1. Absolute Monarchy in Russia pages 168-173 Important Terms

2. Czar(or tsar): -Russian ruler with supreme power over the nation -Absolute monarch -Peter the Great was a czar

3. Czarina -This term applies to any female czar -holds the same absolute power as a czar -Catherine the Great was a czarina

4. Peter the Great -czar of Russia from 1682(at the age of ten) to 1725 -sought to modernize his nation -strengthened the Russian military -expanded Russia’s borders -took full advantage of his absolute power and forced his ideals on his nation -admired Western life and tried to westernize Russia (art, architecture, medicine, science)

5. Westernization -Peter’s policy of adopting Western ideas, technology, and culture -inspired by Peter’s travels to European cities -proved difficult because much of Russia did not want to westernize

6. Autocratic -possessing unlimited authority -the ruler has ultimate power -Peter was very autocratic and held much power singlehandedly. He had control over all aspects of Russian life, including religion (the Russian Orthodox Church)

7. Boyars -landowning Russian nobles (the upper class) -Peter forced them to serve the state -Peter also required that they adopt western clothing and shave off their beards

8. Warm-water port -a port that remains ice-free all year long -Difficult to find in Russia! -Peter wanted to obtain a warm-water port to maintain yearlong trade with the West. He invaded the Ottoman Empire to try to access one in the Black Sea, but didn’t succeed -Catherine the Great eventually obtained one for Russian trade

9. St. Petersburg -the capital city of Russia created by Peter with lands conquered from Sweden -inspired by Western cities and called the “Window on the West”

10. Catherine the Great -became czarina after her husband, Czar Peter III, was murdered -a ruthless absolute monarch -created harsh conditions for peasants and favored the upper class -reorganized Russian government -embraced the same Western idealism that Peter did

11. Partition -to divide up a piece of land to different people (or nations) -Austria, Prussia, and Russia all wanted to claim Poland, so rather than fighting over the land they divided it into three parts