Absolutism and Constitutionalism in Western Europe

Question 0

Charles I

Answer 0

• was English
• was the son of James I
• sympathized with Roman Catholicism, supporting the policies of William Laud that would make the Church of England very similar to the RCC
• was described as intelligent, decietful, and treacherous
• dissolved Parliament in 1629
• lost English civil war and was beheaded

Question 1

Miguel de Cervantes

Answer 1

• was Spanish

* was the author of the novel /Don Quixote/, a novel that deliniated 16th century Spanish society

Question 2

Charles II

Answer 2

• was Spanish
• mentally defective and sexually impotent
• left Spain to Louis XIV’s grandson, Philip of Anjou, instigating the War of the Spanish Succession

Question 3

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

Answer 3

• was French
• was named controller general of finances under Louis XIV
• rigorously applied mercantilism to France
• subsidized cloth industries, granted royal privileges to rug and tapestry industries, set up a system of inspection and regulation, encouraged immigration, and created powerful merchant marine
• created merciless taxes that caused many peasants to emigrate, shrinking the tax pool and leaving the French economy in shambles

Question 4

Oliver Cromwell

Answer 4

• was English
• ruled after Charles I’s beheading
• divided England into 12 millitary districts, which fell apart after his death
• enforced the Navigation Act (mercantilism)

Question 5

Glorious Revolution

Answer 5

• was English
• took place in 1688 and 1689
• called “glorious” because it occurred with little to no bloodshed
• William and Mary accepted the English throne, acknowledged Parliament, and essentiay destroyed the idea of divine right rule

Question 6

Henry IV of France (Naverre)

Answer 6

• was French
• last surviving Henry of the War Of The Three Henrys
• famously said “Paris is worth a mass,” and converted to Catholicism for the good of the state
• issued the Edict of Nantes
• appointed Maximilien de Sully as his chief minister
• sharply lowered taxes on the peasants, introduced the /paulette/, revived trade, started a country-wide highway system, and dreamed of an international organization for peace
• believed compassion for the people was the root of successful rule, and (for him, at least), this proved true

Question 7

James VI of Scotland/James I of England

Answer 7

• was Scottish
• ruled Scotland for 35 years before becoming King of England
• while educated and politically shrewd, lacked the majesty and common touch that had made his predecessor, Elizabeth I, so successful
• argued frequently with Parliament, and greatly increased national debt
• authorized the creation of the KJV

Question 8

James II

Answer 8

• was English
• succeeded his brother, Charles II
• appointed Roman Catholics to positions in the army, the universities, and local government in direct violation of the Test Act
• he issued a declaration of indulgence granting religious freedom for all
• locked bishops who petitioned for the right to disregard the act of indulgence in the Tower of London
• prompted the Glorious Revolution

Question 9

Louis XIV

Answer 9

• was French
• was one of the strongest examples of absolutist ideals in the French monarchy
• called himself the “sun king”
• was a devout Catholic, attending mass daily
• was traumatized by the Fronde (civil wars during which Louis and his mother were often threatened) as a child, which influenced his adult decisions greatly
• created cooperation between the crown and the nobility through large projects that exalted the monarchy and reinforced the ancient prestige of the aristocrats
• built the palace of Versailles, ten miles outside of Paris, where he established his court and required nobility to live (in order to keep an eye on them)
• appointed Jean-Baptiste Colbert as controller-general of finances
• revoked the Edict of Nantes
• kept France at war for 33 years of his 54-year reign
• drove France to near bankruptcy

Question 10

Puritans

Answer 10

• sought to purify the Anglican church of Roman Catholic elements (such as bishops)
• encouraged values such as hard work, thrift, and humility
• came primarily from the artisan and lower middle classes

Question 11

Cardinal Richelieu

Answer 11

• was French
• was first minister of the French crown under King Louis III
• held the policy of total subordination of all groups to the French crown
• sought to curb the power of the nobility
• ran a successful administrative system in which France was divided into 32 districts, each one controlled by a non-native intendents who transmitted information from Paris to their local communities and vice versa

Question 12

William III (of Orange) and Mary II

Answer 12

• were Protestant
• were Dutch
• were offered the English throne by Parliament in order to prevent a Catholic dynasty - they accepted, showing the supremacy of Parliament over the crown

Question 13

Versailles

Answer 13

• was originally built as a hunting lodge and retreat by Louis XIII
• was greatly expanded by Louis XIV, who turned it into a veritable paradise
• held art and architecture that served to overawe French subjects and foreign visitors
• held the court of Louis XIV - his nobles were required to live there for a third of the year
• stands today as a symbol of absolute monarchy, classicism, and the height of French culture

Question 14

Cossacks

Answer 14

• were Russian
• were free groups and outlaw armies made of peasants who, sick and tired of Ivan the Terrible, fled to newly conquered eastern and southern territories beyond the tsar’s reach
• resulted in peasants being completely bound to nobles and their land
• varied in power - a group led by former slave Ivan Bolotnikov caused great social upheaval, marching northward, slaughtering nobles, rallying peasants, and calling for a “true tsar” who would treat them better (they would not be stopped until they reached the gates of Moscow)

Question 15

Fredrick William (The Great Elector)

Answer 15

• was Prussian
• through the weakening of the Estates, took giant steps towards royal absolutism
• waa determined to unify Brandenburg, Prussia, and scattered holdings along the Rhine
• established a permanent standing army, paid for by permanent taxation without the consent of the people

Question 16

Fredrick William I (The Soldier’s King)

Answer 16

• was Prussian
• was described as crude, dangerous, and psychoneurotic
• was a talented reformer
• created the best army in Europe and infused strict millitary values into Prussian society, which still exist today in those regions
• loved tall soldiers and sent out recruiters to obtain them through any means necessary
• lived a highly disciplined life, rising at five or six in the morning
• violently punished even the most minor infractions (such as a missing button) personally
• held a dog-eat-dog view of politics, which he used to push royal absolutism
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Question 17

Hohenzollerns

Answer 17

• were Prussian

* were essentially the royal family

Question 18

Junkers

Answer 18

• nobility and landowning classes of Europe

Question 19

Ivan III

Answer 19

• was Russian
• was Prince of Moscow
• completed the process of consolidating power around Moscow and won Novgorod, expanding Russia’s territory a great deal
• married the daughter of the last Byzantine Emporer