The Age of Absolutism
The concept of divine right was central to the ideology of which monarch who ruled England from 1603 until 1625?
James I
What event in 1688 brought William and Mary to the English throne and ended the idea of divine right monarchy?
What is the Glorious Revolution?
What was the name of the series of conflicts between England and France (1337–1453) over dynastic claims and territory?
Hundred Years War
What practice involving the sale of forgiveness did Luther strongly oppose in his 95 Theses?
Indulgences
What 1598 law granted French Huguenots limited religious freedoms while preserving France’s Catholic identity?
Edict of Nantes
Who is known as the "Sun King" and ruled France from 1643-1715?
Louis XIV
This featured republic was characterized by:
Its government structure being a confederation of provinces with a decentralized government; power held by wealthy merchants and regents.
And that it thrived through trade, finance, and a strong navy; experienced a cultural golden age.
Dutch Republic
What French heroine claimed divine visions, inspired French nationalism, and helped lift the siege of Orléans during the Hundred Years’ War?
Joan of Arc
What doctrine did Luther emphasize to argue that salvation came from God’s grace alone, not good works?
Justification by faith alone
Why did Catholic France, under Cardinal Richelieu, fund Protestant forces during the Thirty Years’ War?
To weaken Habsburg power, showing that political motives could override religious allegiance
Which event marked the end of the Thirty Years’ War and significantly reshaped Europe in 1648?
The Peace of Westphalia
How did religious tension between the Anglican Church and Puritans contribute to political instability in early Stuart England?
Puritans opposed Catholic-style hierarchy in the Anglican Church and resisted Charles I's religious policies, fueling Parliamentary opposition?
What civil war in England ended with the rise of the Tudor dynasty in 1485?
War of the Roses
How did John Calvin's doctrine of predestination challenge both Catholic teaching and Lutheran views on salvation?
Calvin taught that God had pre-selected the elect for salvation, independent of human actions or church mediation
What was the key outcome of the Peace of Westphalia (1648) regarding the structure of the Holy Roman Empire?
It weakened the Holy Roman Emperor and recognized the sovereignty of individual German states
Name two ways Louis XIV weakened the nobility’s power in France.
What are forcing nobles to live at Versailles and using the Intendant System?
Identify one economic and one religious reason Louis XIV's policies backfired despite his efforts at absolutism.
Loss of Huguenot merchant class after revocation of the Edict of Nantes (religious) and the cost of endless wars offset Colbert’s economic reforms (economic)
What 16th-century event marked a turning point in the French Wars of Religion by killing thousands of Huguenots during a royal wedding?
The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (1572)
What event in 1521 resulted in Luther refusing to recant and being declared an outlaw by the Holy Roman Empire?
What major event sparked the Thirty Years’ War in 1618?
The Defenestration of Prague, where Protestant nobles threw Catholic officials out a window
The War of Spanish Succession was primarily fought over the throne of Spain, but which treaty, signed in 1713, helped to end the war and redistributed European territory?
Treaty of Utrecht
Why might some historians compare Louis XIV’s France or Cromwell’s Protectorate to Hobbesian ideals in Leviathan?
Both leaders centralized power under one ruler to avoid chaos, reflecting Hobbes’s belief in the need for absolute sovereignty
What was the political significance of Elizabeth I’s 1559 Act of Supremacy and how did it reflect the legacy of both her father and her half-sister?
Elizabeth’s Act of Supremacy re-established the monarch as head of the Church of England, continuing Henry VIII’s break with Rome. Unlike Mary I, who had attempted to restore Catholicism and papal authority, Elizabeth crafted a Protestant identity for England that avoided extremes and reinforced royal authority.
How did John Locke’s political philosophy challenge traditional views of monarchal authority, and how was it influenced by the religious conflicts of the Reformation era?
Locke argued that governments derived their authority from the consent of the governed, not divine right, and that individuals had natural rights to life, liberty, and property. His emphasis on religious tolerance and limited government was shaped by the religious wars and authoritarian responses of the Reformation and post-Reformation periods.
How did Elizabeth I’s foreign policy both challenge Catholic Spain and enhance English national identity?
By defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588, Elizabeth I asserted England’s naval power, fostered Protestant nationalism, and weakened Catholic influence in Europe