Early Modern World Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes on political, social, and economic concepts of the early modern period.

Heretics

Individuals who do not conform to established doctrine

Armada

A fleet of warships

Inflation

A rapid increase in prices

Divine Right of Kings

Belief that a king’s power comes from God rather than from his subjects

Puritans

English Protestants who believed the Church of England needed further reform and sought to simplify and regulate worship

Cavaliers

Supporters of King Charles I in the English Civil War

Roundheads

Supporters of Parliament in the English Civil War

Natural Rights

Inherent human rights to life, liberty, and property

Absolutism

Political system in which a ruler holds total power

Czar

Russian title for emperor; derived from Caesar

Boyar

A Russian noble

Janissary

Soldier in the elite guard of the Ottoman Turks

Gunpowder Empire

Empire formed by outside conquerors who unified regions through mastery of firearms

Sultan

"Holder of power"; military and political head of state under the Seljuk Turks and Ottomans

Harem

"Sacred place"; private domain of an Ottoman sultan where he and his wives resided

Grand Vizier

Ottoman sultan’s chief minister who carried the main burdens of state and led council meetings

Pasha

Appointed official of the Ottoman Empire who collected taxes, maintained law and order, and reported directly to the sultan’s court

Shah

Title for king in Persia and Iran

Orthodoxy

Traditional beliefs, especially in religion

Anarchy

Political disorder or lawlessness

Laissez-faire

Concept that the state should not impose regulations but leave the economy alone

Suttee

Hindu custom of cremating a widow on her husband’s funeral pyre

Zamindar

Local official in Mogul India who received farmland temporarily in return for collecting taxes for the central government

Enlightened Absolutism

System in which rulers governed by Enlightenment principles while maintaining full royal powers

Successor

One who follows, especially someone who takes over a throne, title, estate, or office