Traditions & Encounters: Early Modern Europe — Key Terms (VOCABULARY Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering major terms from the Protestant Reformation, Catholic Reformation, political transformations, and the Scientific Revolution in early modern Europe.

Protestant Reformation

Sixteenth-century movement challenging the Catholic Church and papal authority, sparked by calls for reform within Christianity.

Ninety-Five Theses

Luther’s 1517 document denouncing the sale of indulgences and urging church reform.

Justification by faith alone

Lutheran doctrine that salvation comes through faith, not acts or penance.

Martin Luther

German reformer who criticized indulgences and sparked the Protestant Reformation.

Johannes Gutenberg

Inventor of mechanical movable type printing, enabling rapid dissemination of ideas around 1439.

Predestination

Calvinist belief that God has chosen certain individuals for salvation.

Institutes of the Christian Religion

John Calvin’s foundational work codifying Protestant theology (1536).

John Calvin

Reformer who established a Protestant community in Geneva and preached predestination.

Calvinists

Followers of John Calvin who emphasized predestination and moral discipline.

Anglican Church

Church of England established after break with Rome under Henry VIII.

Henry VIII

English king who severed ties with the Catholic Church and founded the Church of England.

Council of Trent

Catholic council (1545–1563) addressing doctrine and reform in response to the Reformation.

Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

Catholic missionary order founded by Ignatius Loyola in 1540, known for rigorous education and mission work.

Witch-hunts

Persecutory campaigns against witches; high trials and executions, often targeting women.

Thirty Years’ War

1618–1648 conflict in Europe, mainly within the Holy Roman Empire, rooted in religious and political tensions.

Peace of Westphalia

1648 settlement ending the Thirty Years’ War; established sovereign states and noninterference in domestic affairs.

Balance of power

Diplomatic principle aiming to prevent any one state from dominating Europe.

The New Monarchs

Sixteenth-century monarchs (e.g., in England, France, Spain) who centralized power and built strong states.

Divine right of kings

Idea that kings’ authority derives from God, legitimizing centralized monarchical rule.

Louis XIV

French king (1643–1715) epitomizing absolutism; built Versailles and centralized power.

Versailles

Grand royal palace near Paris, symbol of royal absolutism and centralized administration.

Peter the Great

Russian tsar who modernized Russia, expanded territory, and westernized institutions.

St. Petersburg

New Russian capital founded by Peter the Great to foster westernization.

Catherine the Great

Russian empress who expanded and reformed the empire but faced later uprisings.

Romanovs

Russian ruling dynasty (1613–1917) that centralized imperial authority.

Habsburgs

Powerful European dynasty governing the Holy Roman Empire and Spanish realms; central players in early modern politics.

United Provinces

Dutch republic (independent from Spain in 1581) with representative government.

Spanish Inquisition

Institution founded in 1478 to identify Jews and Muslims; later expanded to detect Protestantism and other heresies.

Constitutional States

Rulers in England and the Netherlands governed within constitutional frameworks (monarchy or republic).

Absolute Monarchies

States where kings wielded centralized, unchecked authority supported by divine right.

Partitions of Poland

Three partitioning powers (1772, 1793, 1795) dismantling the Polish state and redistributing territory.

Copernicus

Polish astronomer who proposed a sun-centered (heliocentric) model of the solar system.

Heliocentric theory

Sun-centered model of the universe challenging the Ptolemaic geocentric view.

Ptolemaic universe

Geocentric astronomical system with Earth at the center and celestial spheres.