World History Unit 5

absolute monarchy

a form of government in which a ruler has complete authority over the government and lives of the people he or she governs

divine right

idea that a ruler's authority came directly from God

Hapsburg empire

Central European empire that lasted from 1400s to the 1900s and at its height included the lands of the Holy Roman Empire and the Netherlands

Armada

fleet of ships

Huguenots

French Protestants of the 1500s and 1600s

Edict of Nantes

law issued by the French king Henry IV in 1598 giving more religious freedom to the French Protestants

Versailles

royal French residence and seat of government established by King Louis XIV

balance of power

distribution of military and economic power that prevents any one nation from becoming too strong

elector

one of the seven German princes who would choose the Holy Roman emperor

mercenary

soldiers serving in a foreign army for pay

depopulation

reduction in the number of people in an area

Peace of Westphalia

series of treaties that ended the Thirty Years' War

War of Austrian Succession

series of wars in which various European nations competed for power in Central Europe after the death of Hapsburg emperor Charles VI

westernization

adoption of western idea, technology, and culture

autocratic

having unlimited power

warm-water port

port that is free of ice year round

St. Petersburg

a port city in northwestern Russia founded in 1703 by Peter the Great

partition

a division in pieces

dissenter

Protestant whose views and opinions differed from those of the Church of England

puritan

member of an English Protestant group who wanted to 'purify' the Church of England by making it more simple and more morally strict

English Bill of Rights

series of acts passed in 1689 by the English Parliament that limited the rights of the monarchy and ensured the superiority of Parliament

limited monarchy

government in which a constitution or legislative body limits the monarch's powers

constitutional government

government whose power is defined and limited by law

cabinet

parliamentary advisors to the king who originally met in a small room, or cabinet

prime minister

the chief executive of a parliamentary government

oligarchy

member of an oligarchy; typically a wealthy person with political power

Charles V

(1500-1558) was the Holy Roman emperor during the time of Martin Luther's reformation efforts.

Philip II

(1527-1598) served as king of the Spaniards and strong supporter of the Roman Catholic Counter-reformation.

Henry IV

(1050-1106) was a German king who became Holy Roman emperor in 1084.

Louis XIV

(1638-1715) served as a king of France and is considered the symbol of absolute monarchy.

Fredrick William I

(1688-1740) was the second Prussian king who helped transform his country into a prosperous state.

Fredrick II

(1712-1786) succeeded his father to serve as king of Prussia.

Peter the Great

(1672-1725) tsar of Russia and one of Russia's greatest statesmen and reformers.

Catherine the Great

(1729-1796) was the German-born empress of Russia who led her country in becoming part of European political and cultural life.

James I

(1566-1625) was a king of Scotland who also became king of England and Ireland.

Charles I

(1600-1649) was the second Stuart king whose belief in divine right brought him into conflict with Parliament.

Oliver Cromwell

(1599-1658) was a soldier who led the forces against Charles I during the English Civil War.

Natural Law

unchanging principle that governs human conduct.

Social Contract

an agreement by which people gave up their freedom to a powerful government.

Natural Rights

rights that belong to all humans from birth, such as life, liberty, and property.

Laissez-faire

policy allowing business to operate with little or no government interference.

Free Market

market regulated by the natural laws of supply and demand.

Free enterprise system

an economic system, or capitalism, with little control by government.

Censorship

restriction on access to ideas and information.

Salon

Informal social gatherings where writers and others exchanged ideas.

Baroque

ornate style of art and architecture popular in the 1600s and 1700s.

Enlightened despot

Absolute ruler who used power to bring about political and social change.

Stamp Act

law passed in 1765 by the British Parliament that imposed taxes on items in the American colonies.

Popular Sovereignty

people control all political power.

Treaty of Paris

treaty of 1763 that ended the Seven Years' War.

Federal Republic

government in which power is divided between the national government and the states.

Checks and Balances

each branch of government can limit actions of other branches.

Estates

social classes.

Bourgeoisie

the middle class.

Estates-General

legislative body made up of representatives of the three estates in pre-revolutionary France.

Tennis Court Oath

famous oath made by the Third Estate in pre-revolutionary France.

Bastille

fortress in Paris used as a prison; French Revolution began when Parisians stormed it.

faction

a group within a larger group that has different ideas.

Suffrage

right to vote.

Reign of Terror

time period during the French Revolution when many were executed.

Guillotine

device used during the Reign of Terror to execute thousands.

Nationalism

takeover of property or resources by the government.

Plebiscite

a ballot in which voters have a direct say on an issue.

Napoleonic Code

body of French civil laws introduced in 1804.

Napoleonic Wars

a series of wars from 1804 to 1805 involving Napoleon.

Annex

add a territory to an existing state or country.

Continental System

blockade designed by Napoleon to hurt Britain economically.

Guerilla Warfare

fighting carried on through hit-and-run raids.

Abdicate

give up or step down from power.

Congress of Vienna

assembly of European leaders that met after the Napoleonic era.

Legitimacy

principle by which ousted monarchies were restored.

Concert of Europe

loose peacekeeping organization to preserve agreements set up by the Congress of Vienna.

Thomas Hobbes

an influential English political philosopher known for his work Leviathan.

John Locke

a political philosopher whose works influenced the U.S. Constitution.

Montesquieu

French philosopher who advanced the idea of separation of powers.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

a Swiss-born philosopher whose works inspired leaders of the French Revolution.

Adam Smith

Scottish economist known for his work on free markets.

Joseph II

Holy Roman Emperor in Austria and the most radical of the enlightened despots.

George III

the longest reigning monarch in British history.

George Washington

commander of American forces during the Revolutionary War and first president of the United States.

Benjamin Franklin

author, inventor, and statesman who helped persuade France to enter the Revolutionary War.

Thomas Jefferson

primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

James Madison

renowned U.S. statesman and fourth president, known as the 'father of the Constitution'.

Marquis de Lafayette

French noble who fought alongside the Americans in the Revolutionary War.

Louis XVI

king of France during the French Revolution, symbol of absolute monarchy.

Olympe de Gouges

author of the Declaration of the Rights of Women.

Maria Antoinette

queen whose frivolous ways discredited the monarchy.

Maximilien Robespierre

important member of the Jacobin club and initiator of the Reign of Terror.

Napoleon Bonaparte

military genius who became France's emperor and influenced French society.