World History: 15. The Renaissance and Reformation, Lessons 5–6

An annulment is an official action cancelling a marriage.

An edict is an official public order made by a king or another authority.

In 1588, King Philip sent an armada, or fleet of ships, to attack England.

Althusius developed the idea of federalism, a form of government in which power is shared between local and national levels.

In Scotland, a controversial preacher named John Knox spread Calvin's ideas.

Sensing the treaty's threat to his authority, the pope declared it "null, void, invalid."

This approach is called rationalism, the belief that knowledge is gained by using reason.

The idea that the sun is at the center of the solar system is called the heliocentric theory.

The Catholic Church said the heliocentric theory was heresy—a belief that goes against Church teachings.

Modern scientists rely on empiricism, the theory that all knowledge is gained through experience and making observations using the senses.

Inductive reasoning is the process of looking at specific facts and making a rule or general principle based on those facts.

The work of Bacon and Descartes helped establish what we know today as the scientific method. This is a method of using observation, experiments, and careful reasoning.

They found they could read an old text or historical account and build on the knowledge to arrive at new ideas.

Copernicus was able to conclude that Earth and the other planets revolve around the sun.