to 1625; he was the son of Mary Queen of Scots and he succeeded Elizabeth I; he alienated the British Parliament by claiming the divine right of kings (1566-1625).

The English Bill of Rights

this bill of rights was made during the "glorious revolution" under William and Mary. This limited the power of the monarchy and guaranteed the privileges of the high class. This made sure that the monarchy ruled by the consent of parliament which now had to be called every three years. By doing so, it prevented the monarchy from gaining too much power and ruling in a way disagreeable to the people of England.1) Parliament got more control from the monarchy 2) Kings could never disband Parliament 3) Gave to the house of Commons the "Power of the Purse" ○ Which gave the house of common's control and England's Finance 4) Said no catholic could ever sit in the English throne - greatly reduced the power of the English monarchy while increasing the power of parliament