people
This French king said “L’etat c’est moi.”
Louis XIV
The belief that a king’s power comes directly from God.
the divine right of kings
The dynasty that ruled after Elizabeth I.
the Stuart dynasty
This czar tried to modernize Russia by copying European technology, dress, and institutions.
Peter the Great
One reason absolutism grew in Europe.
the need for strong central control after religious wars or to collect taxes and keep order
This Russian ruler expanded territory and modernized the army.
Peter the Great (Peter I)
The economic system where the government controls trade and wealth (favored by many absolutist states).
mercantilism
The king who was executed after the English Civil War.
Charles I
This ruler continued absolutist rule in Russia after Peter I and expanded Russian influence (the subject of the Memoirs excerpt).
Catherine the Great
One reason absolutism declined in England but not in France
England’s development of parliamentary power and legal limits on the monarch (e.g., Civil War, Bill of Rights) while France centralized power under Louis XIV
This Spanish king tried to defeat Protestants with the Armada.
Philip II
A legal protection that prevents the government from jailing people without showing cause.
habeas corpus
The year William of Orange was invited to rule England (the Glorious Revolution).
1688
Why did Catherine the Great not fully support the American Revolution?
She feared revolutionary ideas might inspire unrest at home and preferred stability for her own rule.
One similarity between Louis XIV and Peter the Great
both strengthened the central state, increased bureaucracy, and used military power to expand influence
This English king fought Puritans and believed in divine right.
Charles I
Russia’s policy of adopting Western European culture and technology under rulers like Peter the Great.
westernization
The document of 1689 that limited the monarch’s power and protected certain rights.
English Bill of Rights
One way Russia changed under westernization.
modernized army, new schools, new industries, or adoption of Western dress and administration
One difference between England’s and Russia’s political systems
England developed constitutional limits and parliamentary influence, while Russia remained autocratic under a czar