Absolutism and Constitutionalism- key terms

Absolutism

the sovereign power or ultimate authority in the states rests in the hands of a king who claimed to rule by divine right

Jean Bodin

political theorist who defined sovereignty as the authority to make laws, tax, administer justice, control the state’s administrative systems, and determine foreign policy

Divine right monarch

the idea that kings and power are given by God and therefore their power is absolute 

Bishop Jacques Bossuet

introduced the idea of a divinely-ordained monarchy

Louis XIII

the father of Louis XIV and came to power when he was very very young

Cardinal Richelieu

very powerful during the reign of Louis XIII and helped to strengthen the French monarchy

Intendants

people who were sent by Cardinal Richelieu into provinces to ensure the orders of the royal government were followed 

Cardinal Mazarin

trained by Cardinal Richelieu and attempted to upkeep his policy after his passing

Fronde

 revolt of the nobles in France

Nobles of the Robe

the service nobility of lawyer and administrators who led the first fronde

Louis XIV

the first of the absolute monarchs in France, setting the stage for monarchs to come

Versailles

A palace built by Louis XIV in 1660, home to the king, high nobility, and princes of the blood. This place was filled with drama, order, and spectacle in order to distract the nobility from political matters.

Parlements

local governments who made laws, they had a good relationship with Louis XIV

Edict of Fontainebleau

disregarded the Edict of Nantes and allowed for the destruction of huguenot churches and protestant schools in order to make Catholicism the central religion.

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

Financial issues

During this time, Louis had many financial problems due to Louis XIV’s frivolous spending

Life at Versailles

life in Versailles was filled with ceremonies centered around the king. Every step of his day was surrounded by nobles who helped him, hand and foot, in any way they possibly could. This was important because it distracted the nobles from the problems that were occurring at the time.

Francois-Michel Le Tellier

secretary of war for Louis XIV

Triple Alliance

the alliance of the Dutch, English, and Swedes when France tried to invade the Spanish-Netherlands and Franche-Comte 

Peace of Nimwegen

ended the French invasion of the Dutch United Provinces

League of Augsburg

the union of Spain, HRE, United Provinces, Sweden, and England

Treaty of Ryswick

ended the French invasion of the HRE and stopped the spread of the French Empire

War of the Spanish Succession

War that took place due to a fear that France and Spain would become one united power

Peace of Utrecht

ensured that the French and Spanish thrones would always be separated and granted French land to the English and gave territories to Austria and Bradenburg-Prussia

Philip II

a very foolish king who ran the Spanish monarchy into the ground due to only focusing on his court and allowing the Duke of Lerma to control the country

Philip III

a very foolish king who ran the Spanish monarchy into the ground due to only focusing on his court

Problems in Spain

Philip II and Philip III drained the treasury, bad army, bad government, unbalanced class system

Philip IV

Attempted to revive the Spanish monarchy

Count of Olivares

Gasper de Guzman; hardworking man who worked to take power away from the Catholic Church and aristocracy in order to develop of the power of the monarchy (very little success)

Spain in 30 Years’ War

caused lots of expensive military campaigns leading to an array of revolts throughout Spain. By the end of the war, the Spanish Army was drained of power and men. 

Ivan IV (The Terrible)

the first to be considered tsar in Russia. Expanded the country eastward and crushed the power of the nobility

Boyars

Russian nobility

Time of Troubles

resurgence of aristocratic power in Russia

Michael Romanov

considered the tsar who ended the Time of Troubles in 1917

Tsar

Russian nobility and serfdom

due to the abundance of land and few peasants, nobility often had serfs to work their land

Russian Orthodox Church

the prominent church of Russia, before Peter the Great was going through a schism

Peter the Great

a cruel and rude ruler who westernized Russia

Table of Rank

ranks with 14 different levels in both civic offices and military offices that allowed for non-nobility to have a chance to participate in the state

Procurator

 the head of the Russian Orthodox Church who worked as a representative of the tsar and their wishes

Russian manners and dress

during the rule of Peter the Great Russian manners and dress were adjusted to western norms

St. Petersburg

Built by Peter the Great as a representation of the prominence of Russia as a European power

“Open a window to the West”

Peter wanted to create a port on the baltic to allow for communication with the west

Great Northern War

a war between Russia and Sweden over the Baltic Sea territory

Peace of Nystad

ended the Great Northern War in favor of Russia

Success of Peter’s Westernization project

Peter’s westernization was impactful although it did not fully reform Russian society. For the most part it only benefited the upper class and the lower class suffered

Brandenburg-Prussia

an area of German states which stretch across western, central and eastern Germany

Hohenzollern

Brandenburg-Prussia under the control of the Hohenzollern dynasty

Frederick William the Great Elector

developed the power of Hohenzollern- developed a standing army, General War Commissariat as his central form of governing, made a deal with the nobles in order to lessen their power

General War Commissariat

maintained the army and levied the taxes necessary for its upkeep 

Junkers

nobles who ran the General War Commissariat and were officers in the army

Frederick William’s bargain with the nobility

he made a deal that in return for depriving the provinces of their power the nobles had full control over the peasants, were free from taxation, and were given the highest ranks (as long as they acknowledged him as sovereign)

Frederick III/Frederick I

successor to Frederick William and solidified Brandenburg-Prussia in Europe

Leopold I

expanded the Austrian Empire

Treaty of Karlowitz

 The treaty established after the Austrian empire defeated the Ottomans in their attempt to invade Vienna. They were able to gain control of Hungary, Transylvania, Croatia, and Slovenia

Austrian failure to centralize

They were unable to centralize due to the strong power of the aristocrats and nobles in the connected empire

Austrian Italy

Austria was able to gain some land in Italy after the War of the Spanish Succession 

Christian IV

 Was unable to gain absolute power in Denmark over the nobles as an elected monarch. Therefore his goal of expansion failed. 

Christian V

Created an absolutist constitution for Denmark

Gustavus Adolphus

Stabilized the government by filling bureaucratic positions with a “First Estate” 

Riksdag

Swedish parliament

Christina

The daughter of Gustavus Adolphus who did not want to rule and was more focused on her personal philosophy and religion. Tended to side with the nobles which angered the rest of the population. Ended up leaving the monarchy

Charles X

 cousin of Christina whom she abdicated her power to. He was able to end the peasant revolts.

Charles XI

Built an absolute monarchy for Sweden- weakened the power of nobles and the church while he improved the army and navy to strengthen the country

Charles XII

the first absolute monarch in Sweden. Very military focused and ended up losing a lot of Swedish land due to irresponsible fighting.

Suleiman the Magnificent

expanded  and re established the Ottoman empire- gained control of Belgrade, Hungary, and the southern shores of the Mediterranean

Battle of Lepanto

a battle between the Spanish and the Ottomans as the Ottomans tried to expand west across the mediterranean. The Spanish won and forced the Turks to the southern shores 

Janissaries

Christian boys who were taken from their homes, converted to muslim, and forced into strict military training to form an elite military group loyal to the sultan

Battle of Vienna

The Ottomans tried to invade Vienna but were defeated by a coalition of European countries

Stuart Dynasty

the line of rulers after Elizabeth I, started with King James I

James I

 originally known as King James III of Scotland, cousin of Elizabeth I and became king of England. Unaware of English customs and started upheaval with his religious and political policy

Divine Right of Kings

The kings were given complete power because their power was given by God. 

Balanced Polity

the balance of power in England between the King and Parliament

Puritans

calvinists within the church of England

Gentry

most well-to-do landowners below the level of nobility

Charles I

the son of James I. The English Civil War began under his rule due to his continuation and exacerbation of his father’s policy.

Petition of Right

passed by the English Parliament. Prohibited taxation without Parliament's consent, arbitrary imprisonment, the quartering of soldiers in private houses, and the declaration of martial law in peacetime

Henrietta Maria

the catholic wife of Charles I

Archbishop Laud

introduced to the church by Charles I to increase ritual within the church

Long Parliament

Parliament under the rule of King Charles I

English Civil War

a civil war that took place between the Independents and the English monarchy

New Model Army

composed of extreme Puritans known as Independents who believed they were doing battle for the Lord

Rump Parliament

 the Parliament after the Presbyterians were purged by Cromwell

English Commonwealth

the government of England after becoming a republic

Levellers

 A group of radicals who believed in freedom of speech, a democratic republic, and equality for both women and the poor

Instrument of Government

A constitution for the government under the rule of Cromwell. Claimed that power was held in the hands of Lord Protector and Parliament

Lord Protector

a position held by Cromwell, head of state

Restoration

the monarchy was reestablished after the reign of Oliver Cromwell

Charles II

the son of King Charles I and tried to enforce a government similar to his father’s

Test Act

 an act passed by parliament that only Anglicans could hold military or civic offices

Whigs

a group of Parliament that wanted to exclude James II from the throne and establish a Protestant king with toleration for Dissenters

Tories

a group of Parliament that supported the king and believed Parliament should not mess with Royal succession

James II

the brother of Charles II who was a devout Catholic, succeeded to the throne after him and tries to shift England to Catholic ideas

Declaration of Indulgence

suspended all laws barring Catholics and Dissenters from holding offices

William of Orange and Mary

Mary was the protestant daughter of Charles I and William of Orange was her husband. Upon request they invaded England and forced James II and his family to flee to France. Eventually they became monarchs

Glorious Revolution

after William of Orange and Mary invaded England there was a conflict over who should be the next monarch

Revolution Settlement

 the final decision that Mary and William of Orange will be the next monarchs

English Bill of Rights

Established Parliament rights to levy taxes, make laws, control standing armies, and that the king cannot interfere with elections or debates. Established the civic rights of petition, keep arms, have a jury trial and no excessive bail 

Toleration Act of 1689

granted Puritan Dissenters the right of free worship

Thomas Hobbes

an English political analyst