Chapter 15: Absolutism & Constitutionalism (not everything)
how did the Mongol Khan set the stage for the rise of absolutist Russia?
-200 year period of rule by Mongol khan -Conquered slavic princes
What is constitutionalism? Which country exemplified this?
-A form of government in which power is limited by law and balanced between authority and power of the government -England
What is republicanism? Which country exemplified this?
-A form of government in which there is no monarch and power rests in the hands of the people through elected representatives -Netherlands
When historians refer to a "moral economy" what do they mean?
-A vision for a world in which community needs predominate over competition and profit
Difference between absolute and constitutionalist governments
-Above the law vs under the law
Describe Henry the Great's reign over France until his untimely deth
-Acquired devastated country -Got it back on its feet -Edict of Nantes (Calvinist rights -Infrastructure -Murdered by Catholic zealot
How did Richelieu increase the power of the centralized French state?
-Administrative system -Used intendents -Recruited for army
What role did puritans play in the religious divide?
-Advocated church reforms opposing the Anglican church
Who was Count Duke of Olivares?
-An able administrator in charge of dealing with Spain's financial crisis
Who were the stadholders?
-An executive officer in each Estates province
How did Christian Europeans view the Ottomans?
-Antithesis of their own values and traditions and viewed empire as driven by insatiable lust for warfare and conquest
What are some aspects of this art?
-Appeal to senses, religious emotionalism, drama, motion
Describe the events of the 30 Years' War
-Bohemian Phase: Calvinists defenestrated 2 Catholics into a pile of manure. Ferdinand II (Catholic Habsburg) won this phase -Danish Phase: King Christian (Danish) supported protestants against Ferdinand II, but was defeated by Ferdinand's new military leader, Albrecht von Wallenstein -Swedish Phase: King Gustavus Adolfus of Sweden supported Protestants against the Habsburg's power (becoming more political than religious). Ended with the Treaty of Prague -French Phase: French violated Treaty of Prague by intervening directly. Cardinal Richelieu plotted against Spain and Habsburgs.
How did the War of Spanish Succession begin?
-Childless Spanish king Charles II died -Contradictions of will and treaty
What was another source of legitimacy for Moscow?
-Claim to the political and religious legacy of the Byzantine Empire
Describe the political and economic success of the Dutch
-Commercial prosperity - thrift, frugality, religious toleration -Shipping business
Describe the instrument of Government
-Constitution that invested executive power in a lord protectorate and a council of state -Gave parliament the sole power to raise taxes
What was the Janissary Corps?
-Core of Sultan's army, composed of slave conscripts from non-Muslim parts of the empire
What was the guiding force behind Richelieu's domestic policies?
-Destruction of Habsburg's grip on territores surrounding France
How did Cromwell impact England?
-Divided England into two military districts -Militarist policies -Made enemies with Ireland
Describe the republic system in the Dutch country
-Elected representatives
How did Fredrick William I complete the work of his grandfather in establishing Prussian absolutism?
-Eliminated last traces of parliamentary estates and local self-government
How did Russia fund the reforming of the army and the bid for Great Power status?
-Employed foreign experts and achieved status through profits of Siberia's natural resources
What is the Peace of Westphalia? Why is it historically significant
-Ended 30 Years' War -Formally recognized independence of Dutch Republic and Switzerland -Expanded Peace of Augsburg to include Calvinists -Ended HRE's hope of restoring his power and faith through entire empire -Established France as predominant power in Europe
What is the Treaty of the Pyrenees? Why is this historically significant?
-Ended French-Spanish conflict in 1659 -Spain surrendered extensive territories to France -Independence of Portugal -Spanish dominance ended
Which countries were most affected by riots?
-England, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy
How did Bohemia and Hungary obtain differing status in the Austrian Empire?
-Ferdinand II changed nobility -Lowered power of Bohemian Estates -Was too late to rush onto Hungary; nobles rebelled
How did Fredrick William I sustain agricultural production while dramatically expanding the size of the army?
-Forced conscription -Men underwent military raining and served as reserves
Who were the Cossacks?
-Free groups and outlaw armies originally comprising runaway peasants living on the orders of Russian territory from 14th century onward
How did the nature of armed forces change in the latter half of the 17th century
-French government assumed full cost of equipping troops
Describe the social world of a peasant
-Hierarchical -Surrounded by church and manor -Killing family pig is a festival
Why were there always tensions between supporters of the staunchly republican Estates and the supporters of he house of Orange?
-House of Orange were usually stadholders and thus had monarchical ambitions
What qualities did French art possess?
-Imitated the subject matter and stye o of classical antiquity -Discipline, balance, restraint
What mistaken belief did the Count hold that brought disaster to Spain?
-Imperial tradition of 16th century should be returned
How did William Laud, the archbishop of Canterbury, create conflict in Britain in the 1630's?
-Imposed new prayer book and bishoprics
What were Jean Baptiste Colbert's 3 major mercantilist policies
-Increase exports -Encourage craftsmen to immigrate to France -Expansion to areas rich in minerals and agriculture
What was Ivan IV's nickname? How did he become tsar?
-Ivan the Terrible -Self-annointed
Describe the "Time of Troubles"
-Ivan's relatives struggled for power -People suffer drought, crop failure, and plague
Who succeeded her and what was his attitude towards the throne?
-James Stuart succeeded Elizabeth I -Believed in Divine Right of Kings
Why feuds exist between the Crown and the Upper House?
-James believed in Diving Right of Kings which threatened the House's power
In music, who exemplified this style? How?
-Johann Sebastian Bach -Combined baroque spirit of invention, tension, and emotion
Describe the English Civil War
-King against Parliament (Parliament did not like that Charles believed in Divine Right of Kings) -Oliver Cromwell captured the King and beheaded him
What is the cabinet system of government and how did it work?
-Leading ministers formulate common policy and conduct the business of the country
What is the "Great Chain of Being"?
-Linked God to his creation in a series of ranked social groups
Who was Cardinal Richelieu? Why is he significant to France
-Louis XIII's chief minister -Corrupt; allowed monarchy to survive despite the 30 Years' War
Who was Jean Baptiste Colbert?
-Louis XIV's minister of finance -Applied mercantilism policies to France
Who was Francois le Tellier? How did he create a professional army in France?
-Louis XIV's secretary of State for war -Uniforms and weapons were standardized -Rational system of training and promotion created
To legitimize their new positions, what did the princes of Moscow do?
-Modeled themselves on the Mongol Khans
What events took place to spark the "golden age of the Netherlands"?
-Netherlands won independence from Spain after 30 Years' War
What was the baroque style in art and music, and where was it popular?
-Odd-shaped, imperfect pearl -Overblown and unbalanced -Rome and Catholic church
What role did Oliver Cromwell play in the war and the Protectorate that followed?
-Oliver Cromwell captured King Charles, put him on trial, and got him beheaded -He was a ruthless militaristic leader
Who were the electors? Who was the "Great Elector"?
-One of seven princes or archbishops entitled to elect the Holy Roman emperor -Fredrick William was the "Great Elector"
What were distinctive features of Russian and Ottoman absolutism?
-Ottomans were cruel and tyrannical despots -Though they were more tolerant, flexible, and open to other ideas
Who was Thomas Hobbes? What was his view of human nature?
-Philosopher who believed if humans were left to themselves, they would compete for power and wealth
How was Baroque art different than Renaissance art?
-Renaissance focused on pleasing a small wealthy cultural elite; idealistic art -Baroque was more focused on the realistic nature of humans
Why was the Glorious Revolution historically significant?
-Replaced one king with another with little bloodshed -Destruction of Divine Right of Kings
How did Peter reorganize Russia so that it was able to defeat Sweden and become a major European power?
-Required nobles to serve in the army or civil administration for life -New schools and universities created (part of education was spent abroad) -Brought in talented foreigners -Regular standing army
What was a sultan?
-Ruler of the Ottoman Empire; he owned all agricultural land of the empire and was served by an army and bureaucracy composed of highly trained slaves
Why did rulers hesitate to crush rebellions?
-Rulers feared it would create martyrs and farther encourage rebellion
How did Elizabeth I influence the English monarchy?
-She maintained power as a female by avoiding relationships with males of children
Where was this art popular?
-Spain and Latin America, Austria, southern Germany, and Poland -Basically Rome and Catholic churches
What were the "seed" that were beginning to sprout Spanish disaster?
-Spanish trade with New World colonies fell 60 percent -Royal expenditures exceeded income
What were the common crises and achievements of seventeenth-century European states?
-Stagnation and retrenchment -Hunger and population loss
Who led the largest rebellion in Russia? What happened?
-Stenka Razin -Cossacks killed landlords and government officials -Rebellion was defeated
Describe Peter Paul Ruben and his artwork
-Studied in Flanders and Italy -Developed his own style -Colorful, animated -Glorified monarch
Why did Peter the Great form alliances with Denmark and Poland?
-Sudden war against Sweden in hopes of securing access to Baltic Sea and westward expansion
Within the Ottoman government, who staffed the top levels of the bureaucracy?
-Sultan's slave corps
How did the millet system function in the Ottoman Empire?
-System whereby subjects were divided into religious communities, with each millet enjoying autonomous self-government under its religious leaders
What was the Protectorate?
-The English military dictatorship established by Oliver Cromwell following the execution of Charles I
What was the consequence of Prince Francis Rakoczy's rebellion for Habsburg rule?
-The Habsburgs agreed to restore many of the traditional privileges of the aristocracy in return for Hungarian acceptance of hereditary Habsburg rule
How was the monarch restored?
-The Restoration of 1660 -Charles II brought into power
In Eastern Europe between 1500-1650, what was the growth of commercial agriculture accompanied by?
-The consolidation of serfdom
How was the legal system manipulated by local lords in the East?
-The local lord was also the local prosecutor, judge, and jailer
Who were the Junkers?
-The nobility of Brandenburg and Prussia, they were reluctant allies of Fredrick Williams in his consolidation of the Prussian state
In what ways did Spain deal with their mountainous state debt? What were the consequences of these actions?
-They didn't; they continued to spend extravagantly, just increased taxes even more -Resulted in decline in agricultural activity
How did feudal lords differ from new monarchs?
-They had temporary armies for specific occasions. Needed friends
What strongholds did Ivan place upon the peasant and middle classes?
-Tied peasants to land and lords -Heavily taxed urban dwellers
What were obstacles rulers had to overcome?
-Time to convey government orders -Lack of information on current events within the domain -local power structures
What was the purpose of the Test Act?
-To secure the position of the Anglican church by stripping Puritans, Catholics, and dissenters of the right to vote, preach, assemble
Which group of individuals suffered the most from the economic downfall?
-Urban poor and peasants
What city become the political of and cultural center of this empire?
-Vienna
Who often led the riots and why?
-Women -Their role as mothers gave some impunity in authorities' eyes
How did famines affect the European population in the 17th century
-price of grain and population was high -often unemployment was a result of increased grain prices -decreased population
What was a fronde?
A series of violent uprisings during the reign of Louis XIV triggered by growing royal control and increased taxation
how did the Peace of Utrecht resolve the problem of succession to the Spanish throne?
Allowed Louis XIV's grandson to remain king of Spain with the understanding that Spain and France will never be united
Who was the King of Sweden?
Charles XII
What was family life like during this time?
Patriarchal- physical violence, imprisonment; all was okay as long as he provided and cared for his dependents
How did Fredrick William of Prussia persuade the Junker nobility to accept taxation without consent in order to fund the army?
They agreed in exchange for a reconfirmation of their own privileges, including authority over the serfs
In 1709, where was Peter able to defeat the Swedish?
Ukraine at Poltova