Monarchs
King Henry VII
Became the first Tudor king by winning the Wars of the Roses
Married Elizabeth of York to unite the House of Lancaster and the House of York
Used diplomacy to avoid expensive wars
Avoided overtaxing the gentry
Dispensed justice in the name of the king
Created the court of the Star Chamber, which originally convicted nobles but then became corrupt
England
King Henry VIII
He was married to Catherine of Aragon, but she only gave him a daughter, Mary
He wanted to divorce her and argued she was once married to his brother, but the Pope said no
He married his mistress, Anne Boleyn, anyway, who gave birth to Elizabeth I
He created his own religion (the Church of England), Anglicanism
passed the Act of Supremacy to say he was the leader of the church
excecueted anne boleyn and married Jane Seymour, who gave birth to Edward
england
He had 6 wives total, 2 of whom he beheaded.
Mary Tudor
was Henry’s oldest child, only surviving child with Catherine of Aragon
After Edward made England more protestant, Mary returned it to Catholicism
Executed Anglican archbishops, so she got the name “Bloody Mary”
Married to Philip II of Spain
england
Elizabeth I
Child of henry the 8th and Anne Boleyn
Brought England back to Anglicanism
Elizabethan Settlement ended religious turmoil
Avoided harsh persecution of people who practiced their own beliefs quietly
Puritans wanted to purify the church of England.
Act of Uniformity- Book of Common Prayer and required to go to church once a week
england
39 Articles- English official language of the church
Edward VI
Henry’s youngest child
Only male heir of the Tudor dynasty
Made England more low church and was raised protestant
Died at 15
First of Henry’s children to rule
england
King Ferdinand
From the Aragon region of Spain
Married to Isabella to unite Aragon and Castile (the two most powerful forces on the Iberian Peninsula) into the kingdom of Spain
Their marriage began the consolidation of power and unification of Spain under Catholicism
spain
Queen Isabella
from the Castile region of Spain
married to King Ferdinand
mother to Catherine of Aragon
alcabala is a tax on the sale or exchange of property
coreregidores are magistrates that worked to make the monarch more powerful
conversos/marranos were the conversion of jews to Catholicism
reconquista expelled all jews from Spain
The Spanish Inquisition rooted out heresy and made sure Spain was only catholic
spain
Louis XIV
france
Longest reign of any known European monarch
He believed he had the divine right to rule
secured an absolute monarchy
Pacified rebellious nobles
He centralized power
heavily patronized the arts
Territorial growth for France that made it a formidable power
Working with financial advisors, he improved domestic manufacturing, boosted trade, and reorganized the French military.
Relocated the French royal court from Paris to the town of Versailles
Took back the Edict of Nantes, making Protestantism illegal
Made France poor from wars
Louis XVI
france
Last absolute king
Married Austrian Marie Antoinette
Supported the American Revolution: He backed the American colonies with money and troops to weaken Great Britain, helping secure American independence but leaving France heavily in debt.
Promoted Science and Exploration: He pursued personal interests in geography, watchmaking, and lock-making, and he sponsored the global voyage of explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse as well as early hot-air balloon experiments.
Triggered the Estates-General: He called a meeting of the Estates-General in 1789 to fix the national debt crisis. This action unintentionally sparked the French Revolution when commoners broke away to form their own assembly.
expanded religious tolerance
more humane justice system (got rid of torturing prisoners)
started the French Revolution and was guillotined
Machiavelli
father of modern political science
advocated for republicanism
he wrote a book “The Prince” that told rulers how to rule
he believed you should use whatever means necessary to stay in power
deceit and lies were ok as long as they benefited him.
was exiled from Florence
Italian (Florentine?)
jean bodin
early advocate for religious tolerance
theory of absolute sovereignty in his work The Six Books of the Commonwealth; he argued that a stable state requires a single, supreme, and indivisible power to make and enforce laws
spread the idea that the modern state was different from a monarchy
viewed families as the model for the state.
prominent French jurist, political philosopher, and economist
hugo grotius
He was a child prodigy who entered Leiden University at age eleven and earned his doctor of laws by age fifteen.
He worked as a lawyer, attorney general, and diplomat
escaped from prison and spent his life in exile
from the Netherlands but lived in Paris, Stockholm, and Hamburg
founded international law
promoted free trade at sea
theory of natural law: that all humans are born with innate rights and leaders should govern using rational and ethical laws
medici family
wealthy Italian banking family and political dynasty
based in Florence, Italy
ruled the city and funded the artistic birth of the Renaissance
independent patrons of the arts
produced 3 popes and 2 queens
They spent massive fortunes to support artists, sculptors, and thinkers like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Botticelli.
They helped invent and improve modern banking tools like the double-entry bookkeeping system.
They intermarried with royal families across Europe