ap euro unit 3

Little Ice Age

A period of cooler, more variable climate that affected Europe from approximately 1300 to 1850, characterized by shorter growing seasons, colder winters, and more severe weather

Great European Witch Hunt

A period of mass persecution for witchcraft in Europe, primarily from the 15th to the 18th centuries, fueled by social, religious, and political anxieties

Thirty Years War

A devastating conflict in Europe from 1618 to 1648, fought primarily in the Holy Roman Empire and ending with the Peace of Westphalia

Protestant Union

A group of Protestant states that formed to defend their interests, most notably the Protestant princes and states within the Holy Roman Empire who resisted the Catholic Emperor, especially in the lead-up to the Thirty Years' War

Catholic League

a military and political alliance of Catholic German states formed in 1609 in response to the Protestant Union, with the goal of protecting Catholic interests and rights during the Wars of Religion

Bohemian Phase

the first part of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1625), beginning with a local religious revolt in Bohemia against the Catholic Habsburg ruler Ferdinand II

Battle of the White Mountain

A decisive Catholic victory in 1620 that effectively crushed the Bohemian Revolt and solidified Habsburg rule

Danish Phase

A period during the Thirty Years' War (c. 1625-1629) when King Christian IV of Denmark intervened to support the Protestant princes against the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II

Albrecht von Wallenstein

Bohemian soldier and statesman who served as the supreme commander of the armies of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II during the Thirty Years' War.

Edict of Restitution

A decree issued by Emperor Ferdinand II in 1629 during the Thirty Years' War that ordered the return of all Catholic ecclesiastical property seized by Protestants since 1552

Swedish Phase

The third phase of the Thirty Years' War, during which Sweden, led by King Gustavus Adolphus, intervened in the war to support the Protestant cause

Gustavus Adolphus

King of Sweden from 1611 to 1632, best known for his military reforms and leadership of the Protestant forces during the Swedish phase of the Thirty Years' War.

Cardinal Richelieu

French clergyman and statesman who served as chief minister to King Louis XIII from 1624 to 1642. He is known for centralizing royal power in France by diminishing the power of the nobility and establishing the foundation for absolute monarchy under Louis XIV

Louis XIII

Defined as the King of France from 1610-1643 whose reign saw the rise of his chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu

Peace of Westphalia

A series of treaties that ended the Thirty Years' War and established the principle of state sovereignty, where each nation has exclusive control over its territory and domestic affairs

Military Revolution

a significant transformation in European warfare from the 16th to 18th centuries, characterized by changes in military technology, tactics, and the rise of professional, standing armies supported by larger state bureaucracies and heavier taxation

Standing armies

A permanent, professional military force maintained by a state during both peacetime and wartime

absolutism

A political doctrine where a single ruler, like a monarch, holds absolute and unchecked power over the state, often justified by divine right

divine-right-monarchy

A political and religious theory asserting that a monarch's authority comes directly from God, making them accountable only to God and not to the people or any earthly body

Jacques Bossuet

French bishop and theologian who provided the strongest theological justification for absolutism and the divine right of kings

Louis XIV

King of France from 1643 to 1715 and is the most prominent example of an absolute monarch. He famously centralized power, built the Palace of Versailles to control the nobility, and engaged in wars to expand French territory

Intendants

Royal officials, particularly used by Cardinal Richelieu under Louis XIII, who were sent to the provinces to enforce the king's policies

Taille

A direct land tax in pre-revolutionary France that was paid almost exclusively by the Third Estate

Cardinal Mazarin

an Italian cardinal, diplomat, and politician who served as France's chief minister from 1642 until his death in 1661. He established the power of the French monarchy, continuing the centralizing work of his predecessor, Cardinal Richelieu

Fronde

A series of mid-17th-century civil wars in France during the minority of King Louis XIV

Parlement of Paris

The most important court in France, composed of high-ranking nobles, and it played a key role in the period of absolutism. It was known for opposing new taxes and centralizing royal power, notably participating in the Fronde rebellion against the crown in the mid-17th century

Versailles

Built by Louis XIV, it was a lavish royal residence that showcased the king's wealth and absolute authority. Louis XIV moved the court to Versailles to keep a close eye on the nobility, making them dependent on his favor for status and preventing them from plotting against him, as seen during the Fronde

Sun King

A title for Louis XIV of France. The nickname reflects his belief that he was the center of the French state, like the sun is to the solar system, and he used it to promote his divine right to rule

parlements

legislative bodies where representatives debate and create laws. They are crucial in the context of absolutism and constitutionalism, representing either a challenge to or a support for royal authority

Edict of Fontainebleau

A decree that revoked the earlier Edict of Nantes, thereby ending religious tolerance for Protestants in France. It forced Protestants to either convert to Catholicism or flee the country

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

Finance minister under King Louis XIV of France who is best known for developing and implementing a national mercantilist policy, often called "Colbertism," to strengthen the French economy

mercantilism

An economic system where European governments heavily regulated their economies to accumulate wealth, primarily in the form of gold and silver

War of Spanish Succession

A major European conflict fought to determine who would inherit the Spanish throne after the childless Charles II died

Peace of Utrecht

A series of peace treaties, signed in 1713, that ended the War of the Spanish Succession and significantly altered the balance of power in Europe

Battle of Rocroi

A decisive 1643 victory for the French army over the Spanish during the Thirty Years' War. Ended the myth of Spanish invincibility and its military dominance

Hohenzollern

a royal family that ruled Brandenburg and later Prussia. A major example of an absolutist dynasty, known for building a strong military and a powerful bureaucracy under rulers like Frederick William I and Frederick the Great.

Friedrich Wilhelm The Great Elector

"Great Elector," Elector of Brandenburg from 1640 to 1688 who laid the foundation for the modern Prussian state by rebuilding after the Thirty Years' War, creating a powerful, centralized bureaucracy and standing army, and acquiring sovereignty over Prussia

Junkers

The landowning nobility of Prussia. They largely supported the monarch's centralizing power in return for greater control over their own estates

serfdom

A system in medieval and early modern Europe where agricultural laborers called serfs were bound to a lord's land and could not leave without permission

Friedrich I

Known as the "Soldier King" for his military and administrative reforms that built a strong, centralized state and efficient army

Siege of Vienna (1683)

A military conflict where the Ottoman Empire besieged the city of Vienna, which was defended by a coalition of European forces

Ivan IV (The Terrible)

The first crowned Tsar of Russia, reigning from 1547 to 1584. His rule is most significant for centralizing state power, expanding Russian territory, and brutally suppressing the noble class

Romanov

The Russian imperial dynasty that ruled from 1613 to 1917

Peter I

Tsar of Russia who ruled from 1682 to 1725 and is known for modernizing Russia through extensive reforms aimed at westernizing the country and centralizing his absolute power

Russian Orthodox Church

The largest branch of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, playing a significant role in Russian culture, history, and politics

Great Northern War

A 1700-1721 conflict where a Russian-led coalition defeated Sweden, ending Sweden's status as a major European power and establishing Russia as the dominant force in Northern and Eastern Europe

Battle of Poltava

A decisive Russian victory during the Great Northern War (1700-1721) that marked the end of Swedish supremacy in Northern Europe and the emergence of Russia as a major European power

St. Petersburg

The city founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703, intended to be Russia's new, modern capital and a "window to the West". It symbolizes his efforts to modernize and Westernize Russia through absolutist policies, building a new navy and military, reforming society, and shifting the capital to a newly acquired Baltic territory

Janissaries

An elite infantry corps of the Ottoman Empire, originally composed of Christian boys from the Balkans who were forcibly conscripted, converted to Islam, and trained to serve the sultan

Sejm

The legislative body, or parliament, of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Unlike the increasingly absolute monarchies seen elsewhere in Europe during this period, their power grew at the expense of the monarch, preventing the centralization of royal authority in Poland.

stadholder

The hereditary chief executive of a Dutch province, serving as the de facto head of state for the United Provinces of the Netherlands

William of Orange

Dutch stadtholder who became joint monarch of England, Scotland, and Ireland with his wife, Mary II

fluyt

A Dutch cargo ship from the 17th century that was designed to be highly efficient and economical

Mannerism

A late Renaissance artistic style that reacted against the idealized harmony and balance of the High Renaissance. Characterized by emotional intensity and artificiality, it featured elongated figures, unusual color palettes, and distorted compositions.

Baroque

An art, architectural, and musical style from the 17th and early 18th centuries known for its drama, grandeur, and emotional intensity. It is characterized by a sense of movement, elaborate ornamentation, and a use of dramatic contrasts like light and shadow

French Classicism

A 17th-century artistic and literary movement that emphasized order, reason, and clarity, drawing inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome. It sought harmony and balance in art and architecture, while its literature focused on strict rules and classical themes

Dutch Realism

An artistic movement in the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age that focused on the accurate, detailed depiction of everyday life and secular subjects, rather than classical or religious themes

Rembrandt van Rijn

A Dutch Baroque painter and etcher who was the preeminent artist of the Dutch Golden Age. His work reflects the cultural and economic prosperity of the Netherlands during the 17th century, emphasizing individualism, realism, and a departure from Catholic artistic tradition.

William Shakespeare

An English Renaissance playwright and poet whose works are seen as embodying the era's humanistic ideals