AP European History Flashcards: New Monarchies

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on New Monarchies, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for AP European History.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: Which English dynasty is most associated with New Monarchy consolidation after 1485?

Answer: The Tudor dynasty. Henry VII established this dynasty after Bosworth Field.

Flashcard 2: Which general trend best describes the relationship between New Monarchs and representative assemblies?

Answer: Monarchs limited assemblies' influence while expanding royal bureaucracy. Parliaments/Cortes weakened as royal administration grew.

Flashcard 3: Which institution did Ferdinand and Isabella expand to enforce religious and political unity?

Answer: The Spanish Inquisition. This court prosecuted heretics and enforced Catholic orthodoxy.

Flashcard 4: What did the term "royal bureaucracy" mean in the context of New Monarchies?

Answer: Paid officials who administered law, taxation, and governance for the crown. Professional administrators replaced feudal vassals in government.

Flashcard 5: What was the primary purpose of the Spanish Inquisition for Ferdinand and Isabella?

Answer: Enforce Catholic orthodoxy and strengthen royal control. Religious unity served political centralization goals.

Flashcard 6: Which Portuguese figure is traditionally associated with sponsoring early navigation on Africa's coast?

Answer: Prince Henry the Navigator. Promoted systematic exploration down African coastline.

Flashcard 7: Which event in 1492 symbolized the completion of the Reconquista?

Answer: The conquest of Granada. Last Muslim stronghold fell to Ferdinand and Isabella.

Flashcard 8: What policy did Ferdinand and Isabella use to limit the power of the Spanish nobility?

Answer: Use of royal councils and the Hermandad to enforce order. The Hermandad was a royal police force that bypassed noble courts.

Flashcard 9: What is the most accurate one-phrase description of the New Monarchies' historical significance?

Answer: They accelerated the transition toward early modern state-building. They laid foundations for absolutism and national monarchies.

Flashcard 10: Which institution in Spain functioned as a royal police force to suppress disorder and banditry?

Answer: The Santa Hermandad. "Holy Brotherhood" enforced royal justice over local lords.

Flashcard 11: What permanent tax did French kings use to fund a standing army in the late Middle Ages?

Answer: The taille. This direct royal tax bypassed feudal obligations.

Flashcard 12: What was the English "Court of Star Chamber" primarily used to do under the Tudors?

Answer: Prosecute and intimidate nobles outside common-law jury courts. Avoided jury trials where nobles could protect each other.

Flashcard 13: What does the term "Reconquista" mean in the context of Spanish consolidation?

Answer: The Christian reconquest of Iberia from Muslim rule. 800-year campaign ending Muslim political power in Iberia.

Flashcard 14: What financial strategy did Henry VII emphasize to strengthen the English monarchy?

Answer: Increasing royal revenue and avoiding costly foreign wars. He rebuilt the treasury through frugality and peace.

Flashcard 15: Which state is the major exception to New Monarchy centralization due to elite control and elections?

Answer: Poland-Lithuania. The nobility elected weak kings to preserve their privileges.

Flashcard 16: What military development strengthened New Monarchies by reducing reliance on feudal levies?

Answer: Standing armies funded by regular taxation. Professional soldiers replaced unreliable feudal knights.

Flashcard 17: Which four kingdoms are most commonly identified as the core New Monarchies?

Answer: France, England, Spain, and Portugal. These Atlantic powers pioneered centralized royal authority.

Flashcard 18: What political structure limited royal authority in the Holy Roman Empire during this period?

Answer: Decentralization among semi-independent princes and imperial cities. The emperor lacked power over hundreds of autonomous territories.

Flashcard 19: Which battle in $1485$ brought Henry VII to the English throne?

Answer: The Battle of Bosworth Field. Henry Tudor's victory ended the York-Lancaster civil war.

Flashcard 20: Which Spanish monarchs created dynastic unity by marrying in $1469$?

Answer: Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. Their marriage united Spain's two largest kingdoms.

Flashcard 21: Which Spanish rulers completed the dynastic union that anchored the Spanish New Monarchy?

Answer: Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. Their 1469 marriage united Spain's two largest kingdoms.

Flashcard 22: Which country's New Monarchy is most closely linked to early Atlantic exploration and expansion?

Answer: Portugal. Maritime ventures enhanced royal prestige and revenue.

Flashcard 23: What does the term "New Monarchies" refer to in late $15^{th}$-century Europe?

Answer: Centralizing monarchies that strengthened royal authority after the Middle Ages. Emerged after feudalism's decline, marking shift to modern state power.

Flashcard 24: What was the primary military innovation that helped New Monarchs curb noble power?

Answer: Standing, professional armies loyal to the monarch. Replaced feudal levies dependent on noble cooperation.

Flashcard 25: What was Louis XI's key strategy for weakening great French nobles like Burgundy?

Answer: Diplomacy, alliances, and absorption of rival territories. He avoided direct conflict, preferring intrigue and negotiation.

Flashcard 26: What is meant by "state-building" in the context of the New Monarchies?

Answer: Creating centralized administration, law, taxation, and military capacity. Transforming feudal realms into unified territorial states.

Flashcard 27: What was the Reconquista completed by Spain in $1492$?

Answer: The conquest of Granada, ending Muslim rule in Iberia. This victory expelled the last Islamic kingdom from the peninsula.

Flashcard 28: What was the primary political goal shared by most New Monarchs?

Answer: To reduce noble autonomy and centralize power under the crown. They sought to break feudal fragmentation and create unified kingdoms.

Flashcard 29: What financial development most directly enabled New Monarchs to maintain standing armies?

Answer: More effective taxation and expanded royal revenue systems. Regular income freed monarchs from noble financial control.

Flashcard 30: What was the main political goal shared by the New Monarchs?

Answer: To reduce noble autonomy and centralize power in the crown. Feudal decentralization gave way to royal supremacy.

Flashcard 31: Which French king is most associated with strengthening royal authority after the Hundred Years' War?

Answer: Louis XI. Called "Spider King" for his cunning centralization tactics.

Flashcard 32: What court did Henry VII use to curb powerful nobles and enforce royal justice?

Answer: The Star Chamber. This prerogative court bypassed common law to prosecute nobles.

Flashcard 33: Which marriage alliance linked Spain to the Habsburgs and shaped European power politics?

Answer: The marriage of Joanna of Castile to Philip of Burgundy. This created the Habsburg-Spanish alliance dominating Europe.

Flashcard 34: Which English monarch used the Court of Star Chamber to control powerful nobles?

Answer: Henry VII. Founded Star Chamber to bypass noble-dominated courts.

Flashcard 35: What does the term "New Monarchies" refer to in late $15^{\text{th}}$-century Europe?

Answer: Centralizing rulers who strengthened royal authority and state power. They emerged after medieval crises to build stronger, unified states.

Flashcard 36: What policy did Spain use in 1492 to remove practicing Jews from the kingdom?

Answer: The Alhambra Decree (Edict of Expulsion). Forced conversion or exile, creating religious uniformity.

Flashcard 37: What English dynasty began with Henry VII after the Wars of the Roses ended in $1485$?

Answer: The Tudor dynasty. Henry Tudor defeated Richard III to establish this dynasty.

Flashcard 38: What was the French taille in the context of New Monarchy state-building?

Answer: A direct royal tax that funded the crown and its army. Bypassed noble consent, providing steady royal income.

Flashcard 39: Which French king is most associated with consolidating royal power after the Hundred Years' War?

Answer: Louis XI. Known as the "Spider King" for his cunning political tactics.

Flashcard 40: What was the main role of diplomacy in the policies of New Monarchs?

Answer: To secure alliances and territory without prolonged feudal warfare. Marriage alliances and treaties replaced military conquest.