Absolutism/Constitutionalism/Enlightenment/Scientific Revolution

What is Absolutism?

A system where kings or queens hold all power with no limits.

What helped absolutism grow in Europe?

More bureaucracy, wealth from colonies/trade, and belief in divine right.

Who was the French absolute monarch?

Louis XIV.

What is Prussian absolutism?

A militaristic absolute monarchy in Prussia.

Which dynasty ruled Austria during absolutism?

The Habsburgs.

Who expanded Russian absolutism?

Peter the Great (Tsar Peter I).

What is a constitutional monarchy?

A monarchy where the ruler’s power is limited by laws or a parliament.

What events created English constitutional monarchy?

The English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution.

What document limited the monarchy after the Glorious Revolution?

The English Bill of Rights.

What was the Edict of Fontainebleau?

Louis XIV’s law that ended religious tolerance for French Protestants.

What were the Fronde uprisings?

Noble rebellions against royal power in France.

Who was Frederick William I?

Prussian king who built a strong military government.

Who was Frederick II (Frederick the Great)?

Enlightened monarch of Prussia who supported reforms.

Who was Maria Theresa?

Habsburg ruler who strengthened Austria.

Who was Queen Elizabeth I?

English queen known for stability and strengthening England.

What was the Cromwell Protectorate?

Period when Oliver Cromwell ruled England as a Puritan dictator.

Who was Charles II of England?

Restored monarch after Cromwell’s rule.

What was the Act of Settlement (1701)?

Law deciding who could inherit the English throne.

What was the Act of Union?

Joined England and Scotland into Great Britain.

What was the Treaty of Utrecht?

Ended the War of Spanish Succession and balanced European power.

What was the Scientific Revolution?

A period of major scientific discoveries and new ways of thinking.

What is empiricism?

Learning through observation and experience.

What did the English Enlightenment focus on?

Government, rights, and reason.

What did the French Enlightenment focus on?

Freedom and challenging absolute monarchy.

What did Hobbes believe?

People need a strong ruler to maintain order.

What did Locke believe?

Natural rights and the right to overthrow bad rulers.

What did Rousseau believe?

Government should follow the general will of the people.

What did Montesquieu believe?

Separation of powers in government.

What did Wollstonecraft argue?

Women deserve equal rights and education.

Who were enlightened monarchs?

Rulers who used Enlightenment ideas to reform their states.

Copernicus

Proposed the heliocentric (sun-centered) universe.

Kepler

Discovered laws of planetary motion.

Galileo

Used telescopes and supported heliocentrism.

Hooke

Studied cells and developed early microscopy.

Newton

Created the laws of motion and gravity.

Descartes

Believed in logic and reason

Bacon

Developed the scientific method.

Beccaria

Opposed torture and wanted fair criminal justice.

Voltaire

Supported free speech and religious tolerance.

Diderot

Created the Encyclopedia to spread knowledge.

Kant

Believed reason shapes morality and understanding.