Unit 3 History Key Terms Review

Key Vocabulary Definitions

• Inflation : The rise of the prices of goods and services and decrease in the value of currency, often leading to economic instability and affecting purchasing power.

• Absolute Monarchy: A ruler who has complete authority over government and the lives of the people, exemplified by figures like Louis XIV of France.

• Divine power: The belief that authority to rule comes directly from God, justifying absolute monarchy and often used by monarchs to legitimize their power.

• Armada : A fleet of Spanish war ships created by Philip II in order to fight the English, notably the Spanish Armada of 1588 which aimed to invade England.

• Caravel: A lightweight, fast ship that was used to carry cargo on long voyages, instrumental in the Age of Exploration for its navigational advantages.

Notable Monarchs of the 16th and 17th Centuries

• Phillip II: Ruler of Spain who advanced Catholic power throughout the world with his armada, notably against England in 1588.

• Louis XIV: French ruler who built a palace at Versailles and developed French culture, epitomizing absolute monarchy and centralization of power.

• Peter the Great: Ruler of Russia who carried out social and economic reforms to westernize Russia, including modernizing the military and government.

• Elizabeth I: Ruler of England who secured English power through the use of seadogs & naval superiority, defeating the Spanish Armada.

• Charles V: Ruler of Spain who divided his Spanish and Austrian lands among his family members, managing a vast empire.

Trade and Exploration Dynamics

• The control of most trade between Asia and Europe in the 1400s by Arab and Italian merchants caused Europeans outside Italy to search for direct access to Asia, leading to the Age of Exploration.

• The Portuguese believed they could find an easier way to reach Asia due to their expert knowledge and advanced navigational technology, which facilitated their expeditions.

• Christopher the Columbus (Spain) reached the Caribbean islands rather than the East Indies because he greatly underestimated the size of Earth and did not realize that North and South America existed.

Expansion of the Slave Trade

• The Atlantic Slave  trade greatly expanded beginning around the 1500s as Europeans started depending on enslaved people for labor in new colonies, particularly in the Americas.

• Some African states participated in slave trading to gain wealth and power, leading to complex interactions between European traders and African leaders.

• The slave trade involved American raw materials being sold in Europe, enslaved Africans being sold in the Americas, and European goods being sold in Africa.

Characteristics of Absolute Monarchy

• According to Bishop Jacques Bossuet, the role of the king is to rule with complete authority over his subjects, embodying the state and its will.

• Charles V and Philip II expanded the Spanish state by fighting wars and trying to expand Catholicism, showcasing the use of military power to consolidate authority.

• Henry IV helped reunite France after years of fighting between Catholics and Huguenots by converting to Catholicism and issuing the Edict of Nantes, promoting religious tolerance.

Key People

• Phillip II: Ruler of Spain who advanced Catholic power throughout the world with his armada.

• Louis XIV: French ruler who built a palace at Versailles and developed French culture.

• Peter The Great : Ruler of Russia who carried out social and economic reforms to westernize Russia.

• Elizabeth I: Ruler of England who secured English power through the use of seadogs & naval superiority.

• Charles V : Ruler of Spain who divided his Spanish and Austrian lands among his family members.

Key Events

• Age of Exploration : A period during the 15th to 17th centuries marked by European exploration and colonization of various parts of the world.

• English Civil Wars: A conflict from 1642 to 1651 between Parliamentarians and Royalists, leading to the establishment of a commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell.

• Peace of Westphilia  (1648): Ended the Thirty Years' War and resulted in the division of the Holy Roman Empire into 300 independent states.

Fundamental Theories

• Mercantilism: An economic theory that emphasizes the role of the state in managing the economy, particularly through the regulation of trade and the accumulation of wealth.

• Absolute Monarchy: A political system where a single ruler holds supreme authority, often justified by the divine right of kings.

Key Historical Documents

• The English Bill of Rights  (1689): A landmark document that limited the powers of the monarchy and laid the foundation for a constitutional monarchy in England.

Facts to Memorize

• The Divine Right is the belief that monarchs derive their authority directly from God.

• The Peace of Westphalia (1648) ended the 30 Years War  and established the concept of state sovereignty.

• Edict of Nantes (1598) granted religious freedom to Huguenots in France.

• The Atlantic Slave  trade significantly expanded in the 1500s due to European demand for labor in colonies.

Reference Information

• The Line of Demarcation  was established by the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 to divide the New World between Spain and Portugal.

• The Age of Exploration (15th-17th centuries) led to increased globalization and the emergence of European powers.

• The commercial revolution in Europe was characterized by the expansion of trade and commerce, leading to the rise of capitalism.

Key Terms/Concepts

• Inflation : The rise of the prices of goods and services and decrease in the value of currency.

• Absolute Monarchy : A ruler who has complete authority over government and the lives of the people.

• Divine Right: The belief that authority to rule comes directly from God.

• Armada: A fleet of Spanish war ships created by Philip II in order to fight the English.

• Caravel: A lightweight, fast ship that was used to carry cargo on long voyages.

• Columbian Exchange: Exchange of people, goods, ideas, diseases, food, animals between the eastern and western hemispheres. 

• Middle Passage Way: The voyage transporting slaves from Africa to the Americas