World History Unit 5

absolute monarchy

a form of government in which a ruler has complete authority over the government and lives of the people he or she governs

divine right

idea that a ruler's authority came directly from God

Hapsburg empire

Central European empire that lasted from 1400s to the 1900s and at its height included the lands of the Holy Roman Empire and the Netherlands

Armada

fleet of ships

Huguenots

French Protestants of the 1500s and 1600s

Edict of Nantes

law issued by the French king Henry IV in 1598 giving more religious freedom to the French Protestants

Versailles

royal French residence and seat of government established by King Louis XIV

balance of power

distribution of military and economic power that prevents any one nation from becoming too strong

elector

one of the seven German princes who would choose the Holy Roman emperor

mercenary

soldiers serving in a foreign army for pay

depopulation

reduction in the number of people in an area

Peace of Westphalia

series of treaties that ended the Thirty Years' War

War of Austrian Succession

series of wars in which various European nations competed for power in Central Europe after the death of Hapsburg emperor Charles VI

westernization

adopted of western idea, technology, and culture

autocratic

having unlimited power

warm-water port

port that is free of ice year round

St. Petersburg

a port city in northwestern Russia founded in 1703 by Peter the Great

partition

a division in pieces

dissenter

Protestant whose views and opinions differed from those of the Church of England

puritan

member if an English Protestant group who wanted to "purify" the Church of England by making it more simple and more morally strict

English Bill of Rights

series of acts passed in 1689 by the English Parliament that limited the rights of the monarchy and ensured the superiority of Parliament

limited monarchy

government in which a constitution or legislative body limits the monarch's powers

constitutional government

government whose power is defined and limited by law

cabinet

parliamentary advisors to the king who originally met in a small room, or cabinet

prime minister

the chief executive of a parliamentary government

oligarchy

member of an oligarchy; typically a wealthy person with political power

Charles V

(1500-1558) was the Holy Roman emperor during the time of Martin Luther's reformation efforts. His immense empire included large areas of Europe. A staunch Catholic, he rejected Luther's doctrines. The Protestant upheaval, along with political pressures, led him to voluntarily give up his throne. He divided the empire between his son and his brother. He entered a Catholic monastery where he remained until his death.

Philip II

(1527-1598) served as king of the Spaniards (1556-1598) and king of the Portuguese as Philip I (1580-1598), and strong supporter of the Roman Catholic Counter- reformation. Under his rule, the Spanish empire was at its strongest; however he was unable to control the revolt of the Netherlands and failed in his attempt to invade England.

Henry IV

(1050-1106) was a German king who became Holy Roman emperor in 1084. His efforts to increase the power of the monarchy led him into conflict with Pope Gregory VIII over lay investiture. Gregory excommunicated Henry but later reinstated him in the church after Henry did penance.

Louis XIV

(1638-1715) served as a king of France (1643-1715) and is considered the symbol of absolute monarchy

Fredrick William I

(1688-1740) was the second Prussian king who helped transform his country into a prosperous state

Fredrick II

(1712-1786) succeeded his father, Frederick William I, to serve as king of Prussia (1740-1786)

Peter the Great

(1672-1725) tsar of Russia, reigned jointly with his half-brother Ivan v (1682-1696) and alone (1696-1725). He was proclaimed emperor in 1721. He was one of Russia's greatest statesmen, organizers, and reformers

Catherine the Great

(1729-1796) was the German-born empress of Russia (1762-1796) who led her country in becoming part of the political and cultural life of Europe

James I

(1566-1625) was a king of Scotland who also became king of England and Ireland. He deeply believed in the divine right of kings to rule over all their subjects without inference from anyone. His views were sharp contrast to Parliament, leading to constant conflict. He was also the author of the King James version of the Bible.

Charles I

(1600-1649) was the second Stuart king of England, Scotland, and Wales. His belief in the divine right of kings brought him into constant conflict with the Parliament. This conflict eventually led to the English Civil War and his defeat and execution for treason.

Oliver Cromwell

(1599-1658) was an English soldier and gentleman who led the forces against Charles I of England during the English Civil War. He made himself Lord Protector of England in 1653, leading the country as a republic until his death.

Natural Law

unchanging principle, discovered through reason, that governs human conduct

Social Contract

an agreement by which people gave up their freedom to powerful government in order to avoid chaos

Natural Rights

rights that belongs to all humans from birth, such as life, liberty ,and property

Laissez-faire

policy allowing business to operate with little or no government interference

Free Market

market regulated by the natural laws of supply and demand

Free enterprise system

an economic system, also known as capitalism, in which private businesses are able to compete with each other with little control by government. Products, prices, and services are driven by free market laws of supply and demand rather than government regulations

Censorship

restriction on access to ideas and information

Salon

Informal social gatherings at which writers, artists, philosophes, and others exchanged ideas

Baroque

ornate style of art and architecture popular in the 1600s and 1700s

Enlightened despot

Absolute ruler who used his or her power to bring about political and social change

Stamp Act

law passed in 1765 by the British Parliament that imposed taxes on items such as newspapers and pamphlets in the American colonies; repealed in 1766

Popular Sovereignty

people control all political power

Treaty of Paris

treaty of 1763 that ended the Seven Years' War and resulted in British dominance of the Americas

Federal Republic

government in which power is divided between the national, or federal, government and the states

Checks and Balances

each branch of government can limit actions of other branches to protect against abuse of power

Estates

social classes

Bourgeoisie

the middle class

Estates-General

legislative body made up of the representatives of the three estates in pre-revolutionary France

Tennis Court Oath

famous oath made by on a tennis court by the Third Estate in pre-revolutionary France

Bastille

fortress in Paris used as a prison; French Revolution began when Parisians stormed it in 1789

faction

a group or clique within a larger group that has different ideas and opinions than the rest of the group

Suffrage

right to vote

Reign of Terror

time period during the French Revolution from September 1793 to July 1794 when people in France were arrested for not supporting the revolution and many were executed

Guillotine

device used during the Reign of Terror to execute thousands by beheading

Nationalism

takeover of property or resources by the government

Plebiscite

a ballot in which voters have a direct say on an issue

Napoleonic Code

body of French civil laws introduced in 1804; served as a model for many nations' civil codes

Napoleonic Wars

a series of wars from 1804 to 1805 that pitted Napoleon's French empire against the major powers of Europe

Annex

add a territory to an existing state or country

Continental System

blockade designed by Napoleon to hurt Britain economically by closing European ports to British goods; ultimately unsuccessful

Guerilla Warfare

fighting carried on through hit-and-run raids

Abdicate

give up or step down from power

Congress of Vienna

assembly of European leaders that met after the Napoleonic era to piece Europe back together; met from September 1814 to June 1815

Legitimacy

principle by which monarchies that had been unseated by the French Revolution or Napoleon were restored

Concert of Europe

loose peacekeeping organization whose goal was to preserve the agreements set up by the Congress of Vienna

Thomas Hobbes

(1588–1679) was an influential English political philosopher, best known for his work Leviathan. In it, Hobbes strongly advocated that only a powerful government was capable of protecting society. He believed that people entered into a social contract with their government to avoid the inevitable chaos and lawlessness of life in “the state of nature.” Hobbes’s political philosophy was foundational for later thinkers of the Enlightenment, including Locke, Rousseau, and Kant.

John Locke

(1632-1704) grew up during the tumultuous era of the English Civil Wars. A prolific writer on political philosophy, Locke's works strongly influenced the U.S. Constitution and the development of American government. Locke proposed that people are born with certain natural rights that cannot be taken away, including life, liberty, and property. His radical ideas on government's responsibility to the people were fundamental to the leaders of the American Revolution.

Montesquieu

(1689–1755) was born Charles Louis de Secondat into a family of wealth and inherited the title Baron de Montesquieu from his uncle. Like many other reformers, he did not let his privileged status keep him from becoming a voice for democracy. His first book, titled Persian Letters, ridiculed the French government and social classes. In his work published in 1748, The Spirit of the Laws, he advanced the idea of separation of powers—a foundation of modern American democracy.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

(1712-1778) was a Swiss-born philosopher and writer whose works inspired leaders of the French Revolution. He revolutionized thought in politics and ethics, had an impact on how parents educated their children, and even influenced people's taste in music and in other arts

Adam Smith

(1723–1790) was a Scottish economist most remembered for his masterpiece, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. His argument for free markets with minimal government interference has helped shape productive economies around the world for more than 200 years. He has been called the father of modern economics and remains one of the most influential economic philosophers in history.

Joseph 11

(1741-1790) ruled as Holy Roman Emperor in Austria and is considered the most radical of the enlightened despots. He continued many of the modernizing governmental reforms introduced by his mother, Maria Theresa, with the goal of equal treatment for all his subjects. He abolished serfdom and encouraged freedom of the press. Most notably, Joseph supported religious equality for Protestants and even Jews. He is also remembered for traveling among his subjects in disguise to learn about the everyday problems of the peasantry.

George 111

(1738-1820) was the longest reigning monarch in British history, ruling at a time when Britain and France struggled to dominate Europe; he shared the blame for the loss of Britain's American colonies.

George Washington

(1732-1799) was a wealthy Virginia planter before becoming the commander of American forces during the Revolutionary War and first president of the United States. He owned a vast estate named Mount Vernon. Using his skill as a politician, negotiator, and general, Washington was able to keep the American cause of liberty alive during and after the revolution.

Benjamin Franklin

(1706-1790) was a man of many talents. Born in 1706, Franklin was an author, inventor, and a statesman who helped persuade France to enter the Revolutionary War on the side of the Americans. He was actively involved in framing the Declaration of Independence.

Thomas Jefferson

(1743-1826) is known mainly as the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson also served as minister to France and later as the third president of the United States.

James Madison

(1751-1836) was a renowned U.S. statesman and fourth president of the United States. He is often called the "father of the Constitution" for the major role he played at the Constitutional Convention of 1789, which framed the federal Constitution.

Marquis de Lafayettte

(1757-1834), a French noble, fought alongside the Americans in the Revolutionary War. Upon his return to France, Lafayette led the call for reform and in 1789 presented a draft of the Declaration of the Rights of Man to the National Assembly. He was hated by some for his moderate stance, and fled to Austria, but later returned.

Louis XV1

(1638-1715) served as king of France (1643-1715) and is considered the symbol of absolute monarchy.

Olympe de Gouges

(1745?-1793), author of the Declaration of the Rights of Women, railed against the treatment of women in France, addressing her concerns directly to Marie Antoinette.

Maria Antionette

(1755-1793) frivolous ways, conduct, and various scandals helped discredit the monarchy. She told her husband, Louis XVI, to resist reform demands by the National Assembly. Like Louis, she was branded a traitor and executed.

Maximilien Robespierre

was a French revolutionary elected to the Estates-General in 1789. He later became an important member of the Jacobin club and a member of the Committee of Public Safety. As a member of the Committee he began the Reign of Terror. He was later arrested and executed by the revolution's leaders.

Napoleon Bonaparte

was a huge figure in European history. He was a military genius who was elected consul for life. He later crowned himself France's emperor. His legal, educational, and militaristic reforms impacted French society for generations.

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