Absolutism

Intendants

• Royal officials in France appointed by the king to oversee justice, policing, and finance in provinces.

• Significant because they helped centralize royal authority and reduce the power of the nobility during the era of absolutism.

Fronde

• A series of civil wars in France (1648-1653) where nobles rebelled against royal authority.

• Significant because it showed the resistance to royal absolutism and influenced Louis XIV's decision to strengthen his centralized control.

Mercantilism

• An economic theory where a nation seeks to increase wealth by exporting more than it imports and accumulating precious metals.

• Significant because it shaped European colonial policies and economic strategies in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Versailles

• The lavish palace built by Louis XIV outside Paris to house the royal court.

• Significant because it symbolized absolute monarchy and centralized power by keeping nobles close and under royal control.

Autocracy

• A system of government where one person holds unlimited political power.

• Significant as it describes the ruling style of many absolutist monarchs like Louis XIV and Peter the Great.

Serfdom

• A system where peasants were legally bound to the land and under the control of landowners.

• Significant as it maintained feudal structures and was a basis for social and economic order in Russia and parts of Eastern Europe.

Henry IV

• King of France who issued the Edict of Nantes granting religious tolerance to Protestants.

• Significant because he helped restore stability after the French Wars of Religion and laid foundations for absolutism.

Cardinal Richelieu

• Chief minister to Louis XIII who strengthened royal power by weakening nobles and controlling the Huguenots.

• Significant because he laid the groundwork for French absolutism.

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

• Louis XIV’s finance minister who promoted mercantilism and improved France’s economy.

• Significant because his policies strengthened France’s economic base supporting absolutism.

Peter the Great

• Tsar of Russia who modernized and westernized Russia’s government, military, and culture.

• Significant because he transformed Russia into a major European power with centralized autocratic rule.

Louis XIV

• The “Sun King” who personified absolute monarchy in France and ruled for 72 years.

• Significant for centralizing power, building Versailles, and influencing European politics with his absolutist rule.