unit 3 - Absolutism & Constitutionalism

Dynastic Sovereignty

Ruler having absolute power, above the law (early modern period).

Terretorial Sovereignty

power of state depended on how well it could protect the citizens; centralized bureaucracy

Popular Sovereignty

government legitimacy = people agreeing to the government, people have participation

English Civil War

• 1642-1651

• James I & Charles I attempt to make England an absolute monarchy

• Charles didn’t call for Parliament for 11 years → Parliamentarians vs Royalists (Charles executed)

Royalists

Supporters of Charles I of Britain in English Civil War

Absolutism

Monarch has absolute governing power & authority, nobody can control or check them

James I of England

• ruled 1603-1625

• son = Charles I

• divine right of kings, absolutist

Oliver Cromwell

• English Commonwealth leader (1649-1658)

• Puritan commander in Civil War

• created Puritan republic in England

Glorious Revolution

• peaceful revolution / coup

• King James II of England (Catholic) deposed, William & Mary of Orange rule under constitutional monarchy

• Bill of Rights created

Bill of Rights

• established in 1689

• limited power of monarchy

• increased power of parliament

Agricultural Revolution

• farming & domesticating animals

• surplus of food production

• faster food production

• made possible w/ technological advancements & new practices

Commercial Revolution

• economic expansion in 16th & 17th centuries

• growth of trade, banking, & capitalism

• consumerism-heavy

Divine Right of Kings

• political & religious doctrine

• monarch’s legitimacy because God gave them that power, cannot be challenged or questioned by any

Louis XIV

• 1643-1715

• absolute monarch, centralized power

• built Palace of Versailles

• expanded french territory

Constitutionalism

• political philosophy

• government bound to constitution

• outlines powers & limitations

• protects citizens from corruption

Serfdom

• system of labor

• peasants bound to work on the land of their lord

• peasants get protection, portion of crops, housing, small portion of land to grow their own crops

Thomas Hobbes

• author of Leviathan (1651)

• advocated for absolutism

• believes in immorality of humans

• absolutism = peace

Parliamentarians

A member of the parliament and the opposing side to the Royalists in the English Civil War.

Crop Rotation

To change the crops grown according to the seasons and which crops perform best in which seasons, improving the soil and allowing for more production of agriculture.

Mixed Farming

Raising livestock and growing crops on the same land = manure = better soil.

Seed Drill

A tool which plants seeds in a line and then covers them in dirt, making the process of sowing seeds significantly more efficient.

Mechanical Hoe

A tool which removes weeds between the rows of seeds, efficiently getting rid of them without much time or energy used.

Thresher

A machine to separate grains from plants, making harvesting much quicker.

Enclosure Movement

A series of laws which allowed for the sale of public lands, forcing many peasants to have to work on rich farmer’s lands or migrate for new work.

Putting-Out System / Cottage Industry

• Western Europe, 17th & 18th centuries

• merchants employ people to work from home to make finished products (paid per piece)

• more laborers and especially women

Spinning Mule

• a cross invention/advancement of the spinning jenny and water frame

• produce yarn and thread faster, more easily, and with a higher quality

Le Chapelier Law

A law in 1791 that banned worker’s rights to strike and workers’ associations, limiting rights as a laborer.

Bank of England

• a bank used by William & Mary of Orange

• navy became 4x bigger

• allowed Britain to become a world power

• allowed them to build an empire overseas in 18th & 19th centuries

Eighty Years’ War

A war from 1568-1648 about the fight for the Dutch’s independence of Spain. In the end, the Netherlands became independent and formed the Dutch Republic.

Union of Utrecht

A military agreement of various northern provinces in the Netherlands, forming the Dutch Republic united against Spain.

Dutch East India Company

A major joint-stock company created for trading, giving them massive profits, creating their monopoly over the spice trade, and beginning the golden age of the Netherlands.