Absolutism Flashcards
Jean Bodin
Jean Bodin was a French jurist and political philosopher, member of the Parlement of Paris and professor of law in Toulouse. He is best known for his theory of sovereignty; he was also an influential writer on demonology.
Absolutism
Derived from the traditional assumption of power (heirs to the throne) and the belief in “divine right of the kings”
Thomas Hobbes Leviathan
The work concerns the structure of society and legitimate government, and is regarded as one of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory. Pessimistic view of human beings in a state of nature.
Bishop Jacques bossuet
Principle advocate of “divine right of the kings” in France during the reign of Louis XIV
Estates
First Estate clergy; 1% of population Second Estate nobility; 3-4% of population Third Estate Bourgeoisie (middle class)
Bourbon dynasty
European royal house of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma. Spain and Luxembourg currently have Bourbon monarchs.
Nobility of the sword
refers to the class of traditional or old nobility in France during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern periods. This class was heir to a militaristic ideology of professional
Nobility of the robe
new nobles who purchased their titles from the monarchy, became high officials in the government and remained loyal to the king
Duke of sully
the doughty soldier, French minister, staunch Huguenot and faithful right-hand man who assisted king Henry IV of France in the rule of France. His reforms enhanced the power of the monarchy
Mercantilism
increased role of the state in the economy in order to achieve a favorable balance of trade with other countries
Louis XIII
a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France from 1610 to 1643 and King of Navarre from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged to the French crown.
Cardinal richelieu
a French clergyman, noble and statesman. He was consecrated as a bishop in 1607 and was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in 1616. Laid foundation for absolutism in France
Politique
religious conflicts holding national unity of greater importance than the absolute predominance of a single sect and advocating religious toleration as the policy of the government
Indendant system
Replaced local affairs with civil servants (intendants) who reported directly to the king; used to weaken the nobility.
Peace of alais
Huguenots lots their fortified cities and Protestant armies
Cardinal Mazarin
controlled France while Louis XIV was a child. Some nobles revolted against Mazarin, Louis never forgot the humiliation he faced at the hands of the nobles early on and was determined to control the nobility.
Corvee
forced labor that required peasants to work for a month out of the year on roads and other public projects
Versailles Palace
under Louis XIV, the Palace at Versailles became the grandest and most impressive palace in all of Europe. Louis gained absolute control over the nobility
Edict of fountainbleu
revoked Edict of Nantes
Jasenists
Catholics who held some Calvinist ideas
Mercantilism
State control over a country’s economy in order to achieve a favorable balance of trade
Bullionism
a nation’s policy of accumulating as much precious metal (gold and silver) as possible while preventing its outward flow to other countries
Jean Baptiste Colbert
a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. Hs goal was economic self-sufficiency for France. Biggest accomplishment = developing the merchant marine.
Balance of power
no one country would be allowed to dominate the continent since a coalition of other countries would rally against a threatening power.
War of the league of Augsburg
1688-1697; William III becomes ruler over England and joins forces with Leopold against Louis; Louis has to seek peace. Demonstrated emergence of balance of power
War of Spanish succession
war over the successor of Charles II “the sufferer”; Charles had selected Philip V Bourbon, his grand-nephew and Louis XIV’s grandson to succeed him, going against a previous agreement that he would be succeeded by an Austrian; an alliance of European powers with troops led by Eugene, Prince of Savoy, and John Churchill fought against French and Spanish troops; the war ended with the Peace of Utrecht
Phillip II
Son of Charles V and a devout Catholic, he was the Hapsburg ruler of Spain from 1556-98. He led the Spanish Counter-Reformation but failed to invade Protestant England with his Spanish Armada.
Escorial
A Spanish monastery and palace built by Philip II.
Price revolution
when Spain experienced a steady population increase in demand for foods and goods. Spanish colonies also had a demand for foods and goods. The rising prices caused the Spanish to not be able to compete with cheaper products. Prices spiraled up faster than the government could levy taxes to dampen the economy because higher taxes would have cut the public’s buying power causing the sale of less goods and a consequent fall in prices.
Spanish Armada
The extensive fleet of warships produced by Spain in 1558 which consisted of 130 ships and was the most prodigious assemblage of naval power that the world had ever seen.
Treaty of Pyrenees 1659
signed to end the 1635 to 1659 war between France and Spain, a war that was initially a part of the wider Thirty Years’ War.
Bernini
created many master pieces including a sculpture of St. Teresa of Avila and the construction of the great tabernacle below St. Peter’s Basilica’s dome and directly over the space St. Peter is buried.
Schonbrunn
an enormous Viennese Versailles begun by Emperor Leopold to celebrate Austrian military victories and Hapsburg might.
Winter palace
built by Peter the Great in St. Petersburg Russia, influenced by Versailles
Caravaggio
Caravaggio
- Italian painter noted for his realistic depiction of religious subjects and his novel use of light (1573-1610)
Peter Paul Rubens
Flemish painter who worked for the Hapsburg court in Brussels, known for sensual nudes
Diego Velasquez
Perhaps the greatest court painter of the era, numerous portraits of the Spanish court and their surroundings
Artemisia gentileschi
Famous for vivid depictions of dramatic scenes and her “Judith” paintings
Dutch style
reflected the Dutch Republic’s wealth and religious toleration of secular subjects. Reflected the urban and rural settings of Dutch life during the golden age of The Netherlands.
Rembrandt van rijn
Considered one of the greatest Dutch Baroque artists, his financial success was offset by tragic deaths of two wives and all four of his sons.
Jan Vermeer
An artist fascinated with the effects of light and dark. He chose domestic, indoor settings for his portraits. He often painted women doing such familiar activities such as pouring milk from a jug or reading a letter. His work reveals how important merchants, civil leaders, and the middle class in general were in the 17th century Netherlands.
French classicism
Art and literature in the Age of Louis XIV - imitated classical antiquity and Renaissance art
Nicholas poussin
French classical painter who painted the Rape of the Sabine Women, known as the greatest French painter of the 17th century
Jean Baptiste Racine
A French dramatist, one of the “Big Three” of 17th-century France and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition
Moliere
French author of sophisticated comedies
J.s Bach
greatest of the baroque composers, wrote dense and polyphonic structures, wrote variety of genres
