Transcript France - Mount St. Joseph High School Teachers' Web Sites

France in the Age of
Absolutism
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.

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.

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.

Catherine de’ Medici
After Henry II’s 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 crown’s 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.
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 king’s
chief minister.

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.
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
Richelieu’s policies.

Cardinal Mazarin
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.

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).

Châteaux de Versailles
King’s residence
and center of
government.
 Spent vast sums
of money on
expansion.
 Royal apartments
were at the
center of the
complex.

Court Life at Versailles
King severed dual functions: that of
courtier and that of administrator.
 Both functions were aimed at statebuilding.
 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”).

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.

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.

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 (168897)

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.

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.
The End of an Era
Louis XIV was one of the great statebuilders 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.

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?