Age of Absolutism and Constitutionalism
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Transcript Age of Absolutism and Constitutionalism
Age of Absolutism
and
Constitutionalism
Background
17th Century: Financial crisis in
Europe
Colder, wetter climate
Shorter growing season
Decline in grains = food shortage &
population decline
State armies increased in: Size,
weapons, and tactics
Monarchs increased taxes
Peasant revolts
Absolutism coined in 1830
Rule by Divine Right
NOT Totalitarian: didn’t control art,
education, religion, economy, or
politics in the interest of the state
Foundations of French
Absolutism
Henry IV of France (1589)
Developed insure peace, order, and
stability in the state
Henry cared about his people
Edict of Nantes (Civil Unity)
Appointed Protestant Maximilian de
Bethune, Duke of Sully as chief
minister
Duke of Sully
Sought to keep peace: lowered
peasant taxes
Curtailed privileges of Nobility
1602-4: introduced Paulette tax
Annual fee royal officials paid to
guarantee heredity in their offices
Sully: An effective administrator:
Created govt. monopolies on
gunpowder, mines, and salt
Subsidized a company for trade
with the Indies
Began a canal system linking the
Atlantic with the Mediterranean
Introduced Corvee: Force of Natl.
drafted workers Road
improvements
Louis XIII
Henry IV – 1610 Assassinated
Louis Age 9 – Marie de Medici
becomes regent
Feudal nobles dominate political
scene; Marie is vulnerable, seeks
security with Spain
1611: Treaty of Fontainebleau
10 year mutual defense pact
Guarantees marriage of Louis XIII
to Spanish Infanta (Anne of
Austria)
Guarantees marriage of Elizabeth
(Isabella) Marie’s daughter to the
Spanish crown Prince, Philip (later
Philip IV) *Both marriages take
place in1615
Cardinal Richelieu as Chief
Advisor
Promoted by Marie de Medici
Richelieu’s policy: Subordinate all
groups and institutions to the
monarchy
Dominated royal council: leveled
castles; crushed aristocratic
conspiracies w/ quick executionsDuke de Montmorency beheaded
Richelieu’s Administrative
System
1634 – France divided into 32
generalites (districts)
Royal intendants held commissions
to perform tasks: financial, judicial,
policing in each generalite
Intendants delivered royal orders
from Paris
Were appointed by the monarch
Not natives of the district: no vested
interest in localities
Duties:
Recruit men for army
Collect taxes
Administer local law
Keep check on local nobility
Regulate economy: commerce, trade,
guilds, markets
Results: weakened regional nobles
1627 Law of Concord
Issued by Louis XIII
Ended Protestant military and
political independence
(150 towns supported their own
Protestant militaries)
Constituted a state within a state
Catholics had not been allowed to
worship in these towns
Law of Concord Cont.
Sparked political disobedience
Louis XIII acted:
La Rochelle was targeted
Cut off English aid; laid siege
Oct. 1628 La Rochelle fell to Louis
Govt. of town was suppressed
Walls were destroyed
Protestants could still worship
publicly
Catholic liturgy was reinstated:
Cardinal Richelieu led 1st mass
First step in a unified France
Urban Protests Arise
Unemployment – real or feared
Increase in food prices
Grain shortage
New and oppressive taxes
Major Insurrections:
Dijon: 1630; 1668
Bordeaux: 1635; 1675
Montpellier: 1645
Lyons: 1667-8; 1692
Amiens: 1685; 1695; 1704; 1711
All characterized by anger,
violence, punishment of royal
outsiders (seized, beaten, killed)
Govt. Response
Municipal Militia and royal officials
didn’t want to fire on crowds (fear of
creating martyrs)
Full-scale operations too expensive
Plan: Let revolts run their course
Royal edicts were suspended
Prisoners were released
Discussions were initiated
Led to integration of municipal govt.
with national prompt response
from Paris
Richelieu’s Foreign Policy
Destroy “Hapsburg Fence” around
France
Supported Hapsburg enemies
(Gustavas Adolphus)
Gained French rights over Alsace
and Arras
Wrote Political Testament on his
policies. Esp. govts. right to tax:
idea that central govt. should share
tax revenues w/ local govts.
Centralized Literature
1635: French Academy created a
dictionary to standardize the
French language
Richelieu convinced Louis XIII to
appoint Jules Mazarin (foreigner)
as his successor
Louis XIII died in 1643; Mazarin
becomes dominant political power
in France.
Louis XIV – Mother, Queen Anne of
Austria becomes regent
Only 4 when his father dies
Marie Theresa & the Dauphin
Young Louis XIV
Mazarin continued Richelieu’s
centralizing policies. Attempts to
increase royal revenue led to civil
wars
1648-1653 Fronde Began in
Provinces
Fronde: French for
slingshot/catapult
Frondeur: street urchin who threw
mud at carriages of rich
Frondeur became anyone opposed
to the policies of the govt.
Many groups were represented as
Frondeur:
Nobility (diminished role in govt)
Royal bureaucrats
Judges
Intendants (social advancement was
ignored)
Many regions refused to pay taxes
1643 France defeated Spain at
Rocroi – Peace at hand; most
Frenchman believed there was no
need for taxes. (Parliament of Paris
rejected new taxes. Didn’t want to
pay for 30yrs war)
Civil war that began in provinces
spread to Paris; civil order broke
down completely
Three Results of Fronde:
1) Govt. had to compromise w/
bureaucrats and social elites
(already tax exempt; Louis XIV had
to confirm this privilege)
2) French economy was badly
disrupted years to rebuild
3)Traumatic effect on young Louis
XIV:
Frequent Threats
Treated as prisoner
Mob broke into his bedchamber
Became cornerstone of his
political education; need for
absolute monarchy
L’ etat
c’est moi!
By
Hyacinthe
Rigaud
Louis XIV reign
Louis XIV 1643-1715: longest
reign in European history
No single chief appointed as
minister after Mazarin
Revolt was more difficult:
challenge to the king directly
Louis’ advisors were masters of
propaganda and the creation of
a political image
crown conferred w/local
parlements before decisions
regarding them were made;
local parlaments had great
latitude regarding regional
matters, except for Parlament
of Paris: 1673: Louis curtailed
much of its power)
King by Divine Right: French law,
popular opinion supported idea “King
of France is emperor in his realm”
King’s wishes=law
Royal authority upheld by Bishop
Jacques-Benigne Bossuet: defender
of divine right of Kings
Used Old Testament rulers as
examples
Taught that Kings were divinely
appointed by God
Only god could judge Kings
Kings not bound to dictates of
princes and parlaments: “L’etat, c’est
moi”
Some historians believe that Louis’
gov’t innovations were significant:
complete domestication of the
nobility—complete control over the
social class that historically opposed
the centralizing goals of the French
monarchs
Versailles:
Used to exert political control
over nobility
Permanent residence after
1682 of King’s family
Artistically decorated to glorify
the “Sun King”
Louis XIII’s Old Chateau
Versailles Today
Palais de Versailles
Palais de Versailles
Chateau de Versailles
Chateau de Versailles
Gardens at Versailles
The Orangery
Fountains, Fountains, and More Fountains!
And More Fountains!
And More Fountains!
Temple of Love
Hall
of
Mirrors
The King’s Bed
The Queen’s Bed
Louis XIV’s Chapel
Louis XIV’s Chapel
Altarpiece
Organ in Louis XIV’s Chapel
Louis XIV’s Opera Stage
The Gallery of Battles
Peter I and Frederick II imitated
Versailles
French became international
language of diplomacy
Most foreign courts spoke French
court ceremonies undermined the
power of the great nobility
Excluded the highest nobles from
councils
Operas, fetes, balls, gossip &
trivia occupied the nobles’ time
and attention
This reduced the threat to
Louis’ power
Louis separated power from
status and grandeur: secured
nobles’ cooperation and they
enjoyed the status and grandeur
Dress Codes and High
Stakes gambling
contributed to nobles’ debt
and dependency on king
Louis XIV Government
Ruled through powerful councils
Controlled: foreign affairs,
domestic relations, & economy
Daily meetings with chief
ministers of the councils
Constant flow of information
between local districts &
Versailles
Louis imposed central
government on France
Intendants from generalites:
Nobility of the robe—depended
upon king for standing in society;
did not share king’s authority
Louis never called a meeting of
the Estates General (no means
for the nobility to unite)
Louis used spying, terror, secret
police, system of informers to
check nobility
He opened private letters as well
Suppressed Jansenists
Louis wanted religious conformity to
have political unity
Jesuits then established many
communities in France
Jansenism: intra-catholic
opposition to Jesuit influence
They opposed teachings on
free will, good works, and the
Arnaulds joined them
The Jansenists believed that
the Jesuits assassinated
Henry IV
1643: Antoine Arnauld wrote On
Frequent Communion which
criticized the redress of most
sins
1653: Pope Innocent X declared
5 Jansenists heretics; he banned
their books and censured
speakers
1660: Pope Innocent X issues
Ad Sacram Sedam a papal bull
banning Jansenism.
Louis XIV financial
situation
Jean-Baptist Colbert (1619-1683)
appointed controller of general
finances
Financial genius
Wealth and economy of France
should serve the state
Applied mercantilism to France
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Regulated flow of imports and
exports via tariffs
New national industries created:
cloth. Tapestries, rugs, lace, mirrors
Simplified bureaucracy
Abolished unnecessary positions
Reduced # of tax-exempt nobles
Increased taille: direct tax on
peasants
To improve internal trade:
Set up state inspection and
regulation of goods
Roads and canals built (Canal des
Deux Mers—Med to Bay of Biscay)
Abolished domestic tariffs
Created powerful merchant marine
Bonuses paid to French ship owners
and builders
Maritime conscription and
training
1661: France had 18 poor
vessels
1681: 276 Frigates, galleys,
ships of the line
Hoped to make Canada part of
the French empire
1608: Quebec established
Colbert shipped 4000 peasants
to Canada
Jacques Marquette and Louis
Joliet: sailed down the
Mississippi and took
possession on both sides to
Arkansas
1684: Robert LaSalle claimed
the River Delta and Louisiana
Military reforms
Marquis of Louvois transformed
Louis’ army
Instituted salaries
Improved discipline
Promotion by merit
4-yr enlistment period: only
single men
Indendants monitored
conduct
Military gained public
support—no threat to homes,
lives, well-being
Sebastien Vauban introduced
trench warfare and defensive
frontiers
Louis’ Wars
War of Devolution (1667-1668)
Over French claim to Spanish
Belgian provinces
1659—Treaty of Pyrenees, MarieTherese was to renounce her claim to
Spanish succession if 500,000 crown
dowry paid to Louis
This payment was not met
Charles II—Last Hapsburg king of
Spain
Philip IV dies in Sept 1665: left
all land to sickly 4-yr old son,
Charles II; no land left to Marie.
Legally, land in Brabant and
Flanders was to go the children
of the 1st marriage (MarieTherese)
Louis responds by sending
armies in 1667
England, Sweden, and United
Provinces of Holland formed Triple
Alliance against Louis, and he was
forced to sign peace: Treaty of
Aix-la-Chapelle; Louis gained 12
towns, including Lille and Tournai
1670: Treaty of Dover allied
France and England against the
Dutch
Dutch War (1672-1678)
1672: Louis invaded Holland:
(Louis’ reaction to Dutch boast of
having humbled him) (England
neutralized by Treaty of Dover)
Prince of Orange organized 7
provinces into fierce fighting unit
1673: HRE, Spain, Lorraine,
Denmark, Brandenburg joined
Holland---France WINS
Peace of Nijmwegen (167879)signed: France returned
seized Dutch territory on the
condition of future Dutch
neutrality. Louis gained Flemish
towns and all of Franche-Comte
(area between Burgundy and
Switzerland) more territory in
Spanish Netherlands.
1681: Louis seized Strasbourg
1684: Troops sent into Lorraine
1688-1697: Nine Years’ War
(War of the League of Augsburg)
(King William’s War in North
America):
Caused by anti-French
coalition—League of Augsburg,
formed in 1686
France vs. HRE, Brandenburg,
Bavaria, Saxony, Sweden,
Spain, Savoy, England, and UP
Fr. Armies devastated German
Rhineland; fairly successful on
land
Dutch & English fleets far
superior to Fr. Naval forces;
prevented Louis from invading
England
Coalition provided continuously
fresh troops to war effort; Fr.
Economy almost collapsed
ended in stalemate
Peace of Ryswick (1697)—
France gave up most territories
gained since Treaties of
Nijmwegen; kept Alsace and
Strasbourg; Recognized William
of Orange as William III of
England; all colonial conquests
were restored to pre-war status
War of Spanish
Succession (1701-1713)
Caused by: dispute over French
Bourbon succession to the throne of
Spain (Philip V of Spain, grandson of
Louis XIV) and formation of the
“Grand Alliance” against France by
rival claimant, Emperor Leopold I of
HRE
France, Spain, Bavaria vs HRE, England,
UP, Brandenburg, Denmark, several other
German states, and later, Portugal and
Savoy.
Course of the war: Best French generals
dead; Grand Alliance had English Duke of
Marlborough and Savoy’s Prince Eugene, as
well as naval superiority
Marlborough and Savoy saved Vienna from
French invasion at Battle of Blenheim in
1704—the major battle of the war; AngloDutch fleet captured Rock of Gibraltar
1708—Peace negotiations began, w/Louis
accepting all terms but removing his
grandson from the Spanish throne, so war
continued
Treaty of Utrecht (1713) and Treaties of
Rastadt and Baden (1714)
France lost to England: Newfoundland,
Nova Scotia, and Hudson Bay Territory in
Canada;
Spain lost to England: Gibraltar, Minorca,
and the Asiento (contract for supplying
African Slaves to the Spanish colonies)
Spain lost to Hapsburg Austria:
Spanish Netherlands, Kingdom of
Naples, Duchy of Milan, and
Sardinia
Duke of Savoy becomes King of
Savoy; given Sicily (in exchange for
Sardinia in 1720)
Frederick I, son of Great Elector of
Brandenburg became King IN
Prussia
Philip V recognized as King of
Spain, but no union between France
and Spain would be tolerated
Dutch, exhausted, lost their
commercial supremacy to England
France lost 1 million lives, remained
a major power, but lost her position
of predominance in Europe
Still possessed the largest
population in Europe
Upon Louis’ death in 1715, he was
succeeded by his 5 yr old greatgrandson, Louis XV, who had
none of Louis XIV’s abilities
Louis XV [r. 1715 – 1774]
Economy under Louis XV
Regent for Louis XV: Duke of
Orleans, his uncle—gambler
John Law (1671-1729) Scottish
mathematician; fellow gambler,
became financial administrator
for France
Increased paper money supply
(to help France!!)
Established bank in Paris that
issued paper money
Organized Mississippi
Company: monopoly on trading
privileges w/French Louisiana
Mississippi Company also
managed French debt
Issued shares of its own stock
for gov’t bonds (which fell in
value)
To get return on investment: Law
encouraged speculation in
Mississippi Company stock
Price rose
Investors sold stock in exchange
for paper money; then
exchanged it for gold
Bank did not have enough gold
to exchange
1720: all gold payments halted
in France
Law fled France
Mississippi Bubble collapsed;
Brought gov’t disgrace; fear of
paper money marked French
economy for decades
Renewal of authority in
Parlements
Drew French nobility into
decision-making processes of
gov’t
Set up system of councils:
nobles served w/bureaucrats
Nobles lacked talent and desire
to govern
BUT: they did not surrender their
ambition to assert their rights,
privileged, local influence over the
monarchy
Nobles tried to limit the authority of
the government
Parlements in France: courts, could
not legislate; they could determine
legality of laws enacted by monarch
Louis XIV had restricted
parlements’ power
Duke of Orleans: restored
parlements’ power over laws—
nobility reasserted its authority
over the Monarchy
Cardinal Fleury: (1653-1743)
1726: chief minister of French
court
Realist
Tried to block influence of nobles
Tried to solve financial crisis
Part of national debt was
repudiated
New roads and bridges built
Not stable financial footing: not
enough taxes raised from nobles
or church
Louis XV not trained to become
effective monarch
Louis XV wanted to hold on to
absolute power
Did not work at it
No wise advisors after Cardinal
Fleury
Personal life scandalous
No leadership to direct people
Madame de Pompadour
Madame de Pompadour’s
Bedroom
Petite Trianon,
Madame de Pompadour’s Chateau