Absolutism and Revolution (1550-1851)

Vocabulary flashcards detailing key terms, events, figures, and legal documents from the Absolutism and Revolution lecture notes.

Divine Right

The political doctrine asserting that a monarch's authority comes directly from God, justifying their absolute rule.

Charles V

A prominent Hapsburg ruler, Charles V became King of Spain in 1516 (as Charles I) and Holy Roman Emperor in 1519 before his abdication in 1556.

Spanish Armada

A formidable naval fleet consisting of over 130 ships, 20,000 sailors, and 2,400 cannons, prepared by King Philip II in 1588 to invade England.

Spanish Inquisition

A powerful institution established to root out heresy, particularly targeting and expelling Muslims, Jews, and Protestant reformers from Spain, resulting in economic decline.

Huguenots

French Protestants who engaged in violent religious conflicts against Catholics throughout France during the 1500s.

St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

A tragic event on August 24, 1572, when Catholics massacred over 3,000 Huguenot wedding guests, leading to widespread violence across France.

Edict of Nantes

A significant 1598 decree issued by King Henry IV that granted French Protestants (Huguenots) the right to worship freely and protected their civil rights.

The Fronde

A series of uprisings in France during the 1640s, involving nobles, merchants, peasants, and urban poor protesting against royal absolutism.

Estates General

The legislative assembly in France that represented the three estates: the nobility, clergy, and commoners, which Louis XIV chose not to convene.

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

The finance minister under Louis XIV who implemented measures to promote economic prosperity through industry, trade regulation, tariffs, and mercantilism.

Versailles

An opulent palace constructed by Louis XIV in a Paris suburb, designed to centralize his power by keeping the nobility close and under his control.

Treaty of Utrecht

The 1713 agreement that concluded the War of Spanish Succession, allowing Philip V to remain King of Spain but forbidding any union between the French and Spanish crowns.

Electors

The influential German princes responsible for electing the Holy Roman Emperor, wielding significant power within the empire.

Thirty Years' War

A protracted conflict from 1618 to 1648 primarily fought in the German states, rooted in religious disputes between Catholics and Protestants.

Peace of Westphalia

The series of treaties signed in 1648 that brought an end to the Thirty Years' War, resulting in the division of German territories and cessation of major European religious conflicts.

Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle

The 1748 treaty that ended the War of Austrian Succession, returning all captured territories, apart from Silesia, to their original owners.

Junkers

The Prussian nobility who were granted high-ranking governmental and military positions by Frederick William I in exchange for loyalty to the crown.

Boyars

The traditional noble class in Russia who frequently opposed many established social reforms aimed at Westernization by Tsar Peter I.

Great Northern War

A major conflict initiated in 1700 in which Peter the Great successfully fought against Sweden to secure land for Russia, including a warm-water port and the site for St. Petersburg.

Partitions of Poland

The disintegration of Polish territory among Prussia, Russia, and Austria, which occurred between 1772 and 1790, ultimately leading to Poland's disappearance.

Petition of Right

A pivotal 1628 agreement signed by Charles I requiring parliamentary approval for tax raises and establishing protections against unlawful imprisonment.

Long Parliament

The English Parliament summoned in 1640, which persisted intermittently for 13 years and played a key role in the rebellion against King Charles I.

Cavaliers

The wealthy noble faction that supported King Charles I during the English Civil War, often characterized by their royalist sympathies.

Roundheads

The opposing faction in the English Civil War, primarily composed of country gentry, townsfolk, and Puritan clergy, led by Oliver Cromwell.

The Commonwealth

The republican government established in England following the execution of Charles I, which abolished the monarchy and the House of Lords.

Glorious Revolution

The bloodless transition of power in 1688 when Parliament invited William and Mary to assume the throne, leading to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy.

English Bill of Rights

A foundational document accepted by William and Mary in 1689 that affirmed parliamentary sovereignty and outlined individual legal rights.

Toleration Act

The 1689 legislation in England granting religious freedom to groups such as Quakers, Puritans, and other non-Catholic Protestants.