Studied by 2 people
Absolutism
The period from the 1500s to the 1600s when monarchs in Europe had absolute power and divine right to rule.
Charles the 5th
Holy Roman Emperor who ruled Spain and eventually divided the Holy Roman Empire.
Philip the 2nd
Absolute monarch of Spain, married to Bloody Mary, and had the Spanish Armada.
Elizabeth the 1st
Queen of England who hired Sir Francis Drake to steal gold from Spanish ships and defeated the Spanish Armada.
Charles the 2nd
Last Spanish Habsburg king.
Henry the 4th
Issued a law to protect French Calvinists (Huguenots) and created a bureaucracy for increased loyalty.
Louis the 13th
King of France who inherited the throne at a young age and had Cardinal Richelieu as his advisor.
Louis the 14th
Known as the Sun King, ruled France for 72 years, and moved the capital from Paris to Versailles.
Henry the 15th
Fights between nobles, middle class, and lower class leading to the French Revolution.
War between German Empire & Habsburg Family
War between German princes and the Habsburg family, causing depopulation and dividing Germany into 360 states.
Frederick William the 1st
Known as Frederick the Great, created the largest army in Europe and started rivalries between new empires.
Peter the Great
First Russian Tsar to westernize the country, fought the Ottoman Empire for a warm water port, and built St. Petersburg.
Catherine the Great
Took control of Russia, encouraged westernization, and used the navy built by Peter the Great to expand Russia's territory.
Henry the 7th
Fought in the War of the Roses and became king.
Henry the 8th
King of England who was concerned about having a male heir and had his second daughter, Elizabeth, rule England.
James the 5th
King of Scotland who became James the 1st of England and clashed with Parliament.
Charles the 1st
Son of James the 1st, wanted war against Spain and France, clashed with Parliament, and started a war between the king and Parliament.
Oliver Cromwell
Led the Roundheads in the English Civil War, executed Charles the 1st, and established a republic known as the Commonwealth.
Charles the 2nd
Son of Charles the 1st, became a constitutional monarch, and was known as the Merry Monarch.
James the 2nd
Brother of Charles the 2nd, tried to assume absolute power but was removed by Parliament, leading to William and Mary becoming the new monarchs.
William & Mary
Monarchs who signed the English Bill of Rights, ensuring the power of Parliament and the rights of English citizens.
The English Bill of Rights
Passed in 1689, it expressed the powers of the monarch, set rules for freedom of speech, and limited the monarch's powers.
Enlightenment
A period in the 18th century in Europe characterized by new ideas about society, politics, government, and the economy.
Enlightenment Thinkers
Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Voltaire, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Baron Montesquieu, who had different ideas about government and individual rights.
American Revolution
The colonists' revolt against British rule, sparked by unpopular acts and taxes imposed by the British government.
French and Indian War
Conflict between France and England over their North American colonies, resulting in British dominance and increased taxes on the colonists.
Treaty of Paris
Signed in 1763, it made Great Britain the dominant power in North America and led to increased taxes on the colonists.
Acts created
Proclamation Act of 1763, Sugar Act of 1764, Quartering Act of 1765, Stamp Act of 1765, Townshend Act of 1767, Intolerable Acts.
Colonists' Revolts
Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, and the formation of militias and the Continental Congress.
First Continental Congress
Meeting of colonial delegates in Philadelphia to boycott British goods and address grievances against British rule.
Thomas Paine's Pamphlet
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that outlined the reasons for the colonists' declaration of independence and later influenced the Declaration of Independence itself.
Second Continental Congress
A meeting of delegates in 1775 where discussions of revolution dominated the agenda, leading to the decision to write the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.
Articles of Confederation
A set of laws created during the Second Continental Congress to establish a government for a loosely joined union of colonies.
Olive Branch Petition
A petition sent by the colonists to King George III during the Second Continental Congress in an attempt to reconcile their differences, but it was rejected by the king.
Patriots and Loyalists
Colonists who supported independence from Britain were known as Patriots, while those who remained loyal to the British crown were called Loyalists.
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The first shots of the American Revolution were fired in this battle on April 19, 1775, which became known as the "shot heard around the world."
Battle of Saratoga
A turning point in the American Revolution in 1777, where the colonists received assistance from the French navy.
Declaration of Independence
A document signed on July 4, 1776, declaring the thirteen American colonies as independent from British rule.
Battle of Yorktown
The last major battle of the American Revolution, which took place in Virginia in the fall of 1781 and resulted in the surrender of British forces.
Treaty of Paris (1783)
A treaty signed on September 3, 1783, officially ending the American Revolutionary War and granting independence to the United States.
Articles of Confederation
A document written in 1781 that established a single government body, the Confederation Congress, but proved ineffective due to its inability to raise an army or tax.
French Revolution
A period of radical social and political upheaval in France from 1789 to 1799, characterized by the overthrow of the monarchy and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Estates
The three social classes in France before the French Revolution:the First Estate (clergy), the Second Estate (nobility), and the Third Estate (bourgeoisie and peasants).
Causes of the French Revolution
Deficit spending by the monarchy, relocation of the palace to Versailles, heavy taxation on the Third Estate, and debt from wars.
Tennis Court Oath
A pledge taken by members of the Third Estate during the French Revolution, vowing to continue meeting until a new constitution was written.
Storming of the Bastille
An attack on the Bastille prison in Paris on July 14, 1789, seen as a symbol of the people's fight for independence from tyranny.
Declaration of the Rights of Man
A document approved on August 26, 1789, which proclaimed the rights of French citizens and emphasized liberty, equality, and fraternity.
Reign of Terror
A period from July 1793 to July 1794 during the French Revolution, characterized by mass executions and political repression.
Committee of Public Safety
A governing body established during the French Revolution to try individuals who spoke out against the revolution, resulting in the execution of thousands.
Rise of Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte, born in 1769, rose to power in France and became the first consul of a three-person council in 1799, overthrowing the Directory.
Napoleonic Code
A set of laws implemented by Napoleon, based on Enlightenment principles, which limited the rights of women earned during the French Revolution.
First French Empire
Established on May 18, 1804, after a coup d'état, Napoleon named himself Emperor and engaged in a series of battles known as the Napoleonic Wars.
War of 1812
A conflict between the United States and Britain from 1812 to 1815, often referred to as the "Second War of Independence" for the United States.
Downfall of Napoleon
After losing the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was defeated by a coalition of nations and sent into exile on the island of St. Helena, where he eventually died in 1821.
