APEH Absolutism Vocab

secular

Anything that is not religious in its character or purpose.

politiques

Term for those nobles and royal figures who supported religious toleration as a means of restoring domestic peace and strengthening the nation.

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 that granted religious toleration and control of 200 walled fortified cities to that nation's Protestant minority.

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. The treaty marked a major defeat of the Habsburg dynasty and the rise of the Bourbon dynasty. It destroyed the Holy Roman Empire.

standing army

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

regency

A period of government when an appointed figure rules in the name of the monarch due the monarch's youth, illness, or incapacity.

Fronde

An uprising, led by French nobles, against the growth of absolutism in that nation. It was crushed by the government of Louis XIV.

L'etat c'est moi

Famous declaration by Louis XIV that sums up the role of the absolute monarch. It translates as "I am the state."

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 and led to the emigration of over 200,000 Protestants.

mercantilism

The dominant economic policy of the 1500s - 1750s, it was based on the formation of self-sufficient national economies. This was achieved by limiting imports through high tariffs, the development of national industries, and the acquisition of colonies. It emphasized the amassing of bullion.

tariff

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

League of Augsburg

An alliance of nations who feared the growing power of Louis XIV's France. It was principally led by William of Orange (Netherlands) who went on to become William III (England).

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. The Bourbon King Phillip V was allowed to remain King of Spain but the treaty was a major defeat for France and Spain.

Gibraltar

Strategic region attached to the bottom of the Iberian Peninsula; it controls the passage between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

bullion

Precious metals (gold and silver) in bulk form, valued by weight.

Hohenzollern

The dynasty that ruled the German state of Prussia and later ruled the German Empire.

militaristic

An aggressive posture that glorifies the military.

Kaiser

Title held by the ruling monarch of Prussia and later Germany.

General War Commissariat

The Prussian political organization created to direct the affairs of the nation and supervise the bureaucracy.

Junkers

Term that historically refers to the nobility of Prussia.

Sultan

Title held by the ruling monarch of the Ottoman Empire.

Battle of Lepanto

Epic 1571 naval battle between the Ottoman Empire and Christian forces led by Spain that changed the balance of power in the Mediterranean Sea and began the gradual decline of the Ottomans.

Janissaries

Elite Ottoman military force, at first composed of Christian-born captives; it was the first standing army in the history of Europe.