| A | B |
|---|
| absolutism | political belief that one ruler should hold all of the power within a country |
| absolute monarchs | kings or queens who held all of the power within their states' boundaries |
| divine right | idea that God created the monarchy and that monarchs represented God on earth |
| factors that helped monarchs acquire more power | rise of cities, support of the middle class, and breakdown of Church authority |
| Edict of Nantes | declaration of religious tolerance allowed Huguenots to worship in France |
| Huguenots and Catholics | between 1562 and 1598 these two religious groups fought 8 wars |
| skepticism | the idea that nothing can ever be known for certain |
| Cardinal Richelieu | Louis XIII's strong minister who actually ruled France |
| René Decartes | important French philosopher who helped to develop the scientific method |
| Michel Montaigne | he developed the essay as a form of literature and used it to talk about life's meaning |
| two steps Richelieu took to strengthen the Bourbon monarchy | he weakened the nobility and forbade the Huguenots to build walls around their cities |
| Louis XIV | most powerful ruler in French history, called the "Sun King" |
| intendants | government agents, mainly middle class, appointed by Louis XIV to collect taxes |
| Jean Baptiste Colbert | Louis XIV's minister of finance, he expanded manufacturing and grew the economy |
| Versaille Palace | Louis XIV's lavish residence and center of the arts |
| some reasons why having nobles live at Versilles increased the king's power | it took the nobles from their homes giving more power to intendants; made nobles dependent on Louis XIV |
| War of the Spanish Succession | European countries joined together in this war to stop France and Spain from uniting |
| Louis XVI's legacy | Louis XIV's rule made France a major power but also left huge debts |
