3.3-3.4 notes

Ivan IV

Also known as Ivan the Terrible, he was the first tsar of Russia (1547-1584), known for expanding Russian territory and centralizing royal power but also for his violent purges of the boyars.

Louis XIV

The "Sun King," he ruled France (1643-1715) as an absolute monarch, building the Palace of Versailles and centralizing power. Famous for saying, "L'état, c'est moi" (I am the state).

Divine Right of Kings

The belief that monarchs derive their authority to rule directly from God and are accountable only to Him, not to their subjects or any earthly institution.

Absolute

Refers to monarchs who hold complete and unrestricted power in governance, typically without checks from other branches or institutions.

Justices of Peace

Local officials in England who enforced laws and maintained peace in rural areas, playing a key role in local governance under the Tudor monarchy

English Bill of Rights

Passed in 1689, it limited the powers of the English monarch and established certain civil rights, ensuring parliamentary supremacy over the monarchy

Boyars

The highest-ranking members of the Russian aristocracy, who held land and power before being increasingly controlled by tsars like Ivan IV.

Protestant Reformation

A 16th-century religious movement led by figures like Martin Luther that challenged the Catholic Church’s practices, leading to the creation of Protestant denominations.

Martin Luther

A German monk who initiated the Protestant Reformation by posting his 95 Theses in 1517, criticizing Church practices like indulgences.

Puritan

A group of Protestants in England who sought to "purify" the Anglican Church of Catholic practices, playing a key role in shaping English religious and political life.

John Calvin

A Protestant reformer whose teachings, especially the doctrine of predestination, became the foundation of Calvinism, influencing many Protestant churches.

Henry VIII

King of England who founded the Anglican Church (Church of England) after separating from the Catholic Church in 1534 when the pope refused to annul his marriage.

Anglican Church

The national church of England, established by Henry VIII, blending Catholic rituals with Protestant theology.

Jesuits

A Catholic religious order founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola to counter the Protestant Reformation through education, missionary work, and reform within the Church.

Scientific Revolution

A period (16th-18th centuries) of major advances in science and understanding of the natural world, marked by figures like Galileo, Newton, and Copernicus.

Council of Trent

A series of Catholic Church meetings (1545-1563) held to counter the Protestant Reformation and clarify Catholic doctrines while reforming Church practices.

Peace of Westphalia

A series of treaties in 1648 that ended the Thirty Years' War in Europe, allowing rulers to choose the religion of their own states and reducing religious conflicts.

Counter-Reformation

The Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation, focusing on internal reform, clarification of doctrine, and efforts like the Jesuits to win back followers.

Empiricism

The philosophical belief that knowledge comes from sensory experience and observation, championed by figures like Francis Bacon during the Scientific Revolution.

Inquisition

A series of Roman Catholic Church tribunals established to root out heresy, often involving severe interrogation and punishment.

Simony

The selling or buying of ecclesiastical privileges or Church offices, a corrupt practice criticized during the Protestant Reformation.

Edict of Nantes

A 1598 decree by French King Henry IV granting religious tolerance to Huguenots (French Protestants), helping to end the French Wars of Religion.

Holy Synod

A body created by Peter the Great in 1721 to govern the Russian Orthodox Church under the control of the tsar, replacing the role of a patriarch.

Peace of Augsburg

A 1555 treaty that allowed German princes to choose either Catholicism or Lutheranism as the official religion of their territories, recognizing religious division in the Holy Roman Empire.

Indulgences

A practice in the Catholic Church where people could pay money to reduce punishment for sins, heavily criticized by Martin Luther during the Reformation.

Thirty Years’ War

A devastating conflict (1618-1648) in Europe, initially about religion (Protestants vs. Catholics) but later involving political struggles between major powers.

Anne Boleyn

The second wife of Henry VIII, whose marriage to him led to England’s break from the Catholic Church; she was the mother of Elizabeth I and was executed in 1536.

Versailles

A grand palace built by Louis XIV outside Paris, symbolizing his absolute power and serving as the center of French political and court life.

Cardinal Richelieu

Chief minister to Louis XIII, he strengthened the French monarchy by reducing the power of the nobility and supporting centralization.

Peter the Great

Tsar of Russia (1682-1725) who modernized the country by westernizing its institutions and expanding its military power, founding St. Petersburg as a "window to the West."

Charles V

Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain in the 16th century, he ruled a vast empire but faced challenges from Protestantism and wars with France and the Ottoman Empire.

Elect

In Calvinist theology, these are the individuals predestined by God for salvation, a central idea in John Calvin’s teachings.

Predestination

A doctrine in Calvinism that holds that God has already determined who will be saved and who will be damned, regardless of individual actions or merit