Ch 15 Absolutist & Constitutionalist Flashcards
1
Q
Why is the 17th century (1600’s) sometimes referred to as the age of crisis?
A
After the economic and demographic growth of the sixteenth century, Europe faltered into stagnation and economic difficulty. • Climate change • Religious conflict • Governmental pressures and war • Hunger and population loss
2
Q
What was the peasants diet like during the hardships of the 17th century?
A
Bread and root vegetable soup were mainstays of diet. Had to pay to grind grain and had to pay to use an oven
3
Q
What were economic factors that effected peasants during the hardships of the 17th century?
A
crude technology and low crop yield
a period of colder and wetter climate dubbed the “little ice age”
high food prices
spread of diseases due to malnutrition
4
Q
How were opportunities for peasants different in western and eastern Europe?
A
In western Europe there was a hierarchy with some peasants having enough land to be self sufficient, some having some land-enough to sell produce at market, and some being serfs on others land. In Eastern Europe they were all serfs.
5
Q
What was the lead up to the 30 years war?
A
The Peace at Augsburg (between the German protestants) and the HRE/Charles V started to deteriorate over time (people moved around). The Protestant Union and the Catholic League formed to defend their religious freedoms.
6
Q
What was phase 1 of the 30 years war?
A
Started in Bohemia (Czech republic). Catholic forces defeated Protestants at the Battle of the White Mountain.
7
Q
What was phase 2 of the 30 years war?
A
More Catholic victories in Denmark
8
Q
What was phase 3 of the 30 years war?
A
Swedish Phase. Swedish King goes to Germany to help HRE Protestants.
French chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu, subsidized the Swedes, hoping to weaken Habsburg power in Europe.
Gustavus Adolphus (Swedish King) won two impor¬tant battles but was fatally wounded in combat.
9
Q
What was phase 4 of the 30 years war?
A
French, phase of the war
Richelieu’s concern that the Habsburgs would rebound after the death of Gustavus Adolphus.
Richelieu declared war on Spain (HRE) and sent military as well as financial assistance.
10
Q
What was the end of the 30 years war marked by (what treaty)?
A
Peace of Westphalia 1648
Turning point in European History
11
Q
Impacts of the 30 years war / Peace at Westphalia?
A
Turning point in European History
Fewer religious conflicts
The Augsburg agreement of 1555 became permanent, adding Calvinism to Catholicism and Lutheranism as legally permissible
The treaties recognized the inde¬pendent authority of more than three hundred German princes
Emperor’s authority very limited
About 1/3 pop central europe dead
12
Q
Which countries had absolutist governments in the 17th century?
A
France, Spain, central Europe, and Russia
13
Q
Which countries had constitutionalist governments in the 17th century?
A
England and the Dutch Republic
14
Q
What were differences between absolutist and constitutionalist governments in the 17th century?
A
Whereas absolutist monarchs gathered all power under their personal control, English and Dutch rulers were obliged to respect laws passed by representative institutions.
Historians refer to states where power was limited by law as “constitutional.” Constitutionalism should not be confused with democracy. ¬
15
Q
What were similarities between absolutist and constitutionalist governments in the 17th century?
A
Despite their political differences, all these states shared com¬mon projects of protecting and expanding their fron¬tiers, raising new taxes, consolidating central control, and competing for the new colonies opening up in the New and Old Worlds.
16
Q
What 4 areas give a government greater control?
A
- ) More Taxes
- ) Bigger Army
- ) Larger Bureaucracy
- ) Ability to compel obedience from subjects
17
Q
What was a main difference between medieval armies and the new Royal armies on the 17th century?
A
In medieval times, feudal lords had raised armies only for particular wars or campaigns. In the 17th century Monarchs made permanent standing armies
18
Q
In the early days of permanent standing armies, how did nobles suffer?
A
They led men in battle, so died
Fell into debt because they had to purchase their positions in the army and pay for the units they commanded
19
Q
Where did the peasant bread riots occur?
A
Absolutist Spain (but technically it was Spanish occupied Sicily/Italy)
20
Q
Where did the people start hacking tax collectors to death for their Absolutist tax policies? (Higher taxes, more control)
A
France
21
Q
What was Henry IV’s (France) nickname
A
Henry the Great
22
Q
What was the state of France when Henry IV (Henry the Great) came to power near the beginning of the 17th century?
A
- Civil war between protestants and Catholics
- Poor Harvests
- Bad economy
23
Q
How did Henry the Great (promised “a chicken in every pot”) improve the situation on France?
A
Kept France at peace during most of his reign.
He lowered taxes and instead charged royal officials an annual fee to guarantee the right to pass their positions down to their heirs.
He improved infrastructure building new roads and canals
24
Q
Henry IV allowed Protestants the right to worship in 150 traditionally Protestant towns throughout France. What was the law called?
A
The Edict of Nantes
25
Who was Cardinal Richelieu?
The Chief Minister of France for Louis XIII (13)
Essentially ran the country
Catholic Cardinal
26
What political structure did Richelieu create in France?
He extended the use of intendants, commissioners for each of France’s 32 districts who were appointed directly by the monarch (they were loyal to the king) - more centralized power
27
What did Richelieu think about Protestantism?
Wanted to repress them in France
28
What did Richelieu think about Protestantism in other countries?
He sometimes supported them because he wanted to decrease the Hapsburgs
29
What was the Fronde?
A series of violent uprisings during the early reign of Louis XIV triggered by growing royal control and increased taxation.
30
How did the Fronde influence Louis XIV?
Queen mother fled Paris with Louis XIV (4 years old)
31
Who was the chief minister for Louis XIV?
Cardinal Jules Mazarin
32
What were the Magistrates of the Parlement of Paris and how did they feel about the absolutist policies of Louis XIV reign?
The nation’s most important court. They were outraged by the Crown’s autocratic measures. They encouraged violent protest by the common people.
33
What does divine right monarch mean and who is the classic example?
God had established kings as his rulers on earth, and they were answerable ultimately to him alone. Louis XIV, the sun king.
34
What were Louis XIV's feeling about nobles?
Relied on the cooperation of nobles, who maintained tremendous prestige and authority in their ancestral lands to extend his power throughout France
But tried to limit their power. Louis never called a meeting of the Estates General, so the nobles never had a chance to act as a group. He selected councilors from the recently ennobled or the upper middle class (not upper class or longstanding nobles) because he didn't want anyone to become powerful.
35
Who revoked Henry the Greats' Edict of Nantes which gave Protestants freedom of worship?
Louis VIX
* ordered the Catholic baptism of Huguenots (French Calvinists)
* the destruction of Huguenot churches
* the closing of schools
* the exile of Huguenot pastors who refused to renounce their faith
* the result was the departure of some of the king’s most loyal and industrially skilled subjects.
36
What / whose palace has an eighty-yard Hall of Mirrors, replete with floor-to-ceiling mirrors and ceiling murals illustrating the king’s triumphs
Versailles / Louis XIV
37
What is mercantilism?
A system of economic regulations aimed at increasing the power of the state based on the belief that a nation’s international power was based on its wealth, specifically its supply of gold and silver.
38
Who is the guy you should think of with mercantilism?
Colbert (Louis XIV's financial controller)
39
How did Jean Baptist Colbert use mercantilism to help the French economy?
To accumulate wealth, a country always had to sell more goods abroad than it bought.
To decrease the purchase of goods outside France, Colbert insisted that French industry should produce everything needed by the French people.
To encourage the purchase of French goods, he abolished many domestic tariffs and raised tariffs on foreign products.
40
Why did France explore Canada?
Hoped to make Canada—rich in untapped minerals and some of the best agricultural land in the world—part of a vast French empire. (Part of Colbert's Mercantilism strategy)
41
What was one reason Louis the VIV kept France in near constant wars?
He saw himself as a conqueror / Louis’s goal was to expand France to what he considered its natural borders.
42
What was a "positive" result for France from Louis XIV's wars?
Expanded territories.
- important commercial centers in the Spanish Netherlands and Flanders
- province of Franche Comté
- city of Strasbourg
- province of Lorraine
43
Discuss what led to the War of Spanish Succession
In 1700 the Spanish king Charles II died without an heir. His will left the Spanish crown and its empire to Philip of Anjou, Louis XIV’s grandson.
The will violated a prior treaty by which the European powers had agreed to divide the Spanish possessions between the king of France and the Holy Roman emperor, both brothers in law of Charles II.
Louis decided he wanted it for grandson.
44
Who fought in the war of Spanish succession?
English, Dutch, Austrians, and Prussians formed the Grand Alliance against Louis XIV.
45
What was the Peace at Utrecht?
A series of treaties, ended the War of the Spanish Succession, ended French expansion in Europe, and marked the rise of the British Empire.
46
Why was the Peace at Utrecht significant?
The Peace of Utrecht represented the balance¬ of¬ power principle, setting limits on the extent to which any one power could expand.
It also marked the end of French expansion.
47
How did Spain do in the 17th century?
The sad balloon. Decreased trade, increased debt, higher rents, bad agriculture
48
How did Spain hurt themselves with religious intolerance in the 17th century?
The king expelled three hundred thousand Moriscos, or former Muslims, in 1609, significantly reducing the pool of skilled workers and merchants
49
Who ran Spain in the 17th century before the war of Spanish Succession?
Philip III (r. 1598–1621), handed the running of the government over to the duke of Lerma, who used it to advance his personal and familial wealth.
Philip IV left the management of his several kingdoms to Gaspar de Guzmán, Count Duke of Olivares.
Olivares was a good administrator (often compared to Richelieu). Succeeded in devising new sources of revenue. But he believed the solution to Spain’s problems was a return to the imperial tradition of the sixteenth century….led to the revival of war with the Dutch
50
How did wars contribute to the fall of Spain in the 17th century?
Many wars and bad economy led to disaster and had to give up territories
Revival of war with the Dutch occurred at the expiration of a 12 year truce in 1622
Long war with France over Mantua
Involved in the 30 years war
Revolts in Catalonia and Portugal.
51
Describe Constitutionalism
The limitation of government by law.
Implies a balance between the authority and power of the government and the rights and liberties of the subjects
All constitutionalist governments have a constitution (written or unwritten).
A constitution may be embodied in one basic document and occasionally revised by amendment, like the Constitution of the United States or it may be only partly formalized and include parliamentary statutes, judicial decisions, and a body of traditional procedures and practices, like the English and Dutch constitutions.
52
Describe Constitutionalism
The limitation of government by law.
Implies a balance between the authority and power of the government and the rights and liberties of the subjects
All constitutionalist governments have a constitution (written or unwritten).
A constitution may be embodied in one basic document and occasionally revised by amendment, like the Constitution of the United States or it may be only partly formalized and include parliamentary statutes, judicial decisions, and a body of traditional procedures and practices, like the English and Dutch constitutions.
53
How did Charles I of England fund things?
Charles I had ruled from 1629 to 1640 without Parliament, financing his government through taxes considered illegal by most English people.
War with Spain and France (30 years war) forces him to call Parliament for money
54
What caused the English Civil War?
Charles I doesn't call Parliament for years
Things that anger England
-Charles I very Catholic - supported archbishop of Canterbury William Laud who was forcing religious initiatives on Scotland
-Charles I unfair taxes
Calls Parliament for money to fight Scotland
Parliament:
-Passes triennial act
- Won't give him an Army
-Impeaches Archbishop Laud
He tries to arrest Parliament leaders
55
In the English Civil War what was Parliament's army called?
The New Model Army, composed of the militia of the city of London and country squires with business connections - (Roundheads)
56
In the English Civil War what was Parliament's army called?
The New Model Army, composed of the militia of the city of London and country squires with business connections - (Roundheads)
57
In the English Civil War what was King Charles I's army called?
King's army - drawn from the nobility and its cavalry staff, the rural gentry, and mercenaries. (Royalists)
58
Who led the new model army in the English Civil War?
Oliver Cromwell, a member of the House of Commons and a devout Puritan.
59
What happened to Charles I when Parliament / Cromwell won in the English Civil War
He did not concede. Cromwell’s forces captured the king and dismissed anti¬Cromwell members of the Parliament. In 1649 the remaining representatives, known as the “Rump Parliament,” put Charles on trial for high treason. Charles was found guilty and beheaded
60
Define Puritan
Members of a sixteenth- and seventeenth- century reform movement within the Church of England that advocated purifying it of Roman Catholic elements, like bishops, elaborate ceremonials, and wedding rings.
61
What happened to the English government after Charles I was beheaded by Cromwell's forces?
Cromwell created a commonwealth, or republican government, known as the Protectorate.
62
What was Cromwell's republican government like for Catholics?
The English banned Catholicism in Ireland, executed priests, and confiscated land from Catholics for English and Scottish settlers. there was a massacre of Irish
More tolerant of other religions
63
What was Cromwell's republican government like for the economy?
Mercantilism (Like Colbert)
64
What was Cromwell's republican government like for the economy?
Mercantilism
65
In the Restoration, what was to be the attitude of England toward Puritans, Catholics and dissenters from the established church?
The Test Act of 1673 denied those outside the Church of England the right to vote, hold public office, preach, teach, attend the universities, or even assemble for meetings.
66
What was to be the attitude of the state toward Puritans, Catholics and dissenters from the established church?
The Test Act of 1673 denied those outside the Church of England the right to vote, hold pub¬lic office, preach, teach, attend the universities, or even assemble for meetings.
67
Did Charles II secure adequate money from Parliament?
Finding that Parliament did not grant him an adequate income, in 1670 Charles entered into a secret agreement with his cousin Louis XIV. The French king would give Charles £200,000 annually, and in return Charles would relax the laws against Catholics and convert to Catholicism himself.
68
After Charles II died, his brother James II came to power. How did England feel about him.
They did not like him. He acted like an absolutist (not remembering his father being beheaded). He supported Catholics and violated the test act. When he had an infant son, Parliament freaked and called his grown Protestant daughter Mary (and her husband William)
69
What was the Glorious Revolution?
William and Mary were crowned king and queen of England - replaced one king with another with barely any bloodshed.
70
Why was the Bill of Rights significant? (England)
Established a constitutionalist government
71
What was the cabinet system?
There were leading ministers within the house of commons
They had support of the other members
They make up a “cabinet”
Formulate common policy and conduct the business of the country.
72
What was the cabinet system?
There were leading ministers within the house of commons
They had support of the other members
They make up a “cabinet”
Formulate common policy and conduct the business of the country.
73
How did the cabinet system change the role of the king?
Idea developed that the cabinet was responsible to the House of Commons (not the King)
Kings at first presided over the cabinet, but stopped
Influence of the King in decision making declined.
74
How did the Hapsburgs exercise their power in Austrian lands?
Reduced the power of the Bohemian Estates, the largely Protestant representative assembly.
Centralized the government in the empire’s German speaking provinces
A permanent standing army
Confiscated the land holdings of Protestant nobles and gave them to loyal Catholic nobles and to the foreign aristocratic mercenaries who led the armies
Habsburg victory over Bohemia during the Thirty Years’ War - expansion
75
Who were the leaders of Prussia in the late 17th century and earthly 18th century?
Frederick William (Great Elector) and Frederick William I
76
How did Frederick William centralize power?
Persuaded Junkers in the estates to accept taxation without consent in order to fund an army. (They agreed to do so in exchange for reconfirmation of their own privileges, including authority over the serfs. )
Increased taxes x 3 and suppressed estates power
77
What is a Junker?
The nobility and the land owning class in Prussia
78
How did Frederick William I continue the work of his dad/grandad?
Eliminated the last traces of parliamentary estates and local self government
Established Prussian absolutism
Honest and conscientious bureaucracy
79
What was the Prussian army like?
Prussian army was the best in Europe
| Precision, skill, and discipline.
80
Who led the Prussian army
The Junkers (the nobility now commanded the peasantry in the army as well as on the estates).
81
How did Ivan III centralize Russian authority (15th century)?
Forced weaker Slavic principalities to give tributes (like a tax).
Loyalty from the highest ranking nobles, or boyars, helped the princes consolidate their power.
82
Why was Moscow considered the 3rd Rome?
Byzantium was an ancient Greek colony. Constantinople was founded there and called “New Rome”
After the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453, the princes of Moscow saw themselves as the heirs of both the caesars (or emperors) and Orthodox Christianity.
Tsars considered themselves rightful and holy rulers, an idea promoted by Orthodox churchmen who spoke of “holy Russia” as the “Third Rome.”
83
How did Ivan IV distance himself from the boyars?
Ivan began a campaign of persecution against those he suspected of opposing him. He exe-cuted members of leading boyar families, along with their families, friends, servants, and peasants. To replace them, Ivan created a new service nobility, whose loy¬alty was guaranteed by their dependence on the state for land and titles
84
How did Ivan IV distance Russia from Western Europe?
Serfs who survived the persecutions fled toward wild, recently conquered territories to the east and south. There they joined free groups and warrior bands known as Cossacks.
Ivan responded by tying peasants to the land and to noble landholders. Simultaneously, he ordered that urban dwellers be bound to their towns and jobs so that he could tax them more heavily.
The urban classes had no security in their property, and even the wealthiest merchants were dependent agents of the tsar. These restrictions checked the growth of the Russian middle classes and were in contrast to economic and social developments in western Europe.
85
What was the “Time of Troubles” (1598-1613) and who emerged as the leader of Russia?
After the death of Ivan IV and his successor
Ordinary people suffered drought, crop failure, and plague. The Cossacks and peas¬ants rebelled against nobles and officials, demanding fairer treatment
Nobles crushed the Cossack rebellion and brought Ivan’s sixteen year old grand nephew Michael Romanov, to the throne
86
What was the “Time of Troubles” (1598-1613) and who emerged as the leader of Russia?
After the death of Ivan IV and his successor
Ordinary people suffered drought, crop failure, and plague. The Cossacks and peasants rebelled against nobles and officials, demanding fairer treatment
Nobles crushed the Cossack rebellion and brought Ivan’s sixteen year old grand nephew Michael Romanov, to the throne
87
How did things go for Russia under Michael Romanov?
Successfully reconsolidated central authority. Did not improve the lot of the common people
88
Describe Peter the Great of Russia's efforts of exapnsion
An unsuccessful attack (with Denmark and Poland) on Sweden caused him to build up the army.
* He required all nobles to serve in the army or in the civil administration—for life.
* Created new schools and universities and required every young nobleman to spend five years in education away from home.
* Established an interlocking military civillian bureaucracy with fourteen ranks, and he decreed that all had to start at the bot¬tom and work toward the top. The system allowed some people of non-noble origins to rise to high positions
89
What territories did Russia win after attacking Sweden with their new army?
Estonia and Latvia
90
How did Peter the Great of Russia feel about westernization?
He pursued it.
Led a group of 250 Russian officials and young nobles on an eighteen month tour of western European capitals.
Peter sought talented foreigners and placed them in his service.
St. Petersburg was a new Western style capital on the Baltic to rival the great cities of Europe.
91
What were Western social reforms that Peter the Great of Russia pursued?
He required nobles to shave their heavy beards and wear Western clothing, previously banned in Russia.
Ordered nobles to attend parties where young men and women would mix together and freely choose their own spouses.
92
What is unigeniture and who imposed it in Russia?
inheritance of land by one son alone—cutting daughters and other sons from family property. Peter the Great.
93
How did European perception of the Ottoman Empire differ from the Ottoman perception of themselves?
To the Christian Europeans:
Perceived the Ottomans as the antithesis of their own values and traditions
Viewed the empire as driven by an insatiable lust for warfare and conquest.
In their view the fall of Constantinople was considered a historic catastrophe and the taking of the Balkans a form of tyrannical imprisonment.
To the Ottomans:
The siege of Constantinople liberated a glorious city from its long decline under the Byzantines.
Rather than being captive, the Balkans became a haven for refugees fleeing the growing intolerance of Western Christian powers. The Ottoman Empire provided Jews, Muslims, and even some Christians safety from the Inquisition and religious war.
94
What was the Ottoman approach to land ownership?
Agricultural land was the personal hereditary property of the sultan, and peasants paid taxes to use the land.
Almost complete absence of private landed property and no hereditary nobility.
95
What was the relationship of slaves to the Ottoman government?
The top ranks of the bureaucracy were staffed by the sultan’s slave corps.
Because Muslim law prohibited enslaving other Muslims, the sultan’s agents purchased slaves along the borders of the empire.
The less fortunate formed the core of the sultan’s army, the janissary corps.
96
What are religious millets in the Ottoman empire?
The Ottomans divided their subjects into religious communities, and each millet, or “nation,” enjoyed autonomous self-government under its religious leaders.
The Ottoman Empire recognized Orthodox Chris- tians, Jews, Armenian Christians, and Muslims as distinct millets, but despite its tolerance, the empire was an explicitly Islamic state.
Millet leaders were indebted to the Sultan
Each millet collected taxes for the state, regulated group behavior, and maintained law courts, schools, houses of worship, and hospitals for its people.
97
What was the Old Palace for in Isanbul?
the sultan’s female family members, who lived in isolation under the care of eunuchs
98
What was the Topkapi Palace for in Isanbul?
officials worked and young slaves trained for future administrative or military careers.
99
What were the Ottomans odd ideas about Sultan's marriages?
Sultans married women of the highest social standing, while keeping many concubines of low rank.
To prevent the elite families into which they married from acquiring influence over the government, sultans procreated only with their concubines and not with official wives.
They also adopted a policy of allowing each concubine to produce only one male heir. At a young age, each son went to govern a province of the empire accompanied by his mother.
100
How did Suleiman change Ottoman policies?
He boldly married his concubine, a former slave of Polish origin named Hürrem, and had several children with her.
Starting with Suleiman, imperial wives began to take on more power. Marriages were arranged between sultans’ daughters and high-ranking servants, creating powerful new members of the imperial household.
Over time, the sultan’s exclusive authority waned in favor of a more bureaucratic administration.
101
What was the structure of the Dutch Constitutionalist government?
Power rested in the hands of the people and was exercised through elected representatives.
Among the Dutch, an oligarchy of wealthy businessmen called regents handled domestic affairs in each province’s Estates (assemblies). The Estates held virtually all the power.
A federal assembly, or States General, handled foreign affairs and war, but it did not possess sovereign authority.
All issues had to be referred back to the local Estates for approval
Each of the seven provinces could veto any proposed legislation.
102
Who was in charge of the provincial estates in the Dutch republic government?
In each province, the Estates appointed an executive officer, known as the stadholder, who carried out ceremonial functions and was responsible for military defense.
Although in theory freely chosen by the Es¬tates and answerable to them, in practice the strong and influential House of Orange usually held the office of stadholder in several of the provinces of the republic.
This meant that tensions always lingered be¬ tween supporters of the House of Orange and those of the republican Estates
103
Were the dutch religiously tolerant?
Yes. Scattered evidence of anti -Semitism, but Jews enjoyed a level of acceptance and assimilation in Dutch business and general culture
Tolerance attracted a great deal of foreign capital and investment.
104
What was the biggest economic industry in the Netherlands and what was their standard of living in the 17th century?
Successful shipping business from putting profits from herring fish¬ing into shipbuilding.
Lowest shipping rates and largest merchant marine in Europe, allowing them to undersell foreign competitors
Had the high¬est standard of living in Europe, maybe the the world.
105
What role did Rome and the Catholic Church play in the development of baroque art and music?
The papacy and the Jesuits encouraged the growth of an intensely emotional, exuberant art.
They wanted artists to go beyond the Renaissance focus on pleasing a small, wealthy cultural elite. They wanted artists to appeal to the senses and thereby touch the souls and kindle the faith of ordinary churchgoers while proclaiming the power and confidence of the reformed Catholic Church.
106
Who is an example of a Baroque artist and what is he most well known for?
Peter Paul Rubens
One trademark was fleshy, sensual nudes - “Rubenesque”
107
Who is an example of a Baroque musician?
Bach
