AP European History Study Guide Chapter 13

Review Questions
The Netherlands: Golden Age to Decline
1) How did the political and religious life of the Netherlands differ from the rest of Europe?
Politically the Netherlands differed from the rest if Europe mainly because it was a Republic rather than a monarchy.
Each province retained their authority and the central government exercised it’s authority in an ongoing negotiation
with the provinces. The House of Orange, William III acted as stadtholder in times of crisis. The Netherlands
religious life also differed as there was a high level of toleration. The Netherlands identified with the Protestant
cause but there was also room for Calvinists, other Protestant groups, Roman Catholics, and the Jewish faith. The
different religions lived together in harmony rather than other nations whose rulers tried to impose a single religion,
and in turn tearing the nation apart.
2) By what means did the Dutch prosper economically during the 17th and 18th centuries?
Through high urban consolidation, transformation of agriculture, extensive trade and finance, and an overseas
commercial empire the Dutch became to prosper economically.
Two Models of European Political Development
3) What were the two models of government that formed in Europe during the 17th century?
Parliamentary Monarchy and Political Absolutism.
a. What path did France follow and what path did England follow?
France followed Absolutism and England followed Parliamentary Monarchy.
b. What was the background reason for each?
The French Monarchy’s financial base was not very dependent upon the support of noble estates, diets, and
assemblies whereas the English’s was. This difference separated Absolutism from Parliamentary Monarchy.
Constitutional Crisis and Settlement in Stuart England
4) Who was James I (r. 1603-1625)?
Also known as James VI, he was the Son of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scoots and the King of Scotland since 1567. He
succeeded Elizabeth I and became James I of England.
a. What books did he write or commission and what was his religious background?
He commissioned the King James Bible which was a translated version of the bible into English. On the surface
James I was Protestant but there were many suspicions that he was secretly catholic due to his action regarding
foreign policy.
b. Was he well-liked (why or why not)?
King James was not well liked by many this includes Puritans, the Parliament, the nobility, and many
Protestants. In regard to the Puritans, James sought to maintain and enhance the Anglican episcopacy which
opposed their beliefs and efforts. James also disregarded the Parliament and did as he pleased, which created
conflict between the two. The governing of his court angered the nobility in his picking of favorites. His
suspicious behavior and activities regarding foreign policy suggested his pro-Catholic sentiment which made
many citizens (Protestants) suspicious of him.
5) What was James I’s relationship like with the Puritans and what was the result of this relationship?
The Puritans wished to eliminate religious ceremonies and replace the hierarchical Episcopal system of the Church
governance, in turn James I declared his intentions to maintain and enhance the Anglican episcopacy. This lead to
the Puritan Colonization of North America, where they believed they could worship freely and create a truly
reformed church.
6) Who was Charles I (r. 1625-1649)?
The son of James I who succeeded the throne and continued and escalated his father’s governance in extra
parliamentary measures.
a. What actions did he take to raise funds for the war with Spain?
He took extra parliamentary measures which were: levying new tariffs and duties, attempting to collect
discontinued taxes, and subjecting property owners to a forced loan.
b. Was he well-liked (why or why not) and how did he die?
He was not well liked for many on the same reasons as his father. He imposed the above measures which
neither pleased the parliament and the people. He further angered the Parliament when he ignored their powers
and policies and also dissolved the Parliament soon after it was convened. People became even more suspicious
of Charles through his relations with France and Scotland, which hinted at his friendliness with the Roman
Catholics. He was also opposed by English Puritans and Presbyterian Scots due to his religious policies.
7) What was the Petition of Right?
The Petition of Right was a document issued by Parliament which stated that there were to be no forced loans or
taxation without the consent of the Parliament, and that no one should be imprisoned without due cause. It also
stated that soldiers should not be quartered in private homes.
8) Why did Charles I appear to be Catholic?
He made peace with France and Spain in 1629 which hinted toward his Catholicism and he also had a Catholic wife.
9) Why was Charles I eventually forced to call Parliament?
He didn’t have enough resources and money for war against the Scots.
a. What was the Short Parliament?]
Parliament refused to give funds to the king for war against the Scots until he agreed to redress political and
religious grievances, he dissolved the parliament soon after.(scots rebelled because of the book of common prayer)
10) What was decided at the Long Parliament (1640-1660) and what were their areas of disagreement?
The Long Parliament had abolished the courts that enforced royal policy, prohibited the levying of new taxes
without consent of Parliament, and implemented a mandatory meeting of the Parliament every three years. This
Parliament couldn’t be dissolved without their consent. Their discrepancies mainly revolved around religious issues.
Presbyterians (moderate Puritans) and extreme Puritans wanted to abolish bishops and the Book of Common Prayer.
Conservatives wanted to preserve the Church of England. (triennial act)
11) Why did England break into a Civil War from 1642 to 1646?
Charles invaded Parliament because it was proposed that Parliament should be commander in chief of the army, he
left London after and began to raise an army. The House of Commons gained the authority to raise an army itself.
This began the English Civil war.
a. Who were the Cavaliers and the Roundheads?
The Cavaliers were the king’s supporters and the Roundheads opposed the king, the Parliament.
12) Who was Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658)?
“A country squire of iron discipline and strong independent religious sentiment.”
The leader of the New Model Army which represented the Puritans, he later defeated Charles and beheaded him. He
later turned England into a Puritan Republic in which he dominated and later on down the road this became a
military dictatorship where he became just as corrupt and power hungry as Cahrles.
a. What was his army called, what was his title and what did he establish?
The New Model Army. His title was Lord protector because he thought he was protecting England by taking
over and exercising his military dictatorship.
b. Was he well-liked (why or why not)?
In the beginning of his significant career he was liked, mainly because he defeated Charles, who was a tyrant.
Once he gained control over England this changed as he turned England into a military dictatorship and
enforced his strict Puritan beliefs upon all. People did not have political liberties.
13) Who was Charles II (r. 1660-1685)?
Took over the English Throne after Oliver, and re-implemented English Constitutional Monarchy. He had secrect
Catholic sympathies which created conflict between him, the Parliament, and the people.
a. What were his religious beliefs?
Though he claimed to be Protestant he had secret Catholic sympathies.
14) What was the Clarendon Code?
Enacted by Parliament, it excluded Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, and Independents from the official religious and
political life of the nation.
15) What was the Declaration of Indulgence?
Enacted by Charles, it suspended all laws against Roman Catholics and non-Anglican Protestants.
16) What was the Test Act?
Enacted by Parliament, it required all civil and military officials of the crown to swear an oath against the doctrine
of transubstantiation. (loyal Catholics cannot do so.)
17) Who was James II (r. 1685-1688)?
Brother of Charles II who succeeded the throne, a convert to Catholicism who tried to get rights of Protestants in
England by promoting religious toleration, sought absolutist policies.
a. What were his religious beliefs and what were his goals?
See above
18) What was the Glorious Revolution (1688)?
Kicked James II out of power and replaced him, to preserve England’s political liberties. England was finally rid of
tyranny and rulers who sought absolutism (power hungry rulers) it became a true constitutional monarchy.
a. Who took power and how?
 William III of Orange took power accompanied by his wife Mary II (James II daughter). William invaded
England at the request of English Parliament, James II fled to France.
19) What was said in the English Bill of Rights? ‘
A document issued by Parliament which limited the powers of the monarchy and guaranteed civil liberties of the
English privileged classes. Monarchs were subject to law and ruled by the consent of Parliament convene every 3
years.) This document also prohibited Roman Catholics from occupying the English throne.
20) What was the Act of Settlement (1701)?
Settled the strife that plagued England for centuries (bad succession) and provided the English crown to the
Protestant House of Hanover in Germany if Queen of Anne, heir to William III (childless) died.
a. What was the result of this Act?
Anne died, and the Elector of Hanover became King George I of Great Britain (England and Scotland had been
unified to form this in the Act of Union 1701)
21) Who was Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745)?
Took over the Throne of King George I, brought England to great glory (see below) Maintained peace in Edngland.
22) What was England like during the “Age of Walpole”?
England was at a great height. There was peace abroad; foreign trade expanded from New England to India, nobles
participated in local offices and the military and collected/paid taxes to support a strong army and navy. Freedom of
speech became present in many forms, there was no a large standing army, and there was high religious toleration.
The English state combined considerable military power with religious and political liberties. It became a political
modle for the rest of Europe.

Rise of Absolute Monarchy in France

23) Who were Cardinal Richelieu and Cardinal Mazarin and who did each work for and what did they accomplish?
The two cardinals who laid the ground work of Louis XIV reign. They attempted to impose direct royal
administration on France, limited the political privileges to the French Protestants in the Edit of Nantes. They later
abandoned this approach and gave Louis his idea/genius to rule.
24) Who was Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715) and how did he rule France?
An absolutist monarch of France, who had wishes to centralize all power through him. He learned how to govern
subtly, and worked with the nobles instead of against them and secured their status at local social political standings.
He worked with local political and social instructions in order to make the monarch the most important and powerful
political institution in France.
25) What was Versailles and how did Louis XIV use it?
Versailles was a palace built by Louis (built in Versailles) which was on the outskirts of Paris. It location was
strategically utilized by Louis to gain power over the nobles. Louis moved his court to Versailles, which in turn
relocated most of the nobles from their familiar territory to Louis’s. Louis also required the nobles to either pay for
residence or noble patronage. In both cases the nobles came dependent to the monarch. Those who didn’t move to
Versailles retained their independence but still lost power as they weren’t part of the king’s court.
26) What was the “Divine Right of Kings”?
The belief that rulers were appointed and answerable to only god, and that only god could judge them. It also
incorporated the belief that king’s reflected gods will in their ruling.
27) Who was Jean-Baptist Colbert (1619-1683)?
Louis’ greatest minister, who gave Louis the power to raise and maintain a large, powerful army through his
economic policies.
28) Why did France fight in the War of Devolution?
Because Louis supported the right of his first wife (Marie Therese) to inherit the Spanish Netherlands, who were
allied with England and Sweden against France.
a. What was the result and what treaty ended it?
The war had an inconclusive ending; no party came on the winning side (the Peace of Nijmwegen). It mainly
ended with the Treaty of Dover which allied with France and England against the Dutch (in turn Netherland
allied the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Lorraine, and Brandenburg.) Louis was now seen as the menace to the
whole of Western Europe. France also gained more territory.
29) Who were the Jansenists?
A Roman Catholic religious movement which opposed the theology and political influence of the Jesuits.
a. What were their beliefs and how did Louis XI react to them?
They believed that original sin corrupted humankind so that individuals could not anything or contribute
anything to their salvation. (followed the teaching of St. Augustine which influenced many protestant
 doctrines). Louis did not support the Jansenists, he supported many papal bull’s which banned Jasenism in
France and condemned their teaching. He ordered the French church also condemn their teaching.
30) What were Louis XIV’s religious beliefs and how did he reveal this politically?
Louis was openly Catholic and expressed this in many ways politically. At first he launched a campaign against the
Huguenots to unify France religiously, but as his faith grew so did his political repression. In public life he was
aggressive against the Huguenots and banned them from government office, and excluded them from specific
professions. He also gave financial incentives to Protestants who would convert to Catholicism. He also quartered
soldiers in their towns, yet another measure. See below from more.
What was considered to be his greatest blunder?
His biggest blunder was the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, which was followed by further repression such as
closing of Protestant schools, the exile of Protestant ministers, laity condemned as slaves, and the baptism of
Protestant children by Catholic priests.
31) Why was the War of Spanish Succession fought (1701-1714)?
It was fought because France had now claimed the throne and Spanish inheritance (Louis’ grandson Philip of
Anjou). Spain was essentially in the hands of France. To preserve the balance of power (securing Flanders and
gaining Habsburg emperor) England, Holland, and the Holy Roman Empire allied. With these two opposing forces
the war of Spanish Succession.
a. Who was involved, what was the result and what treaty ended it?
See above. (John Churchill) Duke of Marlborough beat Louis and his army at every major engagement, yet the
French triumphed in Spain. After 1709 the war became a bloody stalemate (situation with no winners). In July
1713, France made peace with England at Utrecht and with Holland in 1714. Treaty of Baden and Rasatt ended
the conflict.
32) Who was the Duke of Orleans?
The regent to Louis XIV’s grandson Louis XV, his regency further undermined the faltering prestige of the
monarchy.
a. What scandal was he involved in and what policy of Louis XIV did he reverse?
The Mississippi Bubble, which was a scandal involving paper money and gold—it resulted in the halt of all gold
payments in France. He reversed Louis XIV’s policy of parlements. This reverse gave Parlement of Paris full power
to allow and disallow laws. This made parlements centers for resistance to royal authority.
Central and Eastern Europe
33) How was Central and Eastern Europe different from Western Europe in the 17th century?
This region was much less economically advanced than Western Europe (economy agrarian). There were fewer
cities and more large estates worked by serfs. States within this region didn’t possess overseas empires and didn’t
engage in overseas trade. Political authorities within this region were also weak, which resulted in a constant
temporary/shifting political loyalty with princes and aristocracies. These small states refused to subordinate to
monarchical authorities.
34) What was the Pragmatic Sanction?
It provided the legal basis for a single line of inheritance with the Habsburg dynasty through Charles VI’s daughter
Maria Theresa and made her the rightful heir to the throne.
35) Who was Frederick William (r. 1640-1688) and what did he accomplish?
Also known as the Great Elector, he established uniting power by breaking up the local noble estates, organizing a
royal bureaucracy, and building a strong army. When estates wouldn’t allow him to collect taxes to grow the
military, he collected them using military force. (his further taxes fell hardest on the poor.) He used the money he
gained to enforce his will without the approval of the nobility. He also gained the obedience of the junkers (German
noble landlords). Junkers became much more involved in the army, which in turn united them with the Elector and
more so, the state. The army of Prussia grew viable under Fredrick William.
36) Who was Frederick I (r. 1688-1713)? Describe his reign.
The least Prussian of the Prussian leaders. He founded Halle University, patronized the arts, and lived luxuriously.
In the war of Spanish Succession he put his army at the disposal of Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, in
turn he gained the title of “King in Prussia”.
37) Who was Frederick William I (r. 1713-1740) and what did he accomplish?
An eccentric monarch and one of the most effective. He organized bureaucracy along military lines. Under his reign
the Prussian army grew to 80,000 and became the 3rd largest in Europe. Laws, customs, and royal attention made
officer corps(army) the highest social class. The junkers and the monarchy were forged into a single political entity.
Military priorities and values dominated Prussian government, society, and daily life.
Russia Enters the European Political Arena
38) Who was Peter the Great (r. 1682-1725)?
Also known as Peter I, he ruled subsequently with Ivan the terrible until his death, and changed Russia greatly.
a. What was he fascinated with and what did he accomplish?
He was fascinated with Northwestern Europe and their military resources/naval power. He visited western
Europe and was determined to copy what he had seen. To do so he had to confront long-standing power and
traditions of the Russian nobles. He crushed many rebellions of the nobles and executed many rebels publically
as a warning sign. He established a new military which would serve the king. His military policy for officer
corps and general military discipline mirrored those of Western Europe. He also changed the culture in Russian
in the traditions of long beards, coats, sleeves, veils, and other aspects of culture. He also built better warships
which lead to war with Ottomans and the capture of Azov.
39) Who fought in the Great Northern War (1700-1721)?
Sweden and Russia.
a. Why was it fought and what was the result?
It was fought because Russia wanted a port on a sea without ice, the Baltic Sea, which the Sweden had control
of and consolidated. Russia/Peter made a drive against the Swedish territory to gain foothold in the Baltic. This
caused the war. The Swedes were defeated in 1709, which gave Russia an ice-free port and permanent influence
on European affairs. (Peace of Nystad)
The Ottoman Empire
40) Describe the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century?
The Ottoman Empire was a diverse collection of people, and was the largest and most stable Empire
following the collapse of the Roman Empire. It was a dominant power in the Muslim world and
administered Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. Its population was diverse linguistically, ethnically, and
religiously which had significant number of Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians and Jews. The
empire was more religiously tolerant than any other in Europe. Different religious groups (millets)
followed specific laws that applied to their group specifically rather than ones that applied to a
whole body. Non-Islamics/dhimmis had rights but were considered second class and had some
propitiations/drawback opposed to the other groups. These groups did gain economic success due to
their specific skill sets, which the other groups were never able to obtain due to discouragement of
interaction. The ottoman dynasty was separated from powerful families within the empire through
military leader and the recruitment of administrators of loyal groups. Devshirme: recruiting from
elite Christian communities, one famous group was the Janissaries. Entry to the elite military and
it’s advancement was close to the general public and elite families. People known as slaves to the
sultan filled governmental posts and achieved major political influence and status. Few leading
families gainedthis type of status. Most believed that being a slave was favored over that of a free
subject. Religious authorities played a significant role in political, legal and administrative life.
Ulama, Islamic rulers played a crucial role in religious institutions, schools and courts of law. They
gave the sultan advice on governing and law. Ulama urged the conform of traditional life rather than
that of the rapid changing Europe. The ottomans began to weaken for many reasons but the main
reason was that they did not develop in the areas of technology, wealth, knowledge, and military. In
turn they lost lots of power and territory and were viewed as a declining power in Europe.
Essay Questions
I. Louis XIV declared his goal was “one king, one law, one faith.” Analyze the methods
the king used to achieve this objective and discuss the extent to which he was
successful.
II. Describe and analyze the changes in the role of Parliament in English politics between
the succession of James I and the Glorious Revolution.
III. Analyze the major ways through which Czar Peter the Great sought to reform his
society and its institutions in order to strengthen Russia and its position in Europe.
IV. Compare 17th century French absolutism with 17th century central and eastern
European absolutism.
Do the following for ALL the prompts:
1) Write a thesis statement. It should include the main ideas that you will discuss in each paragraph. Make
sure that it answers the question.
Select one of the Prompts and complete the following.
1) What is the main idea of your first paragraph? This should be a complete sentence.
1. What evidence will you use to support this idea?
2) What is the main idea of your second paragraph? This should be a complete sentence.
1. What evidence will you use to support this idea?
3) What is the main idea of your third paragraph? This should be a complete sentence.
1. What evidence will you use to support this idea?
4) Write your concluding paragraph. How will you end your essay?