history content

Question 1

vocabulary

Answer 1

a list of difficult or unfamiliar words with an explanation of their meanings, accompanying a piece of specialist or foreign-language text.

Question 2

Louis XIV

Answer 2

Definitions of Louis XVI. n king of France from 1774 to 1792; his failure to grant reforms led to the French Revolution; he and his queen (Marie Antoinette) were guillotined (1754-1793).

Question 3

peter the great

Answer 3

Through a number of successful wars he expanded the Tsardom into a much larger empire that became a major European power.

Question 4

William the Great Elector

Answer 4

Frederick William was a staunch pillar of the Calvinist faith, associated with the rising commercial class. He saw the importance of trade and promoted it vigorously.

Question 5

Czar

Answer 5

a person appointed by government to advise on and coordinate policy in a particular area:

Question 6

absolutism

Answer 6

the acceptance of or belief in absolute principles in political, philosophical, ethical, or theological matters.

Question 7

Boyar

Answer 7

a member of the old aristocracy in Russia, next in rank to a prince.

Question 8

Ivan IV

Answer 8

Ivan IV Vasilyevich, commonly known as Ivan the Terrible or Ivan the Fearsome, was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547, then “Tsar of All the Russias” until his death in 1584. The last title was used by all his successors.

Question 9

divine right

Answer 9

the belief that the monarch’s authority comes directly from God rather than from the people

Question 10

Henry IV

Answer 10

Although leader of Huguenot forces in the latter stages of the French Wars of Religion, on succeeding the Catholic Henry III, he became Catholic himself in order to guarantee peace. He established religious freedom with the Edict of Nantes (1598) and restored order after the prolonged civil war.

Question 11

War of Spanish secession

Answer 11

The War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) was a major European conflict of the early 18th century, triggered by the death in 1700 of the last Habsburg King of Spain, the infirm and childless Charles II.

Question 12

Thirty years war

Answer 12

Thirty Years’ War. (Historical Terms) a major conflict involving principally Austria, Denmark, France, Holland, the German states, Spain, and Sweden, that devastated central Europe, esp large areas of Germany (1618–48).

Question 13

Catherine the Great

Answer 13

Catherine the Great definition. An empress of Russia in the late eighteenth century who encouraged the cultural influences of western Europe in Russia and extended Russian territory toward the Black Sea.

Question 14

window to the west

Answer 14

St. Pete is called Russia’s “Window to the West” and it’s not difficult to see why. The city, with its boulevards, canals and Baroque buildings, feels like Europe. Street signs are in English and the woman behind the counter at the coffee shop this morning could actually explain what was in each pastry.

Question 15

Maria Theresa

Answer 15

(1717–80), archduchess of Austria; queen of Hungary and Bohemia 1740–80. The daughter of Emperor Charles VI, she succeeded to the Habsburg dominions in 1740 by virtue of the Pragmatic Sanction. Her accession triggered the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48), which led in turn to the Seven Years War (1756–63).

Question 16

Pragmatic sanction

Answer 16

an imperial or royal ordinance or decree that has the force of law.

Question 17

Hapsburgs

Answer 17

a member of a German royal family, prominent between the 13th and 20th centuries in Europe, that included rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and Austria-Hungary

Question 18

Austria, seven years war

Answer 18

The Seven Years’ War was a war fought between 1754 and 1763, the main conflict occurring in the seven-year period from 1756 to 1763.

Question 19

Frederick the Great

Answer 19

official title Frederick II. 1712–86, king of Prussia (1740–86); son of Frederick William I. He gained Silesia during the War of Austrian Succession (1740–48) and his military genius during the Seven Years’ War (1756–63) established Prussia as a European power.

Question 20

Charles I

Answer 20

His power struggles with Parliament resulted in the English Civil War (1642–1648) in which Charles was defeated. He was tried for treason and beheaded in 1649.

Question 21

Petition of Rights

Answer 21

The Petition of Right is a major English constitutional document that sets out specific liberties of the subject that the king is prohibited from infringing.

Question 22

long parliament

Answer 22

the Parliament that assembled November 3, 1640, was expelled by Cromwell in 1653, reconvened in 1659, and was dissolved in 1660.

Question 23

short parliament

Answer 23

The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks.

Question 24

cavaliers

Answer 24

a small spaniel of a breed with a moderately long, noncurly, silky coat.

Question 25

Oliver Cromwell

Answer 25

a general officer of the highest rank. national leader, solon, statesman. a man who is a respected leader in national or international affairs.

Question 26

commonwealth

Answer 26

an independent country or community, especially a democratic republic.

Question 27

declaration of rights

Answer 27

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen passed by France’s National Constituent Assembly in August 1789, is a fundamental document of the French Revolution and in the history of human and civil rights.

Question 28

monarchy

Answer 28

a form of government with a monarch at the head.

Question 29

Tory and Whig

Answer 29

Whig and Tory, members of two opposing political parties or factions in England, particularly during the 18th century.

Question 30

English bill of rights

Answer 30

The 1689 English Bill of Rights had a massive influence on the colonies in North America and the Constitution of the United States.

Question 31

William and Mary

Answer 31

William and Mary were Protestants, and James was a Roman Catholic; since the time of William and Mary, the ruler of England has always upheld Protestantism in England.

Question 32

Enlightment

Answer 32

the action of enlightening or the state of being enlightened.

Question 33

philosophers

Answer 33

a person engaged or learned in philosophy, especially as an academic discipline.

Question 34

John Locke

Answer 34

A seventeenth-century English philosopher. Locke argued against the belief that human beings are born with certain ideas already in their minds.

Question 35

Voltaire

Answer 35

He was a leading figure of the Enlightenment, and frequently came into conflict with the Establishment as a result of his radical views and satirical writings.

Question 36

Baron de Montesquieu

Answer 36

French political philosopher who advocated the separation of executive and legislative and judicial powers (1689-1755) Charles Louis de Secondat, Montesquieu.

Question 37

Mary Wollstonecraft

Answer 37

was an English writer, philosopher, and advocate of women’s rights. During her brief career, she wrote novels, treatises, a travel narrative, a history of the French Revolution, a conduct book, and a children’s book.

Question 38

salon

Answer 38

a reception room in a large house.