Chpt. 16, Rise of Absolute Monarchs and the Enlightenment Flashcards
absolute monarchs
these monarchs had several things in common:
- they were the ultimate authority in the state
- they claimed to rule by divine right, meaning that they received power from God, and were answerable only to him
- they had the power to levy taxes, enact laws, administer justice, manage bureaucracy, and execute foreign policy (basically everything)
William of Orange
the leader of the largely Protestant northern provinces of the Netherlands when they declared their independence from Spain in 1579
Enlightenment Spain
Spain had briefly risen to be the preeminent naval power after Lepanto in 1571, but were then defeated by the English in 1588; their silver-rich colonies had a destabilizing effect by inflating their markets, but also lent them tremendous wealth, leading to a Golden Age of art and literature in the 15th-17th centuries
El Greco
a Spanish artist during Spain’s Golden Age who demonstrated his religious devotion by painting saints and martyrs
Diego Velazquez
a Spanish artist during Spain’s Golden Age who painted portraits of court life and the royal family; he also became a father of Spanish drama
Miguel de Cervantes
a Spanish writer who published “Don Quixote de la Mancha” in 1605, which is considered by some to be the first modern European novel
Thirty Years’ War
lasting from 1618 to 1648, it was a conflict between Catholic and Lutheran princes in Germany prompted by a mutual fear of the spread of Calvinism; it ultimately weakened Spain and Austria, but strengthened France
Treaty of Westphalia
the treaty that ended the Thirty Years’ War in 1648; it was the first official use of negotiation to resolve a conflict
Hapsburgs
a family in Austria around the time of the Thirty Years’ War, they took several steps to increase their power, including reconquering territory, establishing a stronger centralized government, and creating an army
Hohenzollerns
a Prussian family from whom Frederick the Great came
Junkers
landowning classes who were the officers of the Prussian army created by Frederick the Great of Prussia
Frederick the Great
a Prussian Hohenzollern who followed in the footsteps of the other members of his powerful family, instituting a military state and creating a standing army with Junkers as officers
War of the Austrian Succession
a war in which Frederick the Great opposed Maria Theresa, winning Silesia for Prussia
War of the Spanish Succession
fought from 1701 to 1714, it was the largest scale war since the Thirty Years’ War; the son of Louis the 16th was the heir apparent to the throne of both the French and Spanish empires, which the nations of Europe would not tolerate; ultimately, this war led to a balance of power being restored in Europe
czar
what the Russian rulers referred to themselves as; the title was first taken by Ivan the 4th (the Terrible)
