Absolutism, Constitutionalism, and Early Modern European Statecraft

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing European statecraft, absolutism, constitutionalism, and major historical figures and conflicts from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Absolutism

A political system in which a monarch has highly centralized and largely unrestricted power.

Divine Right of Kings

The belief that monarchs receive their authority directly from God.

Constitutionalism

A system in which government power is limited by laws or representative institutions.

Constitutional Monarchy

A government in which a monarch's power is limited by laws and a legislature.

Centralization

The process of concentrating political authority in a central government.

Bureaucracy

A system of government administration carried out by appointed officials.

Mercantilism

An economic system in which governments regulate trade and promote exports and colonies to increase national wealth.

Sovereignty

The supreme authority of a state to govern itself without outside interference.

Balance of Power

The idea that European states should prevent any one country from becoming too powerful.

Louis XIV

King of France, 1643–1715, known as the 'Sun King' and the leading example of French absolutism who centralized government, controlled nobility, and made France Europe's leading military power.

Versailles

Royal palace near Paris, France, expanded by Louis XIV in the late 17th century to control the nobility while displaying royal wealth and power.

Intendants

Royal officials who administered French provinces and enforced royal policies, especially under Louis XIV, increasing monarchy control and weakening regional independence.

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

French finance minister under Louis XIV during the 1660s–1680s who promoted mercantilism to strengthen France's economy and help finance its military and government.

Fronde

Series of rebellions against the French monarchy in France, 1648–1653, during Louis XIV's childhood that convinced him that nobles needed to be controlled more closely.

Parlements

Regional high courts in France that registered royal laws and could resist royal policies, providing a major institutional challenge to French royal authority.

Peter the Great

Tsar of Russia, 1682–1725, who Westernized Russia, modernized its military, expanded its territory, and transformed Russia into a major European power.

Westernization

Adoption of Western European technology, culture, military practices, and institutions, especially under Peter the Great, helping Russia compete with Western European states.

St. Petersburg

City founded by Peter the Great in 1703 on the Baltic Sea that became the Russian capital in 1712, giving Russia Baltic access and symbolizing its connection to Western Europe.

Table of Ranks

System created by Peter the Great in Russia in 1722 allowing advancement through government and military service, increasing state loyalty and weakening traditional nobility.

Catherine the Great

Empress of Russia, 1762–1796, who expanded Russian territory and supported some Enlightenment ideas while maintaining autocracy and serfdom.

Serfdom

System in which peasants were legally tied to land and controlled by landowners, especially important in Eastern Europe and Russia.

Russian Orthodox Church

Major branch of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Russia, brought under greater state control by Peter the Great to strengthen the tsar's authority.

Boyers

Traditional Russian aristocrats whose political influence declined as Russian rulers centralized power into a stronger autocratic state.

James I

King of England, 1603–1625, and previously James VI of Scotland, who strongly supported divine-right monarchy and established tensions with Parliament.

Archbishop William Laud

Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633–1640 under Charles I who promoted religious uniformity in England, angering Puritans and increasing tensions.

Charles I

King of England, 1625–1649, who fought Parliament during the English Civil War and whose execution demonstrated that Parliament could challenge and remove a monarch.

English Civil War

Conflict in England, 1642–1651, between supporters of Charles I and Parliament over political and religious authority, challenging absolute monarchy.

Oliver Cromwell

English military and political leader who ruled as Lord Protector, 1653–1658, demonstrating that replacing a monarchy did not necessarily produce democratic government.

Commonwealth

Republican government established in England in 1649 after Charles I's execution, temporarily replacing the monarchy with a republic.

Restoration

Return of the English monarchy in 1660, when Charles II became king, leaving unresolved conflicts between the crown and Parliament.

James II

King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1685–1688, whose Catholicism and attempts to expand royal authority caused opposition leading to the Glorious Revolution.

Glorious Revolution

Revolution in England in 1688 that removed James II, brought William and Mary to the throne, and established a constitutional monarchy.

William and Mary

Joint monarchs of England beginning in 1689 who accepted limits on authority and established the principle that monarchs rule with Parliament's consent.

English Bill of Rights

Document passed by Parliament in England in 1689 that restricted royal power, protected parliamentary rights, and strengthened Parliament.

Act of Settlement

English law passed in 1701 establishing Protestant succession to the throne and protecting England's Protestant monarchy.

House of Lords

Upper house of the English/British Parliament made up historically of nobles and church officials, representing traditional aristocratic influence.

House of Commons

Lower house of Parliament whose members represented constituencies and became increasingly powerful in taxation and lawmaking.

Habeas Corpus

Legal protection against unlawful imprisonment, strengthened by the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 in England to limit arbitrary imprisonment.

Limited Monarchy

A system in which a monarch's power is restricted by laws and representative institutions, becoming Britain's defining political structure after the Glorious Revolution.

Dutch Golden Age

Period of economic, commercial, artistic, and naval prosperity in the Dutch Republic during the 17th century.

Dutch Republic

Independent republic in the Netherlands, 1581–1795, dominated politically by wealthy merchants and provincial governments.

Joint Stock Company

A business in which investors pool money and share profits and losses, widely used in 17th-century Europe to finance overseas exploration and trade.

Dutch East India Company

Dutch trading company founded in 1602 that controlled much of Dutch trade in Asia and helped the Dutch Republic become a major commercial power.

War of the Spanish Succession

European war from 1701–1714 over who would inherit the Spanish throne after Charles II died without an heir, preventing France and Spain from uniting.

Treaty of Utrecht

Series of treaties signed in 1713 that ended most of the War of the Spanish Succession, strengthened Britain, and prevented French dominance.

War of the Austrian Succession

European war from 1740–1748 over Maria Theresa's right to inherit the Austrian throne, leading to Prussia gaining Silesia.