AP European History Chapter 15 ID Terms: Absolutism and Constitutionalism

Sword Nobles (Noblesse d'epee)

the traditional, old noble class in France; weakened by the growing absolutism in France

Robe Nobles (Noblesse de Robe)

the new noble class who bought their positions/titles from the monarch; Henry IV sold noble titles in order to weaken the old nobles, increase money in the treasury, and create a bureaucracy more loyal to the crown

Louis XIII

King of France from 1610-1643, who succeeded the throne at age 9 after his father, Henry IV, was assassinated; his mother served as Queen Regent and Cardinal Richelieu served as chief minister; sword nobles tried to influence the Crown and feudal powers and corruption increased

intendants

government officials, often robe nobles, who ran/oversaw each French district rather than the sword nobles; implemented royal orders and strengthened royal power; system created by Cardinal Richelieu and continued by Louis XIV

Louis XIV

the Sun King of France from 1643 to 1715 who established absolutist rule, continually waged wars to gain territory, built the palace of Versailles, and became known as the most powerful king in French history

"I am the state."

Cardinal Mazarin

the chief minister to Louis XIV while Louis was in his minority; lacked the authority and skill of his predecessor Richelieu and made the unpopular decision to continue involvement in the 30 Years' War and attempt to tax the nobles; his weakness led to the Fronde

Fronde

a series of rebellions led by French nobles in response to royal weakness and dissatisfaction; they hoped to limit royal power, but not overthrow the monarchy; eventually subdued by Mazarin, but it led to Louis XIV's conviction that nobles must be kept in check by an absolute monarch's control

(Bishop Jacques) Bossuet

Louis XIV mentor who was a principle theorist of 17th century absolutism; he argued that all power comes from God, thus subjects are forced to obey God's representative on earth (the monarch); influenced Louis' absolutist mentality

"I am the state" (L'etat c'est moi)

said by Louis XIV, the statement summarizes his absolute power over all aspects of political life and culture in France; he did not share power with a parliament and he ran his own councils

(Jean-Baptiste) Colbert

the controller general of finances for Louis XIV, he adopted strict mercantilist policies to improve the French economy; hoped to make France more self-sufficient, with other countries dependent on French goods; however, many of his gains were nullified by the expenses of war and disasterous tax system

Marquis de Louvois

the war minister to Louis XIV, a superior military tactician; instituted good salaries and improved the discipline of the French army

War of the Spanish Succession

lasting from 1701 to 1713, a conflict involving France's potential unification with Spain when Louis XIV's grandon inherited the Spanish throne; much of Europe created the Grand Alliance to challenge France and maintain the balance of power

Treaty of Utrecht

(1713) ended the War of Spanish Succession with a balance of power that preserved peace for 30 years; Britain gained ports and some French colonial holdings, as well as exclusive rights regarding the Asiento; the Spanish Netherlands became the Austrian Netherlands; the Spanish Bourbon Dynasty began in Spain

Hohenzollerns

the ruling family of Prussia who continued to gain territories during the 17th century and sought to gain absolutist power; their rule led to the unification of Germany

Frederick William, the Great Elector

Austrian ruler who unified the separate states of Prussia and started process of militarization and absolutism

junkers

strongly conservative members of Prussia's wealthy landowning class

Pragmatic Sanction

act passed in 1713 by Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI that stated that Hapsburg possessions were never to be divided, in order to allow his daughter, Maria Theresa to be ruler

Charles X (Sweden)

(1622-1660) ruler of Sweden whose goal was to create a unified northern state; conducted the First Northern War

Ivan IV the Terrible

absolute tsar of Russia from 1533-1584; was responsible for the death of thousands, including his own son; created the Oprichnina in order to destroy the Boyars; believed in a strong centralized government; expanded territory mostly south

Boyars

Russian nobility who challenged the growing power of the tsars

Romanovs

the Russian dynasty, starting with Michael Romanov in 1613 after the Time of Troubles and lasting until 1917

Duma

a parliament facade controlled by the Russian tsar to give the illusion of common influence in the goverment; in reality the tsar maintained absolute power

Peter the Great

(1689-1725) Russian tsar who enthusiastically introduced Western languages and technologies to the Russian elite, moving the capital from Moscow to the new city of St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg ("Window to the West,")

the new Russian capital built at the order of Peter the Great who had secured the territory from Sweden as a consequence of his victory in the Great Northern War; served as a valuable warm water port and point of access to Western Europe for Russia

Battle of Poltava

1709 Russian victory over Sweden during the Great Northern War, allowing Russian access to the Baltic Sea and Western Europe, leading to Peter the Great's construction of St. Petersburg

James I (England)

the son of Mary Stuart, he succeeded Elizabeth I as king of England; unpopular and considered an outsider; inherited a large royal debt and a divided church; claimed the divine right of kings and abandoned Parliament

Charles I (England)

son of King James I; believed in the divine right of Kings and wanted to force his religious policies among the Puritans; had multiple conflicts with Parliament, eventually leading to Civil War; executed by Oliver Cromwell

ship money

under Charles I, inland towns were required to pay port taxes to increase royal revenue; a tax deeply resented by the English people

Petition of Right

a document prepared by Parliament and signed by King Charles I of England in 1628; challenged the idea of the divine right of kings and declared that even the monarch was subject to the laws of the land

Triennial Act

an act of English Parliament passed in 1641 that mandated at least one convening of Parliament every three years

Writ of Habeas Corpus

a court order requiring explanation to a judge why a prisoner is being held in custody

Long Parliament

a session of Parliament convened by Charles I in 1640; lasted on and off for 20 years and passed laws that limited the power of the English monarchy

New Model Army

a fighting force developed by the Protestants during the English Civil War; used new techniques and strong discipline

Pride's Purge

December 6, 1648, soldiers prevented members of Parliament considered hostile (non-Puritans) to the New Model Army from entering the House of Commons of England

Rump Parliament

the Cromwell-controlled Parliament resulting from Pride's Purge that proclaimed England a republic and abolished the House of Lords and the monarchy

Act of Settlement

English act passed in 1701 stating that no Catholic could be King of England, thus insuring the Protestant line of succession; ruling family switched from Stuarts to Hanovers because of this act

Interregnum

(1649-1660) the interval between monarchs in England, in which Oliver Cromwell served as Lord Protector

Test Act: 1673

propelled by a strong anti-Catholic sentiment, Parliament under Charles II passed this act specifying that only Anglicans could hold military and civil offices

Whigs

an English political group resulting from Parliamentary dislike of Catholic James II, they wanted to exclude James and establish a Protestant king with a tolerance of Puritans

Tories

an English political group resulting from Parliamentary dislike of Catholic James II, they supported James (despite his Catholic tendencies) because they believe Parliament should not tamper with the lawful succession to the throne

James II

(1685-1688) successor to Charles II, the openly Catholic King of England who greatly angered Parliament nobles and whose actions led to the Glorious Revolution to appoint William and Mary of Orange as the new monarchs

English Bill of Rights

King William and Queen Mary accepted this document in 1689; it guaranteed certain rights to English citizens and declared that elections for Parliament would happen frequently; by accepting this document, they supported a limited monarchy, a system in which they shared their power with Parliament and the people

Robert Walpole

First Prime Minister of England (early-mid 1700s) under the new Hanoverian, King George I