Absolutism

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**Absolutism**- the political theory that holding that all power should be vested in one ruler or authority through the idea of divine right, the idea that he was placed in charge by the power of God. Often, the absolutist ruler would become corrupted by the power he beholds. Absolutism was the main form of government for a long time in Europe.

**Jean-Baptiste Colbert**- French politician who served as Minister of finances for Louis XIV. Brought France out of the possible bankruptcy. Financial genius, applied mercantalist policies to France. French industry produces everything needed by the French people, exported textiles, abolished domestic tariffs, and raised tariffs on domestic products. He founded the Company of the East Indies, and sent explorers to establish colonies in Canada.

**balance of power**- A nonverbal agreement between nations in Europe to combine forces together in any time that one nation started to show sign of becoming to powerful and possibly controlling all of Europe in the future. The forces would bind together to fight and control that one nation to preserve peace in Europe.

**Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan**- In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes argues that the state of nature is the worst possible way in which people could live. because there are no higher authority to protect and enforce rights, and no guarantee that anything we own is permanently ours, and people are constatly on the look out for others who might pose a threat to them.

**War of the Leaque of Augsburg**- also known as the nine years war, involved a coalition of european powers against france. the war was planned to oppose the expansionist plans of louis the xiv of france. though these plans were ineffective.

**War of Spanish Succession**- No countries in Europe want France and Spain to unite politically because of the rich trade that could have allowed them to take Europe for themselves. Louis XIV wanted to give grandson Philip the crown to France instead of dividing it with the Holy Roman Empire. The Grand alliance formed in order to do "balance of power" and it ends with the Peace of Ultrecth, where Philip took the crown, but France promised to never reunite with them.

**“divine right” of kings**- a Religious and Political doctrine that affirms legitimacy in politics and royalty. the belief goes that the monarch receives the right to rule directly from God. Louis the XIV strongly supported this.

**Treaty of Utrecht**- The alliance of seven northern provinces (led by Holland) that declared its independence from Spain and formed the United Provinces of the Netherlands.

**First Estate**- The First estate was the clergy. They did not pay taxes but would rarely give a voluntary money instead. They were less than 1% of the population and wanted the right to appoint their own clergy offices.

**Second Estate**- The second estate was the nobility. They wanted to keep their tax exemptions and power over peasants. They wanted to keep tradition and were considered to be more "conservative".

**Third Estate**- The Third Estate consisted of the Peasants of the city. They were the lowest estate as they were the lowest class in France. The Third estate was the "backbone" of France in the sense that they paid the majority of taxes, and did the majority of labor, including but not limited to, agriculture, linens. Farming of grains and vegitables.

**Philip II**- P hilip II was the king of France. during his reign the royal domains were more than doubled, and the royal power was consolidated. philip was a successful monarch and influenced the monarchy. he defeated a coalition of his rivals, reorganized the government, and created financial stability. his reign was popular with the lower class because he checked the power of the nobles, and middle class people.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Escorial**- The monastary, and royal palace of the King of Spain, Phillip II. He modeled it to reflect the current Renaissance architecture, and built it to commemorate the Spanish victory against France.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**“price revolution”**- was a time of inflation, where commodities increased by so much. the cost of living had increased, but the standard of living had decreased.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Henry IV**- Henry of Navarre. who kept France at peace during his reign. Catholic, yet issued Edict of Nantes to protect the Huguenots. Lowered taxes and charges royal council fees to keep their positions passed down to heirs. Built new roads and canals and reparied ravages of several years of previous war. Murdered in 1610 by a catholic zealot. Set the stage for modern France.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Spanish Armada**- Spanish fleet that sailed against England in attempt to over throw Elizabeth I. Did not succeed. Lost many ships.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Bourbon dynasty**- is one of the most powerful ruling families of Europe. The First King of the Bourbon dynasty (which replaced the old Valois dynasty) was Henry Bourbon IV of Navarre. The Bourbons controlled France until the revolution. They also had a brief comeback in power when Napoleon was exiled and Louis Bourbon XVIII was installed on the throne.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Treaty of the Pyrenees**, **1659**- it marked the end of french Spanish wars, and it stopped Spain as a major power in Europe

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Nobility of the sword**- Old French nobility that had a militaristic ideology. The Nobility of the Sword were powerful large-landholders who wanted to maintain personal power and manorial rights.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Baroque**- Baroque art is a new (16th century) art style. It features highly expressive artwork, dramatic, a motion. It was a truly revolutionary style or art in the time period, which was highly favored by the Roman Catholic Church, notable in the painting of Jesus when he is up on the cross during the crussification. Old style art had very generic, alike expressions and positions of charactes. When Baroque art style became popular, it was revolutionary and has forever changed art to this day.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Nobility of the robe**- New French nobles who bought themselves into political offices. however, offices were also often given by appointment. Such a promotion would often prompt the nobility of the robe to work diligently and remain fiercely loyal to the King for whom they owe all of their power and success.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Duke of Sully-** The minister to Henry IV, he focused on transatlantic trade, mercantalism, reduced debt and added to the treasury, subisdized company trade with the Indies.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Versailles Palace**- The Palace of Versailles was Louis XIV's former hunting lodge which had been renovated into a fabulous palace and proclaimed the seat of government in France. There, he made nobles stay for a long period of time to check their loyalty and keep an eye on them and their families. This helped establish absolutism because it forced all of the power in the land to center on the palace. In addition, the mandatory stay at Versailles ensured that the nobility would not have long periods of time in the countryside to raise an army.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Cardinal Richelieu**- First minister to the French Crown. Becomes the minister to Louis XIII and takes office with Marie de Medici when Henry died. Introduced the intendent system, repressed protestantism, and Aids guestavus Adolphus in the thirty years war in order to weaken the HRE's grip on France.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Politique**- Catholic and Protestant moderates who held that only a strong monarchy could save <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">France from total collapse.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Winter Palace**- Palace used by the Tsar, where he housed his most important nobles and members of government. Women were not allowed to be housed here in order to prevent infiltration. Created to put all the royal family members under one roof to be united and less likely to break off.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Intendant system**- system introduced by Cardinal Richelieu. Uses intendants to commision his 32 districts of France in order to recruit army men, supervise taxes, check on the nobilities, and regulate economic activities within each district. The intendent could not be from that specific district.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Dutch Style**-

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Rembrandt**- was a famous painter of the golden age. rembrandt studied people, objects, and their surroundings in life. he described light, space, texture, and modeling in his foundation.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Louis XIV, “sun king”**- he received the name "sun king" because he chose his emblem of power as the sign of Apollo (the sun).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**French Classicism**- the art and literature, art used antiquity, discipline, balance, and restraint (sculptures). An example is Nicholas Poussin's Rape of Sabine Women.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**“L’etat, C’est moi”**- Louis XIV's quote claiming, "I am the state."

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Jean Racine**- French playwright, known for his dramas. Along with Moliere and Corneille, he is considered one of the three great playwrights of the 17th century, and was inspirational in Western tradition.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Fronde**- A series of violent uprisings during the early reign of Louis XIV triggered by weak royal control and the ambitions of powerful nobles. The word "fronde" comes from a French word used to describe peasants who would throw mud at the royal coach as it went by.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Moliere**- French playwright, known for his comedies and as one of Louis XIV's favorite playwrights at Versailles.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Cardinal Mazarin**- Inherited throne with regency of Anne of Austria(Habsburg). Struggled to increase royal revenues to cover war costs which lead to the Fronde. Chief minister to 4 year old Louis XIV.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Corvee**- Peasants who worked for free on a Nobles land. Sort of like legal slavery.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**mercantillism-** A System of economic regulations aimed at increasing the power of the state based on the belief thata nation's international power was based on its wealth, specifically its supply of gold and silver. Mercantillism is the practice of importing more than exporting goods in the area of trade.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**bullionism**:- An economic theory that defines a person's wealth by the amount of precious metals that are owned. This was very popular in the time because France did not currently have a current paper currency, making gold, silver and coins the dominant currency of France.