Absolutism, Constitutionalism, and the Old Regime Flashcards

Flashcards from lecture notes on Absolutism, Constitutionalism, and the Old Regime.

What does 'absolute' mean in the context of absolute monarchy?

Total and complete control.

Who is a prime example of an absolute monarch?

Louis the Fourteenth.

How did Louis XIV diminish the power of the nobility?

By removing power from the nobles and not having advisors.

How did new monarchies lay the groundwork for absolutism?

By shifting control to the monarchy.

What did new monarchies shift to the monarchy?

Control of the military.

What is the significance of Alsace Lorraine?

A region between France and Germany that Louis XIV fought for.

What was the War of Spanish Succession about for Louis XIV?

Upholding Charles V's appointment of Philip to the Spanish throne.

What is the significance of military costs during Louis XIV's reign and how did that affect his power?

Military costs increased taxes that went directly to the monarchy.

What is Louis XIV's nickname?

The Sun King.

What was Louis XIV's motto?

One king, one law, one faith.

What was the Edict of Nantes?

A law that allowed Huguenots (French Protestants) to privately practice their religion.

What was the Edict of Fountainbleau?

It revoked the Edict of Nantes and mandated everyone to be Catholic.

What was the significance of forcing nobles to live at the Palace of Versailles?

It kept them focused on menial tasks for the king, preventing revolts. Nobles fighting over menial tasks, like changing his chamber pot.

What was the Fronde?

A revolt of the nobility early in Louis XIV's reign.

What economic system did absolutists like Louis XIV often use?

Mercantilism.

Who was Louis XIV's financial advisor?

Jean Baptiste Colbert.

What is divine right monarchy?

The belief that a monarch's power comes from God.

Name an absolute monarch in Russia that westernized?

Peter the Great.

How did Peter the Great assert power over the nobles?

By cutting their beards as a form of westernization.

What type of government did England eventually adopt?

Constitutionalism.

Who was the last of the Tudor monarchs in England?

Elizabeth the First.

Who replaced Elizabeth I and what was his relation to Divine Right?

James the Sixth of Scotland (James the First of England) who had absolutist and Catholic ideas.

What was the Act of Supremacy?

Established the Anglican Church with the monarch as its head.

What did James I do that created issues with Parliament?

Dissolved Parliament often and appointed catholic leaders.

Who was beheaded in the English Civil War?

Charles the First.

Who led the parliamentary army against Charles I?

Oliver Cromwell.

What was England called when it was run by Oliver Cromwell?

Protectorate.

What was Cromwell's attitude toward Catholics?

Cromwell hated Catholics and was very oppressive in Ireland.

Who was restored to the throne after Cromwell's death?

Charles the Second.

What was the Test Act?

Stated that no Catholics could be appointed to government positions in England.

Who violated the Test Act?

James the Second.

Who replaced James the Second in the Glorious Revolution?

William and Mary of Orange.

What was the Glorious Revolution?

A bloodless change in power in England that solidified constitutional monarchy.

What did William and Mary have to agree to when they took the throne?

To rule through Parliament and follow the English Bill of Rights.

What did the English Bill of Rights do?

Established the separation of power between the monarch and Parliament in England.

Who wrote Two Treatises of Government in 1689?

John Locke.

What was the Dutch East India Company?

A company that controlled trade, particularly with Asia, during the Dutch Golden Age.

What does the "Old Regime Society" refer to?

The traditional, strict social hierarchies prevalent in France before the French Revolution.

What was the first estate in France?

The clergy, who were excused from taxes.

What was the second estate in France?

The nobility, whose status was based on land ownership.

What was the third estate in France?

The bulk of society, with very few rights and obligations to pay high taxes.

What are group rights?

How the law worked during the Old Regime Society; the laws were different based on estate or land ownership.

What did the enlightenment push against regarding social hierarchies?

The concept of group rights in favor of individual rights.

What is a family economy?

An economy where the whole family contributes to the economic well-being of the household.

Name two results of the Agricultural Revolution.

End of the pool of lives and Throe Toll's seed drill

Who invented the seed drill during the Agricultural Revolution?

Jet Throe Toll.

What crop coming from explorations improved the nutritional value?

Potatoes.

What is cottage industry?

Women working in their homes.

What countries had Large colonial empires in 1700s?

French, the spanish, and the british.

Who were the sides of the Seven Years' War?

British vs the French, Prussia vs Austria, British vs France in India

Who lost the colony of America in the American Revolution?

British.

When does the Scientific Revolution begin?

Renaissance.

What does geocentrism mean?

Earth Centered.

Who supports geocentrism in the early history?

Bible and catholic church.

What does heliocentrism mean?

The sun is the center of the universe

What does the Scientific Method Focus on?

Experimentation, observation and reasoning.

The enlightenment based observation, logic and reasoning and applies it to what?

Society and government.

Name Enlightenment Scholars Discussed.

John Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau.

Name some rulers that embraced the some of the enlightenment?

Catherine the Great, Joseph the Second in Austria, and Frederick the Wise in Prussia.

Who is the most educated of the 3rd estate in France?

Bourgeoisie.