Community College of Denver: History 

 Western Civilization 2


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Early Modern Period 

   What You Should Know


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Early Modern Period

Revolutions in Politics & Thought

Era of Globalization 
 

Key Developments

Open note. closed-book  reading reaction quizzes will be given each week. Use the lists below for ideas for your biographies and narratives for the Early Modern section. Turn in one biography and one narrative each week.  

 

Definition
justice of the peace hidalgo consubstantiation
gentry Star Chamber synod
viceroy Moriscos taille
Diet Puritan Presbyterian
Huguenot intendant charivari
Mannerism Baroque Leviathan
essay novel indulgence
egalitarian Jansenism enclosure
alchemy Cossack Lord Protector
Bourse veillée mercantilism
Gregorian calendar Choose your own topic

 

Identification
Henry the Navigator Council of Trent Johannes Fugger
Emperor Charles V Potosi Gustavus Adolphus
Martin Bucer Siege of Magdeburg Philip Melanchthon
Ulrich Zwingli St Teresa de Avila King Louis XI of France
Cardinal Richelieu Star Chamber Levellers
Catherine de Medici Rump Parliament King Henry IV of France
Albrecht von Wallenstein Paracelsus Edict of Nantes
The Fronde Peace of Westphalia Grand Remonstrance
Johannes Kepler New Model Army Michel de Montaigne
Erasmus Tycho Brahe Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Thomas More The Winter King Choose your own topic

 

Narrative
The exploration of Africa and the Indian Ocean, 1500-1650 The rise of the Ottoman Empire, 1453-1650
Spain's rise and fall- from Ferdinand and Isabella through Philip IV The Dutch Revolt
The Spanish Armada St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
Thirty Years' War The Wars of Religion in France
The Scientific Revolution in medicine and biology The Italian Wars (1498-1535)
The rise and fall of Savonarola The career of Thomas Melchior
Calvin in Geneva Career of Sir Francis Drake
Creation of the King James Bible Sack of Rome, 1527
History of Serbia under the Ottomans Ivan the Terrible
Battle of Lepanto The Reformation in Strasbourg
The Reformation in Poland Development of the Royal Society, to 1700
Choose your own topic

 

Analysis

What aspects of Protestantism led to social and political radicalism? You should look not only at the Anabaptists, but also at the Peasant Revolt in Germany in 1525 and any other events you feel are relevant.

What was the nature of the conflict between Galileo and the Church? Do not deal in generalities here; you should speak to the specifics of the times and the man. How should the Church have handled the situation?

What were the causes of the English Civil War? Be sure to look at underlying as well as at immediate causes.

How did the practice of diplomacy change in the 16th and 17th centuries?

Explain why we don't find any strong, centralized monarchies in eastern Europe in the early modern period.

Compare and contrast the way in which Portugal and Spain built their overseas empires.

Analyze the religious settlement imposed by Henry VIII in England. Was it successful?

Evaluate Elizabeth I of England as a monarch. What were her strengths? What were her weaknesses?

Compare any two female monarchs from this time period. Possibilities include Elizabeth I, Catherine de Medici, Marie de Medici, Anne of Austria, and Queen Christina.

Spain was one of the great powers in Europe in the early 16th century. By 1650, though, it was no longer important. What went wrong?

Analyze the "military revolution". What were the specific innovations and what were the consequences of those innovations?

Make up your own question and answer it or modify one of the question statements above.


Links to Reading Reaction Questions for
16 The Acceleration of Global Contact

17 Absolutism and Constitutionalism

18. Toward a New World-View in the West

19. The Changing Life of the People in Europe

20. Africa and the World, ca 1400-1800

21. West & South Asia: The Islamic World Powers,  1450-1800