pop

secular

Anything that is not religious in its character or purpose.

politiques

Term for nobles and royal figures who supported religious toleration to restore peace.

sovereignty

The power of a state to govern itself; supreme power or authority.

absolutism

A system of government where all power is in the hands of the ruler.

divine-right

A power or authority that is bestowed by God.

Bourbons

The family that held the throne of France from 1589 until the French Revolution.

Edict of Nantes

1598 royal decree issued by King Henry IV of France granting religious toleration to Protestants.

reign

Period of time during which a monarch rules.

duel

Formal combat with weapons between two people in front of witnesses.

Intendants

French royal governmental officials who took over roles once held by the French nobility.

bureaucracy

Non-elected governmental officials who keep the machinery of the state functioning.

Huguenots

French Protestants who followed the teachings of John Calvin.

Treaty of Westphalia

1648 international agreement that ended the Thirty Years' War.

standing army

A full-time, professional military force composed of career soldiers.

regency

A period of government when an appointed figure rules in the name of the monarch.

Fronde

An uprising against the growth of absolutism in France, crushed by Louis XIV.

L’etat c’est moi

Louis XIV’s declaration that sums up the role of the absolute monarch.

levy

A tax (n) or the authority to collect a tax (v).

aristocratic

Of or pertaining to the nobility.

Edict of Fontainebleau

1685 royal proclamation that ended religious freedoms for French Huguenots.

mercantilism

Dominant economic policy from 1500s to 1750s; focused on self-sufficient national economies.

tariff

A tax placed on imported goods to keep out foreign competition.

League of Augsburg

An alliance of nations fearing the growing power of Louis XIV’s France.

legitimate

Something that is legally based; a child born to a married couple.

Treaty of Utrecht

1713 agreement that ended the War of Spanish Succession.

Gibraltar

Strategic region controlling the passage between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

bullion

Precious metals (gold and silver) in bulk form.

Hohenzollern

Dynasty that ruled the German state of Prussia.

militaristic

An aggressive posture that glorifies the military.

Kaiser

Title held by the ruling monarch of Prussia.

General War Commissariat

Prussian political organization to direct the nation’s affairs.

Junkers

Term that historically refers to the nobility of Prussia.

Sultan

Title held by the ruling monarch of the Ottoman Empire.

Battle of Lepanto

1571 naval battle changing the Mediterranean power balance.

Janissaries

Elite Ottoman military force, first standing army in Europe.

sick man of Europe

Nickname for the declining Ottoman Empire in the 1800s and early 1900s.

Mongol Yoke

Term for the brutal 300-year Mongol rule over Russia.

Tsar

Title held by the ruling monarch of Russia.

autocracy

A state governed by a single absolute monarch.

Boyar

Term that historically refers to the nobility of Russia.

serfs

Rural agricultural laborers bound to the land.

Romanov

Dynasty that ruled the state of Russia.

Kremlin

Massive fortress and palace complex in Moscow.

St. Petersburg

City built by Peter the Great as a new capital of Russia.

Sejm

Historic parliament of Poland.

constitutional monarchy

A form of government where the monarch's powers are limited by law.

republic(an)

Government without a crowned monarch as head of state.

stadholder

Title of the ruling official of a Dutch province.

East Indies

Geographic region of Southeast Asia including Indonesia.

stock market

Business enterprise where stocks of companies are traded.

merchant marine

A country's shipping involved in trade.

finished goods

Products produced from raw materials, increasing their value.

commercial

A synonym for business.

joint-stock corporation

A business selling shares to investors.

Magna Carta

1215 document placing limits on the monarch's powers.

balanced polity

Division of governmental powers between the monarch and the Parliament.

Petition of Right

Document restricting the monarch’s power in exchange for money.

arbitrary

Something done without good reason, randomly.

quartering

Forcing people to house soldiers without compensation.

martial law

Military control used to preserve order.

renege

To break a promise or agreement.

tyranny

Oppressive and unjust government.

Eleven Years of Tyranny

Period during which King Charles I ruled without Parliament.

Long Parliament

Parliament seated in 1640, hostile to King Charles I.

House of Lords

Upper house of the English Parliament, representing the nobility.

House of Commons

Lower house of the English Parliament, representing the common people.

Cavaliers

Supporters of Charles I during the English Civil War.

charismatic

Possessing charm that inspires devotion.

gentry

Social class of wealthy landowners lower than nobility.

Roundheads

Opponents of Charles I in the English Civil War.

New Model Army

Military force formed by opponents of the king in the English Civil War.

regicide

Term for the killing of a ruling monarch.

English Commonwealth

Only republic in English history, formed after the execution of Charles I.

Lord Protector

Title held by Oliver Cromwell during the Commonwealth.

Levellers

Radical political movement favoring voting rights for all men.

universal manhood suffrage

Rights for all adult men to vote.

Rump Parliament

Radical group of Parliament after executing Charles I.

Glorious Revolution

Event where King James II was removed from the throne.

abdicate

Action of a monarch surrendering their claim to the throne.

Act of Settlement

Law ensuring no Catholic could sit on the throne.

figurehead

Leader with no real authority.

Social Contract Theory

Political theory that government’s power is given by the people.