Absolutism and Constitutional Government Key Terms

Rise of Brandenberg - Prussia

Brandenburg changed into a powerful state because of the Hohenzollern dynasty, consisted of 3 disconnected masses in western, central, and eastern Germany

Frederick William the Great Elector

The man who started absolutism in Prussia by uniting the three provinces of Prussia under one ruler.

Emergence of Habsburg Austria

Realization that the German Empire was lost, a new empire could be created (Eastern and South Eastern Europe), they also added several territories but still were only held together by social Union

Leopold I

the head of Habsburg elected in 1657 and in return kept two promises: give no help to his cousins, the rulers of Spain, and the empire would be a state of princes, in which each ruler would be free from imperial interference

Boyars

Russian nobles

pre-Peter the Great social structure

The state was divided into uyezds, which mostly consisted of cities and their immediate surrounding areas.

Oliver Cromwell

leader of more extreme Puritans known as the Independents, who believed they were fighting for the Lord; led well-disciplined crusaders

Causes of the Glorious Revolution

struggle between king and Parliament; English noblemen told William of Orange to invade England; James flees to France; caused by the need to determine who would become monarch of England; the English people did not like the prospect of a Catholic hereditary monarchy with James I and II; Convention Parliament asserted that James had tried to subvert the constitution;

Effects of the Glorious Revolution

Revolution Settlement- confirmed William and Mary as monarchs; helped create a system of government based on the rule of law and a freely elected Parliament, which laid the foundation for a constitutional monarchy; demolished the divine right theory of kingship and asserted unquestioned role of Parliament in affairs of state

English Bill of Rights

affirmed Parliament's right to make laws and levy taxes; standing armies could be raised only with the consent of Parliament; elections of members and debates in Parliament had to be free, without interference from the king; The rights of citizens to petition the sovereign, keep arms, have a jury trial, and not be subject to excessive bail were also confirmed.

Toleration Act of 1689

granted Puritan Dissenters the right of free public worship; they did not yet have full civil and political equality since the Test Act was not repealed; marked a turning point in English history: few people would ever again be persecuted for religious reasons

Thomas Hobbes

believed that humans were guided not by reason and moral ideals but by animalistic instincts and a ruthless struggle for self-preservation; argued that commonwealth should invest in a sovereign authority (single ruler) who served as executor, legislator, and judge who possessed unlimited power. In Hobbes's view, subjects may not rebel; if they do, they must be suppressed; published major treatise on political thought known as the Leviathan in 1651

John Locke

viewed the exercise of political power quite differently from Hobbes and argued against the absolute rule of one man; published political work called Two Treatises of Government; believed that humans lived then in a state of equality and freedom rather than a state of war and that they had certain inalienable natural rights—to life, liberty, and property; thought the community of people was primarily the landholding aristocracy who were represented in Parliament, not the landless masses so not really an advocate of democracy

Locke and Hobbes

mutually agreed to establish a government to ensure the protection of their rights and established mutual obligations: government would protect the rights of the people while the people would act reasonably toward government; If a king broke his promises, the people might form a new government.

Table of Ranks

1722- instituted by Peter in order to create opportunities for nonnobles to serve the state and join the nobility. A system of 14 levels, and if a commoner reaches level 8, they shall be considered a noble.

Holy Synod

1721- Peter abolished the position of patriarch and created a body called the Hold Synod to make decisions for the Church. Procurator- rep of the interests of Peter.

Peter the Great and his westernization policies

brought many Western influences- his court having shaved beards & cut coats at the knees with their hands. Women were allowed to mix freely with men-, no more veils for the upper-class, more social gatherings, & free will for women to marry.

The Great Northern War

Sweden (Charles XII) vs. Russia- gain control of the Baltic in order to "open a window to the West" & make Russia a great state and military power. defeated Charles in the Battle of Poltava but officially ended in the Peace of Nystadt- Russia became the great European power Peter wanted.

Ottoman expansion into Europe

Ottoman Empire possessed a highly effective governmental system w/ sultans & grand viziers. 17th century-Ottomans sought alliances and trade concessions, being like another European power. 1683- marched to Hungary & siege to Vienna yet was defeated and never again a threat to Europe due to a mixed army agianst it.

Sultan Suleiman I the Magnificent

seized Belgrade (1521), Hungary (1526), western Mediterranean, but a large Turkish fleet destroyed by Spanish. still had control over the southern shores of the Medit.

Louis' Court

Versailles: residence of the King, reception hall for state affairs, office building for members of the king's gov, home of thousands of royal officials and aristocratic courtiers

Versailles

Palace constructed by Louis XIV outside of Paris to glorify his rule and subdue the nobility.

War of Spanish Succession

This was the war between France and Spain in order to unite the two states under one ruler, Phillip V

Louis XIV's wars

He wanted to increase royal power and wanted military glory, which led to war. Other countries allied themselves against him causing him to need to make peace instead.

Jean Baptiste Colbert economic policies

He sought to adhere to mercantilism, so he joined the new luxury industries in France and invited others to work in France to decrease the need for imports and increase exports.

Decline of Spain: who and why?

a succession of weak kings (Philip II, Philip III) suffered from excessive expenditures from the war.

absolutism

A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

divine right monarchy

The belief that a monarch's power derives from God and represents Him on earth.

cardinal richelieu & Cardinal Mazarin

Richelieu,Catholic, was Bourbons' chief adviser. Role was to strengthen French crown. Compromised with Protestants, even to destroy Catholic Hapasburgs of HRE, so France could be one of the stronger empires. he established new bureaucratic class( noblesse de la robe). Mazarin was his successor and they prepared France to hold the strong position it would achieve in Europe under Louis XIV.

nobles of the robe: new economic elite in france

The nobles whose nobility was either acquired by serving in the bureaucracy or had purchased them.

King Louis XIV's domestic policies

Louis enacted absolutist ideas through domination of the central bureaucracy which had greater control of state finances, the execution of laws and the use of armed force.

Edict of Fountainbleu

Louis XIV's revocation of the Edict of Nantes, led to Huguenot persecution

Weaknesses of the Polish Monarchy

To be elected kingship, prospective monarchs had to agree to share power with the Sejm (two chamber assembly of nobles).

The Golden Age of the Dutch Republic

After the 16th century revolt of the Netherlands, the seven provinces (AKA United Provinces of the Netherlands) became the core of the modern Dutch state & was officially recognized by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

James I & Charles I vs. Parliament

James I: understood little about English laws, institutions, and customs

Charles I: decided he would no longer work with Parliament and pursued a course of personal rule

Constitutionalism in England

Government would protect the rights of the people while the people would act reasonably toward government- if a government broke this agreement the people might form a new government.

Petition of Right

Petition that prohibited taxation without Parliament's consent, arbitrary imprisonment, the quartering of soldiers in private houses, and the declaration of martial law in peacetime.

Charles I initially accepted it but later reneged on the agreement because of its limitations un royal power

English Civil War

Phase 1: Parliament won the first phase of the English Civil War (1642 - 1646) & created the New Model Army made of extreme Puritans (AKA Independents) who supported Parliament and ended the first phase of the civil war by capturing King Charles I (1646)

Phase 2: Presbyterian majority wanted to disband the army and restore Charles I with a Presbyterian state church, but the army opposed it and marched on London in 1647 to negotiate with the King who asked help from the Scots. Charles was beheaded for treason by Oliver Cromwell.