3.3-3.4 notes

Ivan IV – Also known as Ivan the Terrible, he was the first tsar of Russia (1547-1584), known for expanding Russian territory and centralizing royal power but also for his violent purges of the boyars.

Louis XIV – The "Sun King," he ruled France (1643-1715) as an absolute monarch, building the Palace of Versailles and centralizing power. Famous for saying, "L'état, c'est moi" (I am the state).

Divine Right of Kings – The belief that monarchs derive their authority to rule directly from God and are accountable only to Him, not to their subjects or any earthly institution.

Absolute – Refers to monarchs who hold complete and unrestricted power in governance, typically without checks from other branches or institutions.

Justices of Peace – Local officials in England who enforced laws and maintained peace in rural areas, playing a key role in local governance under the Tudor monarchy.

English Bill of Rights – Passed in 1689, it limited the powers of the English monarch and established certain civil rights, ensuring parliamentary supremacy over the monarchy.

Boyars – The highest-ranking members of the Russian aristocracy, who held land and power before being increasingly controlled by tsars like Ivan IV.

Protestant Reformation – A 16th-century religious movement led by figures like Martin Luther that challenged the Catholic Church’s practices, leading to the creation of Protestant denominations.

Martin Luther – A German monk who initiated the Protestant Reformation by posting his 95 Theses in 1517, criticizing Church practices like indulgences.

Puritan – A group of Protestants in England who sought to "purify" the Anglican Church of Catholic practices, playing a key role in shaping English religious and political life.

John Calvin – A Protestant reformer whose teachings, especially the doctrine of predestination, became the foundation of Calvinism, influencing many Protestant churches.

Henry VIII – King of England who founded the Anglican Church (Church of England) after separating from the Catholic Church in 1534 when the pope refused to annul his marriage.

Anglican Church – The national church of England, established by Henry VIII, blending Catholic rituals with Protestant theology.

Jesuits – A Catholic religious order founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola to counter the Protestant Reformation through education, missionary work, and reform within the Church.

Scientific Revolution – A period (16th-18th centuries) of major advances in science and understanding of the natural world, marked by figures like Galileo, Newton, and Copernicus.

Council of Trent – A series of Catholic Church meetings (1545-1563) held to counter the Protestant Reformation and clarify Catholic doctrines while reforming Church practices.

Peace of Westphalia – A series of treaties in 1648 that ended the Thirty Years' War in Europe, allowing rulers to choose the religion of their own states and reducing religious conflicts.

Counter-Reformation – The Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation, focusing on internal reform, clarification of doctrine, and efforts like the Jesuits to win back followers.

Empiricism – The philosophical belief that knowledge comes from sensory experience and observation, championed by figures like Francis Bacon during the Scientific Revolution.

Inquisition – A series of Roman Catholic Church tribunals established to root out heresy, often involving severe interrogation and punishment.

Simony – The selling or buying of ecclesiastical privileges or Church offices, a corrupt practice criticized during the Protestant Reformation.

Edict of Nantes – A 1598 decree by French King Henry IV granting religious tolerance to Huguenots (French Protestants), helping to end the French Wars of Religion.

Holy Synod – A body created by Peter the Great in 1721 to govern the Russian Orthodox Church under the control of the tsar, replacing the role of a patriarch.

Peace of Augsburg – A 1555 treaty that allowed German princes to choose either Catholicism or Lutheranism as the official religion of their territories, recognizing religious division in the Holy Roman Empire.

Indulgences – A practice in the Catholic Church where people could pay money to reduce punishment for sins, heavily criticized by Martin Luther during the Reformation.

Thirty Years' War – A devastating conflict (1618-1648) in Europe, initially about religion (Protestants vs. Catholics) but later involving political struggles between major powers.

Anne Boleyn – The second wife of Henry VIII, whose marriage to him led to England’s break from the Catholic Church; she was the mother of Elizabeth I and was executed in 1536.

Versailles Palace – A grand palace built by Louis XIV outside Paris, symbolizing his absolute power and serving as the center of French political and court life.

Cardinal Richelieu – Chief minister to Louis XIII, he strengthened the French monarchy by reducing the power of the nobility and supporting centralization.

Peter the Great – Tsar of Russia (1682-1725) who modernized the country by westernizing its institutions and expanding its military power, founding St. Petersburg as a "window to the West."

Charles V – Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain in the 16th century, he ruled a vast empire but faced challenges from Protestantism and wars with France and the Ottoman Empire.

Elect – In Calvinist theology, these are the individuals predestined by God for salvation, a central idea in John Calvin’s teachings.

Predestination – A doctrine in Calvinism that holds that God has already determined who will be saved and who will be damned, regardless of individual actions or merit