Absolute Monarchs Flashcards
1
Q
Absolute Monarch
A
a ruler with complete and total authority over the government and people of a country or empire
2
Q
Divine Right
A
the idea that the right to rule was given by God
3
Q
Philip II
A
- believed that God wanted him to destroy all non-believers and restore Catholicism to all of Europe
- fought wars of religion against Muslims, Jews, and Protestants throughout Europe
4
Q
Armada “armed fleet”
A
*armada is caught in a massive storm with hurricane force winds that destroy most of the remaining ships of Armada
5
Q
Protestant Wind
A
- the storm is named this by the English
- England is saved from invasion
- the Armada lost 50,000 of the 60,000 men
- Philip’s dream of conquering England is over
6
Q
Louis XIV
A
- Louis XIV was known as the “sun king”. He ruled France for 54 years
- during his time as ruler, France became the dominant country in Europe during the 1600’s. He firmly believed in his divine right to rule
- his motto was “I am the state”
- he reorganized the French army so that it would be more professional and loyal to him. He also increased the size from 100,000 to 400,000 making it the largest army in Europe
- Staunch catholic who wanted to make French protestants known as Huguenots rejoin the Catholic Church. Many Huguenots fled France at this time
- Palace of Versailles took 55,000 workers 27 years to build and it became the center of French cultural life
- Louis encouraged the French Nobles to live at the palace (so he could control them and keep an eye on them)
- Louis spent most of his reign supervising his palace or leading France into war
- France fought against the Netherlands, England, Sweden, and Spain
- the Palace of Versailles and all of the wars de led left the country in debt. This debt would continue to grow and eventually help lead to the French Revolution
- Louis XIV was the ultimate example of an absolute monarch
7
Q
Peter the Great
A
- 1682 Peter the Great becomes ruler of Russia
- a giant of a man, Peter stood close to seven feet tall
- as young king he wanted to learn all he could about Europe in hopes of modernizing Russia
- he often dressed in disguise as commoner while in Germany and Holland
- introduce potatoes, gave women rights, got rid of clothes and beard, schools of navigation, arts, and science
8
Q
Peters Reforms
A
- hired over 700 western engineers, shipbuilders, and mathematicians
- he defended Swedish as well as expanding the size of Russia
- Establishing St. Petersburg “window to the west”
- closer to the western world
- over 100,000 people lost their lives constructing the city on swamp land
