Transcript louis xiv
Royal Theories
A ruler with COMPLETE control
Make
laws, taxes, administer justice, control
administration, determine foreign policy
God hand-picks those who
rule and therefore Monarchs should have complete
control – because they are God’s choice
Bishop
Jacques Bossuet -
French Monarchy
Henry IV (Navarre) dies and son
takes throne
Louis XIII (1610-1643)
Young, weak leader
Cardinal Richelieu takes
control
Chief minister and most
trusted adviser
Determined to strengthen
monarchy
To strengthen Monarchy Richelieu…
Created a network of spies
Sent out
to execute orders of central
government
Increase taille – annual direct tax – in 1643
Cut off Port city of La Rochelle, to take control from
Huguenots
14 months, until starving citizens surrendered
Ordered walls to be torn down
Turn all churches Catholic
Punished Nobles for Revolts
Biggest Move: Sided with Protestants in 30 Years war to
undermine defeat
Hapsburg
power
La Rochelle’s
was
a signal to all
Protestants to GET OUT of France!
FRANCE
Louis XIII died, Cardinal Mazarin dominated
government
(1648-1649) – nobles and
of Paris
(important court) revolted in reaction to taxes to pay for 30
Year War
Parlement of Paris regained power, people looked to King
to restore stability
LOUIS XIV (1643-1715)
“I
am the State” (didn’t need a Cardinal’s help)
“Sun King”- source of light for his people
Tried to be absolute, but towns and provinces had much
control
How did Louis XIV create absolute power?
Removed Nobles and princes from
royal council and invited them to:
Versailles –Louis’ palace and center of
government
Influenced dress, dining and other
aspects of noble life
“one king, one law, one faith”
:
Revokes Edict of Nantes, outlaws
Protestantism, destruction of churches
200,000 Huguenots flee
Louis XIV creates Financial Issues
Building of Versailles and other palaces
Maintaining court
Pursuing wars
Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683)
Controller general of finances
Adhered to
Improved quality of French manufacturing to increase exports
Built roads and canals to better transportation for internal goods
Raised tariffs on foreign manufactured goods
Louis XIV spent the saved money faster than Colbert could
make it
Taxes fell to the peasants to pay
Louis’ Wars
Louis XIV developed a
professional army
War
an incessant activity
Waged four wars 1667-1713
1667:
invaded Spanish
Netherlands
Lost
to Dutch, English, Swedes
1672:
Dutch War: invaded
United Provinces
Brandenburg,
war
Spain, HRE ended
Louis’ Wars
1689:
Annexation
of Alsace and Lorraine,
city of Strasbourg led to:
League of Augsburg – Spain, HRE,
United Provinces, Sweden, England
united against Louis
Treaty of Ryswick- made Louis
give up most conquests
1701
Spanish King, Charles II, died, left throne to Louis XIV’s
grandson
Other monarchs didn’t want this Bourbon connection
between the two countries, feared they would unite
England, Netherlands, Holy Roman Empire fought France
Fought in North America too
:
Louis’s Grandson gets throne, but France and Spain can’t be
ruled by same monarchs
England got Newfoundland, Hudson Bay Territory, Nova
Scotia; emerged as great naval power
How did Spain go from the most
populous empire in the world to ruin?
Treasury was empty: Philip II went bankrupt in 1596
Government was inefficient
Armed forces out of date
Philip III (1598-1621)
Wars, excesses of court
Weaknesses became apparent
Philip IV (1621-1665)
Put country in hands of Gaspar de Guzman, count of
Olivares
30 Years War caused revolts and civil war
Dutch Independence declared in Peace of Westphalia