Chapter 16 The Age of Absolutism – Flashcards
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Absolute monarch
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A ruler which complete authority over the government and the lives of the people.
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Divine right
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The belief that a ruler's authority comes directly from God.
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Intendant
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A royal official who collected taxes, recruited soldiers, and carried out the king's policies in provinces.
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Balance of power
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A distribution of military and economic power among nations to prevent any one country from becoming too strong.
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Elector
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Title of each of the seven leading German princes who chose the Holy Roman emperor in the seventeenth century.
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Depopulation
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Reduction in population.
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Westernization
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The adoption of Western ideas, technology, and culture.
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Partition
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Divided up.
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Philip II asserted absolute power, waged war, and supported the arts, all to extend Spain's power and prestige.
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How did Philip II extend Spain's power and help establish a golden age?
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Both sought to ensure absolute power and strengthen Catholicism, but Philip was more persevering.
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How were Charles V and Philip II alike and differ- ent in their goals of ensuring absolute power and strengthening Catholicism?
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Costly wars, inflation, bad economic choices, and faulty leadership caused Spain's decline.
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Why did Spanish power and prosperity decline?
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It was a period of unusual brilliance in the arts and literature.
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Why is the period from 1550 to 1650 considered Spain's golden age?
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Louis XIV strengthened royal power, the army, the economy, and the arts to make France the leading power of Europe.
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How did France become the leading power of Europe under the absolute rule of Louis XIV?
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Because he was a Huguenot, Henry IV's conversion united France by healing the division between Huguenots and Catholics.
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How did Henry IV's conversion to Catholicism help France unite?
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They kept the nobles busy in the king's court instead of battling for power.
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What was the purpose of Louis XIV's extravagant palace and daily rituals?
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They wanted to keep the balance of power so they would not be dominated by France or any other European nation.
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Why did other European nations form alliances to oppose France's plans to expand?
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After war decimated the Holy Roman Empire, strong rulers Maria Theresa, Frederick William, and Frederick II consoli- dated power and territory to build their empires.
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How did the two great empires of Austria and Prussia emerge from the Thirty Years' War and subsequent events?
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The war depopulated the German states and weakened their unity, resulting in the emergence of many small independent states.
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What impact did the Thirty Years' War have on the German states?
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Austria and Prussia; both sought to consolidate power, build a strong state, and extend their territory.
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What two major powers emerged in Europe at the end of the Thirty Years' War? How were the goals of these two nations similar?
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European nations maintained a balance of power through wars and shifting alliances.
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How did European nations maintain a balance of power?
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Using autocratic methods, they western- ized and modernized Russia, centralized royal power, improved the army, and expanded its territory through war, treaties, and exploration.
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How did Peter the Great and Catherine the Great strengthen Russia and expand its territory?
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to westernize, strengthen the military, expand Russian borders, and
centralize royal power. Reforms (any 3): bring the church under his control, force boyars to serve the state, force changes in social customs, strengthen serfdom, import technology, improve education, build military power.
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What were three goals of Peter the Great and what was one step that he undertook to achieve each goal?
