Ch 16
Absolutism
Sec 1
Hapsburg Empire
• Who: Charles V, Philip II, Ferdinand
• What: empire that included the Holy Roman
Empire & the Netherlands
• Where: Spain & Netherlands
• When: 1519-1700
• Why: there was too much land to defend so
Charles V broke up his lands & divided the
empire b.n his brother and son
Charles V
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Who: ruler of the Hapsburg Empire
What: ruled the Hapsburg Empire,
Where: Spain
When:1519
Why: fought to suppress Protestantism in the
German states; always involved in constant
religious warfare; went into monastery b.c. he
was disillusioned by the enormous empire he had
to rule; broke up his lands & divided the Hapsburg
Empire
Philip II
• Who: Spanish ruler
• What: he expanded the Spanish influence &
strengthened the Catholic church
• Where: Spain
• When: 1550-1600
• Why: he centralized power to make his power
absolute; saw himself as guardian of the
Catholic church;
Absolute Monarch
• Who: Philip II, Henry VIII, Louis XIV, Catherine
the Great
• What: ruler with absolute authority over the
government
• Where: Europe
• When: 1500s-1700s
• Why: these rulers had complete control over
their people & countries; they ruled by Divine
Right which justified their absolute power = ppl
had no rights
Divine Right
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Who: Absolute monarchs (Philip II, Louis XIV)
What: authority to rule is given from God
Where: Europe
When: 1500-1700s
Why: Absolute monarchs asserted that they
ruled by this- the will of God; since God put
these monarchs in their place- they had
absolute power
Armada
• Who: Spanish
• What: fleet that had 20,000 men and 130
ships that sailed to England to invade
• Where: Spain to England
• When: 1588
• Why: Philip II wanted the Armada to invade
England; the Armada lost b.c of winds in the
English channel= this defeat led to England
becoming #1 power in Europe
El Greco
• Who: famous Greek painter
• What: painted religious & spiritual paintings of
Spanish nobles
• Where: Spain, Italy & Greece
• When: 1550-1650
• Why: was a large influential figure during
Spain’s golden age; court painter to Philip IV
Miguel de Cervantes
• Who: Spanish writer
• WhaT: wrote Europe’s first modern novel Don
Quixote
• Where: Spain
• When: 1550-1650
• Why: his novel mocked medieval tales of
chivalry; it depicts both foolish & heroic
idealism
Section 2
Huguenots
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Who:
What: French Protestants
Where: France
When: 1560-1590
Why: a plot by the Catholic royals led to the
massacre of 3000 Huguenots= symbolized the
complete breakdown of France
Henry IV
• Who: King of France, Huguenot
• What: French prince also a Huguenot ,
inherited the throne as Henry IV
• Where: France
• When: 1589
• Why: he fought against Catholic opposition for
control of France; to end the conflict he
converted to Catholic & then allowed religious
tolerance with the Edict of Nantes
Edict of Nantes
• Who: Louis XIV, Huguenots
• What: a document for Huguenots that gave
them religious freedom
• Where: France
• When: 1598
• Why: this granted religious toleration and
freedom = numerous religions were allowed in
France, brought peace to France & ended
religious fighting
Cardinal Richilieu
• Who: Louis XIV’s chief minister, Catholic
Cardinal
• WhaT: cunning capable leader that devoted 18
yrs to strengthening the French central gov’t
• Where: France
• When: 1624
• Why: he sought to destroy the Huguenots
(Protestants) & nobles- outlawed their armies
& smashed their cities;
Louis XIV
• Who: French King, “The Sun King”
• WHaT: governed France himself, believed in
Divine Right to Rule
• Where: France
• When: 1643-1715
• Why: expanded the bureaucracy & appointed
intendants = cemented ties to middle class, built
an army; emphasized his own importance =
levee; classical age= sponsored French
academics; made France strongest state in
Europe
Intendant
• Who: French officials
• What: Royal officials that collected taxes for
Louis XIV
• Where: France
• When: 1600s
• Why: appointed by Louis XIV to cement ties
with the wealthy middle class so he could
focus on taking power away from the nobles
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
• Who: King Louis XIV’s finance minister
• What: imposed Mercantilist policies to bolster
the economy
• Where: France
• When: 1600s
• Why: helped Louis XIV secure his ties w. France’s
middle class & stabilize the economy; he put
tariffs on imported goods, fostered overseas
colonies, regulated trade w. colonies; helped
make France wealthiest in Europe
Versailles
• Who: Louis XIV
• What: a hunting lodge that Louis XIV turned into
the most magnificent palace in Europe
• Where: France
• When: 1600s
• Why: served as a symbol of king Louis XIV’s
wealth & power as the “Sun King”; ceremonies
honoring the king were held here; made nobles
live here in order to control them
Levee
• Who: French & King Louis XIV
• What: a ceremony honoring the king; means
“the rising”
• Where: France
• When: 1600s
• Why: Louis XIV made nobles at court serve the
him & swear fealty to him in these
ceremonies= showed his absolute power
Balance of power
• Who: Louis XIV (French), Dutch, English
• What: keeping balance amongst European
nations so no one nation became too powerful
• Where: Europe
• When: 1713
• Why: rival rulers joined forces to sotp Louis XIV
from expanding France’s borders & taking over
Europe= balance kept any one power from
controlling the whole continent
Section 3
James I
• Who: the first Stuart monarch
• What: agreed to rule according to the English
laws
• Where: England
• When: 1600s
• Why: he lectured Parliament about Divine
Right; repeatedly clashed w. Parliament over
money & foreign policy ; clashed w. dissenters
Dissenter
• Who: Protestants vs. James I
• What: protestants that differed with the
Church of England
• Where: England
• When: 1600s
• Why: Puritans called for simpler service w.o
bishops; James I rejected their demands &
they fled England for religious freedom
Puritan
• Who: James I, Church of England
• What: one group of dissenters that sought to
purify the church of Catholic practices
• Where: England
• When: 1603-1625
• Why: James rejected their demands for a
simpler service & more democratic services
w.o bishops = they fled England for America &
religious freedom
Charles I
• Who: King of England
• What: behaved like an absolute monarch &
made England mad
• Where: England
• When: 1625-1649
• Why: his behavior caused probs w. Parliament
= English Civil War = he was beheaded =
England had a dictatorship
Oliver Cromwell
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Who:
What:
Where: England
When:
Why:
English Bill of Rights
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Who:
What:
Where: England
When:
Why:
Limited Monarchy
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Who:
What:
Where: England
When:
Why:
Constitutional Government
• Who: British, Germans
• What: a gov’t whose power is defined &
limited by law, by a constitution
• Where: England
• When: 1600s-now
• Why: supported broad royal powers & a
dominant Anglican church; reflected business
interest, support religious toleration & favor
Parliament over the crown
Cabinet
• Who: George I, George II, English
• What: handful of Parliament advisors who set
policies
• Where: England
• When: 1600-1700s
• Why: set policies in a small room= cabinet=
gaoined official status; head= prime Minister,
leader of majority party= countries later adopted
& adapted this cabinet system= we have one
today
Oligarchy
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Who:
What:
Where:
When:
Why:
Section 4
elector
• Who: German princes
• What: German princes who in theory the states
were ruled by the Holy Roman Empire who was
chosen by seven leading german princes
• Where: Germany
• When: 1618-1648
• Why: the Emperor had little power over the
electors= this power vacuum led to 30 years war;
religion further divided the German states= north
Protestant, south= Catholic
Ferdinand
• Who: Catholic Hapsburg king of Bohemia
• What: sought to suppress Protestants and to
assert royal power over nobles
• Where: Bohemia, present day Czech Republic
• When: 1618
• Why: he declared royal power over nobles =
started 30 years war; Defenestration of
Prague= started the war
Mercenary
• Who: soldiers for hire
• What: burned villages, destroyed crops, &
killed w/o mercy
• Where: German states
• When: 1618-1648
• Why: when a ruler or someone who could pay
for it wanted an army = hire mercernaries =
they destroyed Europe’s population by
destroying villages & their people
Depopulation
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Who: European people
What: reduction in population
Where: Germany
When: 1550-1800
Why: as many as 1/3 of the population in the
German states died as a result of Mercenary
armies during the 30 years war
Peace of Westphalia
• Who: Austrians
• What: treaty that brought peace to Europe after
the 30 years war & settled international problems
• Where: Austria
• When: 1648
• Why: Austria became a strong Catholic state w.
new Protestant power; in this treaty German
lands were divided which broke up German
power
Maria Theresa
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Who: Hapsburg Empress
What: intelligent & capable female ruler
Where: Austria
When: 1717-1780
Why: she strengthened Hapsburg power;
forced nobles & clergy to pay taxes; was
involved in the war of Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
• Who: Maria Theresa (Austrians & Hungarians)
vs. Prussians
• What: a conflict over who should succeed to
the Austrian throne b.c. a woman had never
ruled before
• WherE: Prussia v. Austria
• When: 1740-1748
• Why:
Prussia
• Who: Hohenzollern family, Prussians
• What: a region called Prussia, emerged as a new
Protestant power- family ruled scattered lands
across N. Germany
• Where: Prussia
• When: 1600-1700s
• Why: following the Peace of Westphalia after 30
years war= ambitious Hohenzollern rulers uniting
their holdings= unified Prussia= became one of
the most powerful countries in Europe
Frederick William I
• Who:Prussian ruler
• What: he gained loyalty of Prussian nobles
called Junkers
• Where: Prussia
• When: 1713
• Why: he reduced the nob les’ independence &
increased his own control; placed great
emphasis on military, trained one of the best
military’s in Europe
Frederick William II
• Who: Prussian ruler, son of Frederick I
• What: Prussian ruler who came to power after
his father in 1713 & well trained in war
• WherE: Prussia
• When: 1713-1740
• Why: boldly seized Silesia from Austrian
Succession; forced all to recognize Prussia as a
great power= called Frederick the Great
Sec 5
Peter the Great
• Who: Romanov Tsar of Russia
• What: transformed Russia into a leading power in
the world; helped modernize Russia
• Where: Russia
• When: 1689-1725
• Why: he began a new policy of Westernization of
culture; was an autocratic monarch that enforced
his policies; brought all Russian institutions under
his control; built St. Petersburg; expanded Russian
borders; left a mixed legacy w. no heirs
Westernization
• Who: Peter the Great
• What: the adoption of western ideas, technology, &
culture in Russia
• Where: Russia
• When: 1697
• Why: Peter went to extreme measures to westernize
Russia= mixed feelings about his rule; persuading
Russians to change their ways= difficult but his absolute
power made them; imported W. technology & brought
W.. Education; simplified the alphabet; brought
European culture to Russia (clothes, etc), set up
academies for studying
Autocratic
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Who: monarchs
What: one who ruled with unlimited authority
Where: Russia & Europe
When: 1600s
Why: Peter became the most Autocratic of
Europe’s absolute monarchs = no one had
rights or authority except the autocratic ruler
Boyar
• Who: Russian nobles
• What: landowning nobles that served the state in
civilian/military positions
• Where: Russia
• When: 1600s
• Why: Peter wanted to strengthen the military = he
forced the Boyars to serve civilian & military
positions; he made them shave their beards &
change their old fashioned robes w. Western
clothes; Boyars still retained control over their
lands
Warm-water port
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Who: Peter the Great & Catherine the Great
What: a port free of ice 24/7
Where: Russia, Black Sea
When: 1622-1629
Why: Russian ports froze during winter = they
couldn’t trade; to trade year round = needed
warm water port; he wanted to gain control of
it by defeating Ottoman Empire but failed to
do so; later= Catherine the Great got it
St. Petersburg
• Who: Peter the Great
• What: a magnificent new capital city named after
Peter; “Window to the West”
• Where: Russia
• When: 1709
• Why: this became a great symbol of Peter the
Great’s effort to forge a modern Russia; this
opened a new window to the West; he forced the
Serfs to create this city; Italian architecture made
the city Western
Catherine the Great
• Who: German princess
• What: married heiress to the Russian throne;
succeeded Peter the Great
• Where: Russia
• When: 1762- 1790s
• Why: possibly killed her husband to obtain rule in
Russia; followed in Peter’s footsteps & worked to
Westernize Russia during her reign; absolute
monarch- forced peasants into Serfdom;
expanded russia’s borders & gained warm-water
port on Black Sea
partition
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Who: rulers of Russia, Prussia, & Austria
What: an agreement that divided up Poland
Where: Poland
When: 1770-1795
Why: this kept the 3 larger empire from
fighting over the territory; Catherine took part
of Eastern Poland, Frederick & Joseph took
part in the West; not until 1919 would a free
Polish state appear