front 1 Absolutism | back 1 A form of monarchy in which the sovereign holds supreme, unrestricted power over all aspects of the state, claiming authority by divine right. |
front 2 Constitutionalism | back 2 A political system where the power of the government is limited by a set of laws or a constitution, which protects the rights of the citizens. |
front 3 Louis XIV | back 3 The "Sun King" of France (reigned 1643–1715) and the preeminent example of an absolute monarch. He famously declared, "L'état, c'est moi" (I am the state). |
front 4 Revocation of the Edict of Nantes | back 4 The 1685 act by Louis XIV that outlawed Protestantism (Huguenots) in France, leading to the emigration of over 200,000 skilled workers and merchants. |
front 5 Bureaucracy | back 5 A system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by non-elected state officials rather than by elected representatives. |
front 6 Mercantilism | back 6 The dominant economic theory of the age, which posited that the nation's power depended on its wealth in gold and silver, advocating for a favorable balance of trade and state regulation of the economy. |
front 7 Levellers | back 7 A political movement during the English Civil War (1640s) advocating for popular sovereignty, extended suffrage (voting rights), equality before the law, and religious tolerance. |
front 8 William, Prince of Orange | back 8 The Dutch Stadtholder who, along with his wife Mary II, was invited by Parliament to take the English throne during the Glorious Revolution of 1688. |
front 9 Glorious Revolution | back 9 The relatively bloodless coup of 1688–1689 in England that overthrew King James II and established the principle that Parliament was superior to the monarch. |
front 10 Social Contract | back 10 A fundamental concept in Enlightenment political philosophy that suggests a voluntary agreement among individuals to form a government, giving up some freedoms in exchange for protection and order. |
front 11 Frederick William of Hohenzollern | back 11 Known as the "Great Elector" of Brandenburg-Prussia (ruled 1640–1688), he built a strong, disciplined army and centralized the state bureaucracy, laying the foundation for modern Prussia. |
front 12 Stenka Razin | back 12 A Cossack leader who led a major peasant and Cossack revolt against the Russian nobility and Tsarist bureaucracy in 1670–1671. |
front 13 Classicism | back 13 An artistic movement, particularly in France, inspired by the art and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome, emphasizing order, balance, and clear reason. |
front 14 Salon | back 14 An informal gathering hosted by wealthy Parisian women, primarily in the 17th and 18th centuries, where philosophes, writers, artists, and political figures debated new ideas. |