Absolutism and Monarchies in Europe: Key Figures and Events
Absolutism:
ruler absolute dictator
Divine Right:
ruler authority comes from God
Constitutional Monarchy:
ruler head of state but power limited by constitution
Petition of the Rights of Man:
limited power of king, no unlawful punishment, & no quartering troops
Glorious Revolution:
1688-1689, James II replaced by daughter & Prince William of Orange; overthrow of James II of England
Leading Absolutist Nation was France
Louis XIV:
1. Jean Baptiste Colbert minister of France 2. Refused to name new mayor of the palace, took over ruled himself 3. Built palace Versailles; “Sun King”, absolute monarch France, revoked Edict of Nantes
Absolute Monarchists of Russia:
Catherine the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great
Absolutism Defeated in England
Goals Peter the Great:
westernize Russia, borrow European technology, modernize army/navy, port access to Europe, greater control over Russian Orthodox Church
English Kings were Limited in Power by the Parliament’s Control of Taxes
Oliver Cromwell:
English general led parliamentary army in English Civil War
Peter the Great:
Czar of Russia westernized Russia & built huge army
Frederick the Great:
Prussian king, embraced culture & wrote poetry, gave religious & philosophical toleration to all subjects, no more torture, simpler laws, expanded Prussian borders
William & Mary:
rulers England 1688, granted the throne after they gave the people the Bill of Rights
Elizabeth I:
Protestant queen England & Ireland between 1558 & 1603, absolute monarch, most successful ruler of all time, supported arts, increased treasury, supported exploration of New World, built up military, established Anglican Church as main English religion
Phillip II:
king Spain, sent Spanish Armada attack England
Henry VIII:
English king broke apart from Catholic Church, head of Anglican Church
Mary I (Bloody Mary):
Catholic queen England married Phillip II (Spain), daughter of Catherine of Aragon, executed hundreds of Protestants when they refused to convert
Encomienda System:
system Spanish America gave settlers the right to tax Native Americans/demand labor for protecting them & teaching them skills, exploited indigenous peoples
Columbian Exchange:
plants, animals diseases, & technologies between Americas & rest of world
Caravel:
small, fast, easy to sail 3-masted ship
Mercantilism:
an economic system to increase nation’s wealth by government regulation of all of the nation’s commercial interests
Incas:
powerful South American empire in Andes Mountains of Peru
Aztecs:
empire central Mexico, first empire
Olmecs:
first civilization to appear in Mexico, left few written records, known for massive stone head sculptures
Benefits of Medieval Trade Routes were Spread Ideas & Tech, Spread Religion, Connected Cultures & Exchanged Social Structures
Charlemagne:
son of Pepin the Short
Martin Luther:
95 Theses (October 31, 1517), led religious reform in Germany, denied papal power & absolutist rule, only two sacraments baptism & communion
John Calvin:
created theocracy form of government & expanded Protestantism
Erasmus:
humanist, criticized rich & powerful
Ramses the Great:
expanded kingdom, defeated Hittites, negotiated first peace treaty
Narmer:
king united Upper & Lower Egypt
Nubia:
region of Africa that straddled Upper Nile & south of Egypt
Hyksos:
were Semitic-speaking people who conquered Egypt
Rosetta Stone:
helped historians understand Egyptian writing
Justinian:
Byzantine emperor, reconquered much of the territory previously ruled by Rome, initiated an ambitious building program, including Hagia Sophia, as well as a new legal code, wife: Theodora
Justinian Code:
A code of law that standardized laws in the Byzantine Empire & dealt with marriage, property rights, slavery, crime, & women’s rights
Hagia Sophia:
Cathedral of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople, built by order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian
Eastern Orthodox Church:
made up of various national churches who refused to recognize the Church of Rome’s claim to control
Basil I:
led a restoration of Byzantium’s power by pushing back Muslims
Seljuk Turks:
Muslims who attacked Constantinople, caused fall of Eastern Roman Empire
Slavs:
people in SE Europe who played a major role in establishing Russian state
Varangians:
bands of Swedish Norsemen
Vladimir:
Kievan ruler who adopted Eastern Orthodoxy, ordered destruction of pagan idols & temples
Mansa Musa:
ruler of Mali, wealth helped spread Islam, brought scholars back after his trip to Mecca
Sahara Desert:
north of ancient African empires
Islam Replaced Traditional Religions in Mali, Ghana, & Songhai
Plebeians:
common people in Rome
First Triumvirate:
Julius Caesar, Pompey, Crassus
Ides of March:
March 15, 44 BC (day Caesar was murdered)
Augustus Caesar:
first emperor of Rome, adopted son of Julius Caesar, age of Roman peace (Pax Romana)
Pericles:
Athenian leader during Golden Age, advanced democracy in Athens & for ordering the construction of the Parthenon
Crete:
Greek island in Mediterranean Sea, home of Minoans
Iliad:
poem by Homer about the Trojan Wars
Polis:
Greek city-state
Acropolis:
fortified hilltop in ancient Greek city