Vocabulary by All Group Members

2/16/11

Humanism – A revival of classical ideals involving the intelligence, virtue, importance, and individuality of humans. It denied thoughts of superstition and religion.

Lutheranism – Founded in 1521 by Martin Luther. It was a division of western Christianity and stressed faith above all else.

Glorious Revolution – Fought in 1688 to 1689 against the English King James II. It gave less power to the monarch and more to Parliament. 

Frederick the Great – Was the king of Prussia from 1740 to 1786. He reformed the country with ideas from the enlightenment. He also won the seven year’s war.

Encyclopedia of Britannica - The Encyclopedia of Britannica was published in 18th century Scotland amid the Scottish enlightenment. It was created by Colin Macfarquhur.  

Liberty and Equality - It is a liberal concept of individuals being responsible for themselves and having the will to act upon their own decisions. It arose amid the European enlightenments focusing on humanism.

Indulgences: Grants of salvation.

Catherine the Great: Defended the powers of the central Monarch and put down a vigorous peasant uprising led by Emelian Pugachev.

Frederick the Great: Introduced greater freedom of religion while expanding economic functions of the state in Prussia.

Protestantism: State control of the church as an alternative to papal authority, this had obvious political appeal.

Isaac Newton: published the Principia Mathematica which drew various astrological and physical observations and wider theories together in a neat framework of natural laws.

Henry VII: Set up Anglican church to challenge papal attempts to enforce his first marriage, which failed to produce a male heir.

Witchcraft – Supposed powers supposedly held by malignant members of society. Due to the rapid social, economic and religious change that was occurring many blamed this as the cause of their troubles. Witch-hunts, used as a means to capture, torture and kill people who supposedly practiced witchcraft, skyrocketed around 14th century.

Treaty of Westphalia – Name given to two treaties that ended the Thirty Years War. Redistributed land among several nations, gave Switzerland recognition as its own state, provided religious tolerance for the 3 dominant religions of Western Europe and allowed for immigration.

Boccaccio – Italian poet that lived from 1313-1375. Became extremely influential with his Magnum Opus, the Decameron, being highly influential to European literature and even used as source of inspiration by Chaucer and Shakespeare.

Rabelais – Francois Rabelais was a highly influential French Renaissance writer, physician and monk whose comedic novels, Gargantua and Pantagruel, have become some of the most hilarious classics in literature. Among his other achievements were his time as a physician where he studied the previously ignored Ancient Greek medicine and performed dissections as well as treatments for ailments such as fractures and hernias.

Predestination – A doctrine of Calvinism that states that God ordains everything on Earth. Contested for its interpretation that Free Will is invalid. Work together with the Calvinistic belief of “Unconditional Election” where God chooses a select few for eternal bliss regardless of person's actions.

Edict of Nantes – Made by King Henry IV of France it was the first long-lasting decree of religious tolerance in Western Europe. It granted numerous religious rights to French Protestants and marked the end of France's Wars of Religions.

Absolute Monarchy: Concept of government developed during the rise of nation-states in western Europe during the 17th century; featured monarchs who passed laws without parliaments, appointed professionalized armies and bureaucracies, established state churches, imposed state economic policies. 

Adam Smith: Scottish philosopher wrote Wealth of Nations in 1776; argued that people act according to self-interest and competition promotes economic advance; Governments should avoid regulation in favor of the operation of individual initiative and market forces

Anglican Church: Form of Protestantism set up in England after 1534; established by Henry VIII with himself as head, at least in part to obtain a divorce from his first wife; became increasingly Protestant following Henry’s death

Catholic Reformation: Restatement of traditional Catholic beliefs in response to Protestant Reformation (16th century); established councils that reviewed Catholic doctrine and refuted Protestant beliefs

Cervantes: Writer in Spain during the Northern Renaissance; one of the writers that established a new set of classics and literary traditions

Enlightenment: Intellectual movement centered in France during the 18th century; featured scientific advance, application of scientific methods to study of human society; belief that rational laws could describe social behavior

Niccolo Machiavelli- born May 3 1469, died June 21 1527. He was a n Italian philosopher, humanist, and writer based in England during the Renaissance. One of the main founders of modern science.

Parliamentary monarchy- Originated in England and Holland, 17th century, with kings partially checked by significant legislative powers in parliaments.

Scientific Revolution- Cumulated in 17th century; period of empirical advances associated with the development of wider theoretical generalizations; resulted in change in traditional beliefs of Middle Ages

Thirty Years War- (1618-1648) One of the most destructive conflicts in European history. Fought primarily in what is now Germany. At some point, most of the European countries were involved in the war.

Louis XIV- born September 5, 1638.  Died September 1, 1715. Known as the sun king, King of France and Navarre. He began his reign as king at the age of four.

Mary Wollstonecraft- Born April 27,1750 and died September 10, 1797. She was an 18th century British writer, philosopher, and advocate for 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.

John Kay – Introduced the flying shuttle in England, which permitted automatic crossing of threads on looms. Now, the individual weaver could do the work of two.

Deism – Concept of God during Scientific Revolution; divinity set natural laws in motion and not to regulate after the process began.

Mercantilism – Don’t import goods from elsewhere, but export via your own ships as much as possible.

Johannes Gutenberg – Introduced the moveable type to West Europe in the 1400’s and credited with expanded availability of printed books and pamphlets.

Social Sciences – Application of scientific methods to the study of human society; idea that rational laws could describe social as well as physical behavior.

Marianne Ehrmann – Used her journal to suggest that men might be partly to blame for women’s lowly position.