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Define Balance of Power.
A system where nations prevent any single state from becoming too dominant, encouraging alliances and counter-alliances.
Define 'Grand Alliance'.
A coalition of European powers formed to check the expansionist ambitions of Louis XIV of France.
What was the Treaty of Westphalia?
A series of peace treaties signed in 1648 that ended the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic.
What was the Treaty of Utrecht?
A series of peace treaties signed in 1713 that ended the War of the Spanish Succession.
Define 'Military Revolution'.
A period of significant advancements in military technology and tactics during the 16th and 17th centuries, leading to larger, more professional armies and increased state power.
Define 'Standing Army'.
A permanent, professional army maintained by a state during peacetime and wartime.
Define 'Tercio'.
A Spanish infantry unit that combined pikemen, musketeers, and arquebusiers.
Define 'State Sovereignty'.
The principle that each state has independent authority and control over its own territory and affairs, free from external interference.
What is meant by 'Sick Man of Europe'?
A term used to describe the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, referring to its internal problems and decline.
Define 'Partition'.
The act of dividing a territory or state into separate parts, often by external powers.
Who was Louis XIV?
The Sun King of France who aimed to expand France's borders and dominated European politics.
Who was William of Orange?
The Dutch leader who became King of England and opposed Louis XIV.
Who was Gustavus Adolphus?
The Swedish king who transformed the Swedish army into a modern fighting force.
Who was Charles II of Spain?
The Spanish king whose death without an heir triggered the War of Spanish Succession.
Who were the Habsburgs?
The ruling family of Austria and Spain who played a significant role in European politics.
Who were the Hohenzollerns?
The ruling family of Prussia who rose to prominence in the 18th century.
Who was Philip V?
Louis XIV's grandson who became King of Spain after the War of Spanish Succession.
Who was Martin Luther?
A German theologian who initiated the Protestant Reformation.
Who was Suleiman the Magnificent?
An Ottoman sultan under whose rule the Ottoman Empire reached its height.
Who was Frederick the Great?
King of Prussia known for his military victories, reorganization of Prussian armies, his patronage of the arts and the Enlightenment.
What was the Dutch War (1672-1678)?
Louis XIV invaded the Spanish Netherlands but was pushed back by England and Sweden. Spain ceded Flanders and Franche-Comte to France.
What was the Nine Years' War (1688-1697)?
The Grand Alliance (England, Spain, Holy Roman Empire) formed to stop Louis XIV. France lost Lorraine but kept Alsace. William of Orange became King of England.
What was the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714)?
Charles II of Spain died without an heir, and Louis XIV's grandson was in line for the throne. Everyone feared a Franco-Spanish mega-state.
What was the Battle of Vienna (1683)?
A battle that stopped the Ottomans' westward push into Europe.
What was the Treaty of Westphalia (1648)?
A series of peace treaties that ended the Thirty Years' War and established the principle of state sovereignty.
What were the Partitions of Poland?
Poland was carved up by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, disappearing by 1795.
What was the Peace of Augsburg?
A treaty in 1555 that attempted to resolve religious conflict in the Holy Roman Empire by allowing rulers to choose either Lutheranism or Catholicism as the religion of their state.
What were the consequences of the Treaty of Utrecht (1713)?
Philip V became King of Spain, but the French and Spanish thrones could never unite. Austria gained the Spanish Netherlands (Belgium) and other territories. Prussia became a kingdom.
What was the Protestant Reformation?
A 16th-century religious movement that challenged the authority of the Catholic Church and led to the rise of Protestantism.
What was the Thirty Years' War?
A series of wars fought primarily in Central Europe, involving most of the major European powers, and resulting in significant political and religious changes.