Absolutism and Constitutionalism (ch. 16) Flashcards
(20 cards)
How long had civil wars been going on between Protestants and Catholics in France?
1561
What were some of Henry IV efforts at peace?
He issued the Edict of Nantes, allowing Protestants to worship, lowered taxes and instead charged royal officials an annual fee to guarantee the right to pass their positions to their heirs, and built new roads and canals
What was Richeliu’s main goal?
to destroy the Catholic Habsburgs’ grip on territories that surrounded France.
What was a Fronde?
A series of violent uprisings during the early reign of Louis XIV triggered by growing royal control and oppressive taxation
Who had the longest reign in European history?
King Louis XIV
How did Louis get involved in governing?
He ruled through several councils of state and insisted on taking a personal role in many of the councils’ decisions
What was Louis’ policy on religion?
He insisted on unity of religion b/c it was essential to his royal dignity and to the security of the state
Where did Louis move his court and government to in 1682?
a newly renovated palace at Versailles, a former hunting lodge
What did the palace at Versailles serve for?
government offices for royal bureaucrats, living quarter for royal family and nobles, and a place to work for hundreds of domestic servants
What were women’s roles at court?
recommended individuals for honors, advocated policy decisions, and brokered alliances between noble factions
What do scholars characterize the art and literature of the age of Louis XIV as>
French classicism- the style and subject resembled Renaissance Italy, but it had classical qualities of discipline, balance, and restraint
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 it supply of gold and silver
Who was Jean-Baptiste Colbert?
he was King Louis’ controller general and a financial genius
What did Colbert do to increase exports?
He supported old industries and created new ones, focusing especially on textiles, which were the most important sector of the economy.
What did Louis XIV write?
that the character of a conqueror is regarded as the noblest and highest of titles.
What was the Peace of Utrecht?
A series of treaties, from 1713 to 1715, that ended the War of the Spanish Succession, ended French expansion in Europe, and marked the rise of the British Empire
Who was Louvois and what did he create?
He was Louis’s secretary of state for war, and he created a professional army in which the French state, rather than private nobles, employed the soldiers
Why did Spanish trade with colonies in the New World fall 60%?
because of competition from local industries in the colonies and from Dutch and English traders
What happened in Madrid?
royal expenditures constantly exceeded income, so to meet state debt, the Crown repeatedly devalued the coinage and declared bankruptcy, which resulted in the collapse of national credit
Why did Spain have a tiny middle class?
the elite condemned moneymaking a vulgar and undignified, so thousands of people entered economically unproductive professions
