France in the Age of Absolutism

1
France in the Age of Absolutism
2
Catholic and Huguenots

• Despite the spread of Reformation ideas, France
  remained a largely Catholic nation.
• Of a total of 16 million (in the late 16th
  century) 1.2 million embraced Calvinism.
• A large portion of French nobility were
  Calvinists.
• Conflict between the groups led to three decades
  of civil war on religious and political issues.

3
Henry II (r. 1547-1559)

• Son of King Francis I of the Valois line.
• Henry married Catherine de Medici at fourteen
  years old.
• When his older brother Francis died in 1536 after
  a game of tennis, Henry became heir to the
  throne.

4
Henry II (r. 1547-1559)

• Henry was a large, powerful man but a
  weak-willed king.
• Even so, he persecuted Huguenots.
• Henry II severely punished them, burning them
  alive or cutting out their tongues for speaking
  their Protestant beliefs. Even those suspected of
  being Huguenots could be imprisoned for life.
• He was killed in a jousting tournament.

5
Catherine de Medici

• After Henry IIs death in a jousting match,
  Catherine used her position as Regent to
  influence her three sons who would serve as king.
• Francis II (r. 1559-1560), Charles IX (r.
  1560-1574) and Henry III (r. 1574-1589) ruled
  under the influence of Catherine, but could not
  stop the spreading Huguenot influence.

6
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

• Open warfare began between the Catholics lead by
  the Guise family and the Huguenots lead by the
  Bourbon family in 1562.
• First eight years of fighting ended in 1570.
• Catherine still feared Huguenot power and ordered
  their massacre on Aug. 24 1572.

7
War of the Three Henrys (1585-89)

• Following the massacre, Henry of Navarre (a
  Bourbon) emerged as Huguenots leader.
• Henry III attempted to form a moderate Catholic
  faction as an alternative to the radical Guise
  faction.
• Conflict erupted between Henry III, Henry of
  Navarre and Henry, Duke of Guise.

8
War of the Three Henrys (1585-89)

• Regarding him as a serious threat, Henry III had
  Henry of Guise assassinated in Dec. 1588.
• Guise faction retaliated and had Henry III killed
  July 1589.
• Henry of Navarre was the only one left with a
  legitimate claim to the throne. He became Henry
  IV in 1589.

9
Henry IV (r. 1589-1610)

• First Bourbon king of France.
• Was a Huguenot, but converts to Catholicism.
• Brings peace to the warring factions.
• Issues the Edict of Nantes in 1598, granting
  limited toleration to the Huguenots.

10
Henry IV and Duke of Sully

• Henry IV of France begins the process of
  restoring royal power.
• Appoints the Duke of Sully as finance minister
• Sully introduces sound accounting practices to
  increase the crowns income.
• Did not attempt any major reforms (such as revoke
  tax-exemptions of nobility clergy).
• Neglected industrial development in favor of
  agriculture. Built roads and canals.
• Promoted mercantilist polices.

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Louis XIII

• In 1610, Henry IV was assassinated.
• Louis XIII was only 10 yrs old, his mother Marie
  de Medici acted as regent.
• In 1621, Cardinal Richelieu became kings chief
  minister.

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Cardinal Richelieu

• Richelieu served as chief minister from 1621
  until his death in 1642.
• He gradually reduced the influence of the
  nobility in government.
• He established the office of indendant.
• When the Huguenots attempted to take advantage of
  the new king, he defeated their forces at
  LaRochelle and denied them to the right to
  fortified cities.
• Richelieu revived French animosity toward the
  Habsburgs, involving France in the 30 yrs. War.

13
Mazarin and Louis XIV

• Mazarin succeeded Richelieu as chief minister and
  continued in the position when the 5 yr old Louis
  XVI came to the throne.
• Along with Queen Anne of Austria he served as
  regent.
• He continued most of Richelieus policies.

Cardinal Mazarin
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The Fronde (1648-1653)

• A series of revolts by nobility and townspeople
  broke out against royal power led by the
  Parlement of Paris.
• Infighting led to the revolt withering away.
• Its failure demonstrated the successful
  strengthening of royal institutions.
• The disorder of the revolt convinced people that
  strong central power was needed.

15
Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715)

• Personal rule began in 1661 with the death of
  Cardinal Mazarin.
• "L'État, c'est moi" (the state is me)
• Symbolized as the Sun King. (Center of France
  rays of sun reflect off of monarch onto subjects).

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Châteaux de Versailles

• Kings residence and center of government.
• Spent vast sums of money on expansion.
• Royal apartments were at the center of the
  complex.

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Court Life at Versailles

• King severed dual functions that of courtier and
  that of administrator.
• Both functions were aimed at state-building.
• The Fronde had taught Louis to distrust the
  nobility, so he appointed officials from
  middle-class origin.
• He also continued the practice of selling titles
  (nobles of the robe as opposed to nobles of
  the sword).

18
Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683)

• Served as controller of finances from 1662-1683.
• Supported mercantilist policies.
• Built roads and canals.
• Credited for many of Louis economic successes
  and failures.

19
Domestic Policies

• Louis enacted absolutist ideas through domination
  of the central bureaucracy which had greater
  control of state finances, the execution of laws
  and the use of armed force.
• Increased royal control over the local
  parlements.
• Revoked the Edict of Nantes in in October 1685
  and began persecuting Huguenots over 200,000
  fled France.

20
Wars Expansion under Louis XIV

• Through a series of expensive wars Louis slowly
  expanded French territory.
• War of Devolution (1667-68)
• The Dutch War (1672-78)
• War of the League of Augsburg (1688-97)

21
War of Spanish Succession

• Childless Hapsburg Charles II names Bourbon
  Philip of Anjou as heir.
• England, Holland and HRE oppose French
  acquisition of Spain territories.
• Louis was defeated by the British and Austrians.

22
Treaty of Utrecht (1713)

• War ended with Treaty of Utrecht (1713) and
  Treaty of Baden and Rastatt (with Hapsburgs in
  1714)
• Philip of Anjou become Philip V of Spain, but he
  nor his successors could hold French throne.
• Hapsburgs and British gained territory, French
  lost New World lands.

23
The End of an Era

• Louis XIV was one of the great state-builders of
  Europe
• Despite this, the peasants of France suffered as
  they never had before or since. This would bring
  government welfare as a state function it the
  18th century
• His absolutist policy solidified the place of
  France as the dominant power in Europe.

24
Exit Ticket

• In what ways was the rule of King Louis XIV a
  exemplar of absolutist rule?
• In what ways were absolutist policies a fantasy
  or ineffective in governing the French state?