European Age of Absolutism

AP Euro Unit 4

Who was Charles I and what was his "Personal Rule?"

His period (1629-1640) of ruling without Parliament, raising money through extra-parliamentary means

Who fought in the English Civil War?

The Cavaliers and the Roundheads- Cavaliers supported the king, Roundheads supported Parliament

Who was Oliver Cromwell?

He was the leader of the Parliamentarians who ruled as Lord Protector after the Civil War

What was the Restoration?

It was the return of the monarchy under Charles II in 1660

Why was James II (the Catholic king) controversial?

He was openly Catholic and attempted to expand royal power

What happened in the Glorious Revolution of 1688?

Parliament invited William and Mary to replaces King James II, creating a constitutional monarchy

Who are William and Mary important?

They accepted the limits on monarchy through the English Bill of Rights

What did the English Bill of Rights do?

It established parliamentary supremacy and protected civil liberties

What was the Protestant Succession?

It was a series of laws that ensured only Protestant monarchs could rule England

Who was Sir Robert Walpole?

He is considered Britain's first prime minister

Whigs v Tories: What divided them?

The Whigs favored Parliament and reform, while the Tories supported the monarchy and tradition

Why was Louis XIV called the Sun King?

He symbolized centralized royal power and ruled as an absolute monarch

Which dynasty ruled France during the reign of Louis XIV?

The Bourbon Dynasty

What was the Fronde?

A series of aristocratic rebellions against royal authority early in Louis XIV's reign (when he was a child)

Why was Versailles significant?

It embodied absolutism and allowed Louis XIV to control the nobility

What was Jean-Baptiste Colbert known for?

He strengthened the economy through mercantilist policies

Why was the Edict of Nantes revoked?

Louis XIV ended Protestant toleration, causing Huguenots to flee

Which family united Prussia?

The Hohenzollerns

What did Frederick William (the Great Elector) accomplish?

Strengthened Prussia via military and taxation reforms

Who were the Junkers?

They were Prussian nobles who dominated the army and supported the monarchy

Why is Frederick the Great important?

He expanded Prussia through military success and reforms

Why is Silesia significant?

It was territory seized from Austria, making Prussia a great power

What was the Sejm?

It was Poland's noble-dominated parliament

Who were the szlachta?

They were Poland-Lithuania's nobles class with extensive political power

What was the liberum veto in Poland?

It was a rule that allowed one noble to block all legislation

What were the Partitions of Poland?

They were the division of Poland by Russia, Prussia, and Austria (1772-1795)

Why is the Ottoman Siege of Vienna in 1683 important?

It was a major Christian victory that began the Ottoman decline in Europe

What did Emperor Leopold I do?

He strengthened Habsburg power and defended Vienna against the Ottomans

Who were the Romanovs?

They were the ruling family of Russia from 1613 onward

What was Peter the Great known for?

Westernizing Russia and modernizing its government and military

Who opposed Peter the Great's reforms?

The Streltsy (Russia's elite guards) and the Old Believers

What is Westernization in Russia?

It is the adoption of Western European culture and institutions

What was the Great Northern War?

A war between Sweden and Russia in order for Russia to gain warm water ports. Russia gained Baltic access

Why did Peter the Great build St. Petersburg?

He wanted to create a "Window to the West."

What was the Beard Tax in Russia?

It was a tax that forced nobles to shave as part of Westernization

What did the Table of Ranks do in Russia?

It created a merit-based hierarchy for service to the state

What reforms did Peter the Great make to Russia's government structure?

It replaced the old offices with the Senate and specialized colleges

What is Mercantilism?

An economic system where the government regulates trade for its own benefit at the expense of its rivals.

What were Plantation Economies?

Large-scale agriculture in colonies using enslaved labor

What role did the East India Companies play?

They were state-chartered trading companies that dominated global commerce

What was the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade?

The trans-Atlantic slave trade was a massive triangular slave trade route-mostly for Africans-in Atlantic ocean that took place during the 16th century through the 19th century.

Why was the War of Spanish Succession fought?

To prevent Bourbon (French) control of Spain and maintain the balance of power

What is the Balance of Power?

The distribution of military and economic power that prevents any one nation from becoming too strong

What did the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713 accomplish?

It ended the War of Spanish Succession and limited Bourbon (French) expansion

What was the Seven Years' War?

War between Great Britain and France that caused massive taxes for landowners in North America and France. It was a global conflict involving Europe, North America, and India

What did the Treaty of Paris of 1763 do?

It ended the Seven Years' War and reshaped colonial empires

What changed in farming during the Agricultural Revolution?

New techniques and tools were created to increase productivity

What were Enclosures/Enclosure Acts?

They were the consolidation of land, pushing peasants off the commons

Why were Jethro Tull and Charles Townshend important?

They were the innovators of seed drills, crop rotation, and new crops

Why did turnip and potato matter?

They improved nutrition and soil management

What was the Aristocratic resurgence?

Term applied to the 18th century aristocratic efforts to resist the expanding power of European monarchies

What were French parlements?

They were courts that could block royal laws

What was the Old Regime?

A pre-revolution social and political structure of France

Who were the nobles of the robe?

Nobles who buy into the nobility and who gained status through service in government

Who were the nobles of the sword?

People whose ancestry had fought for a king and got a noble title.

What did the Charter of Nobility (Russia) do?

It granted rights and privileges to Russian nobles

What were Corvée and robot?

They were forms of forced labor owed by peasants in France and Central Europe

What was Pugachev's Rebellion?

It was a massive serf uprising against Catherine the Great (Peter's sister)

What were the English Game Laws?

They were laws restricting hunting to landowners, limiting peasants' rights