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Niccolo Machiavelli
Author of The Prince (16th century); emphasized realistic discussions of how to seize and maintain power; one of most influential authors of Italian
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Renaissance
Cultural and political movement in western Europe; began in Italy c. 1400; rested on urban vitality and expanding commerce; featured a literature and art with distinctly more secular priorities than those of the Middle Ages
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Humanism
Focus on humankind as center of intellectual and artistic endeavor; method of study that emphasized the superiority of classical forms over medieval styles, in particular the study of ancient languages
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Johannes Gutenberg
Introduced movable type to western Europe in 15th century; credited with greatly expanded availability of printed books and pamphlets
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Protestantism
General wave of religious dissent against Catholic church; generally held to have begun with Martin Luther's attack on Catholic beliefs in 1517; included many varieties of religious belief
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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
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Jean Calvin
French Protestant (16th century) who stressed doctrine of predestination; established center of his group at Swiss canton of Geneva; encouraged ideas of wider access to government, wider public education; Calvinism spread from Switzerland to northern Europe and North America
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Catholic Reformation
Restatement of traditional Catholic beliefs in response to Protestant Reformation (16th century); established councils that revived Catholic doctrine and refuted Protestant beliefs
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Jesuits
A new religious order founded during the Catholic Reformation; active in politics, education, and missionary work; sponsored missions to South America, North American and Asia.
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Edict of Nantes
Grant of tolerance to Protestants in France in 1598; granted only after lengthy civil war between Catholic and Protestant factions
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Thirty Years’ War
War within the Holy Roman Empire between German Protestants and their allies (Sweden, Denmark, France) and the emperor and his ally, Spain; ended in 1648 after great destruction with Treaty of Westphalia
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Treaty of Westphalia
Ended Thirty Years' War in 1648; granted right to individual rulers within the Holy Roman Empire to choose their own religion–either Protestant or Catholic
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English Civil War
Conflict from 1640 to 1660; featured religious disputes mixed with constitutional issues concerning the powers of the monarchy; ended with restoration of the monarchy in 1660 following execution of previous king
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Proletariat
Class of working people without access to producing property; typically manufacturing workers, paid laborers in agricultural economy, or urban poor; in Europe, product of economic changes of 16th and 17th centuries
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Scientific Revolution
Culminated in 17th century; period of empirical advances associated with the development of wider theoretical generalizations; resulted in change in traditional beliefs of Middle Ages
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Copernicus
Polish monk and astronomer (16th century); disproved Hellenistic belief that the earth was at the center of the universe
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Galileo
Published Copernicus's findings (17th century); added own discoveries concerning laws of gravity and planetary motion; condemned by the Catholic church for his work
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John Harvey
English physician (17th century) who demonstrated circular movement of blood in animals, function of heart as pump
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Rene Descartes
Established importance of skeptical review of all received wisdom (17th century); argued that human reason could then develop laws that would explain the fundamental workings of nature
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Isaac Newton
English scientist during the 17th century; author of Principia; drew the various astronomical and physical observations and wider theories together in a neat framework of natural laws; established principles of motion; defined forces of gravity
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John Locke
English philosopher during 17th century; argued that people could learn everything through senses; argued that power of government came from the people, not divine right of kings; offered possibility of revolution to overthrow tyrants
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Absolute monarchy
Concept of government developed during 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
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Louis XIV
French monarch of the late 17th century who personified absolute monarchy
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Glorious Revolution
English overthrow of James II in 1688; resulted in affirmation of parliament as having basic sovereignty over the king
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Parliamentary monarchy
Originated in England and Holland, 17th century, with kings partially checked by significantly legislative powers in parliaments
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Frederick the Great
Prussian king of the 18th century; attempted to introduce Enlightenment reforms into Germany; built on military and bureaucratic foundations of his predecessors; introduced freedom of religion; increased state control of economy.
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Adam Smith
Established liberal economics (Wealth of Nations, 1776); argued that government should avoid regulation of economy in favor of the operation of market forces
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Mary Wollstonecraft
Enlightenment feminist thinker in England; argued that new political rights should extend to women
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