Absolutism Quiz Flashcards

Absolutism

Sovereignty is embodied in the person of the ruler; power is limited only by God (Divine Right of Kings).

Divine Right of Kings

The belief that the ruler's authority is given by God; the King is second only to God in the hierarchy.

Jean Bodin

Author of Six Books of the Republic (1576); first major theorist of sovereignty and absolutism.

Thomas Hobbes

Author of Leviathan (1651); argued absolutism alone could prevent society from becoming a constant state of war (life would be "brutish, short, nasty…").

Mercantilism

Economic policy (driven by Colbert in France) aimed at maximizing a nation's wealth by selling more goods abroad than it bought (more export than import).

Henry IV (of France)

Established stability ("Chicken in every pot"); passed the Edict of Nantes (1598); instituted the Paulette (tax to pass on noble title).

Cardinal Richelieu

Chief advisor to Louis XIII; established the Intendant System; was a Politique who prioritized state over religion (fought the Catholic Habsburgs).

Intendant System

Richelieu's system dividing France into 32 districts; intendants (loyal to the King) handled tax, military, and monitoring the nobility.

The Fronde

Happens (1648-1653) Noble and peasant revolts against royal taxation (under Mazarin). Caused Louis XIV to flee Paris, solidifying his resolve to crush noble autonomy.

Louis XIV

(The Sun King) The ultimate example of absolutism; built Versailles to control nobility; ruled from 1643 to 1715.

Versailles

Palace built by Louis XIV; served as a political tool to centralize the nobility and drain their resources through court ritual and patronage.

Edict of Fontainebleau

(1685) Louis XIV's revocation of the Edict of Nantes; caused 200,000 skilled Huguenots to flee (economic damage).

Jean Baptiste Colbert

Louis XIV's Controller General; mastermind of French mercantilism; abolished many domestic tariffs; focused on high-quality French manufacturing.

Peace of Westphalia

(1648) Ended the Thirty Years' War; recognized over 300 German princes as independent; accepted Calvinism; ended large

War of Spanish Succession

(1701-1714) Caused by Louis XIV's grandson inheriting the Spanish throne; threatened the Balance of Power.

Peace of Utrecht

(1713) Ended the War of Spanish Succession; stated French and Spanish crowns could never be united; gave Great Britain the asiento and control of Gibraltar.

Spanish Decline

Began under Philip II; caused by the expulsion of Jews/Moriscos (loss of middle class), rampant inflation from American silver, and state bankruptcies.

Moriscos

Former Muslims who were expelled from Spain in 1609; their expulsion contributed to the decline of Spain's skilled labor force.

Eastern Serfdom

The foundation of Absolutism in Prussia and Austria; nobles were granted complete control over peasants in exchange for loyalty to the monarch.

Corvée

The amount of unpaid labor required of serfs in Eastern Europe; often increased to six days per week by the landed nobility.

Age of Crisis

The 17th century; characterized by climate change, economic slumps, war, and social unrest; led governments to take measures that strengthened the state.

The Great Chain of Being

The hierarchical social order linking God to creation: Monarch -> Clergy -> Nobles, etc.