French Absolutism

AbsolutismWorld History

Chapter 7

Absolutism

a form of monarchical power that is unrestrained by any other institutions, such as churches, legislatures, or social elites

French Absolutism

Henry IV of

Navarre

Pont Neuf, Paris

Henry IV of Navarre

• Bourbon• “Le Bon Roi Henri”• State of France = mess

(religious wars)• Wedding of Henry IV to

Margot de Valois (MOB = Catherine de’ Medici)

Wars of Religion

• Catholics vs. Huguenots

• Huguenot = French Protestant

• Henry IV = Huguenot = trouble

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre

• St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacreo August 24, 1572oOver 3,000

Huguenots massacred

oCatherine de Medici (plotter??)

• Henry IV – converted to Catholicism

Edict of Nantes

• 1598• Ends French Wars of Religion• Grants religious tolerance to Huguenots• Huguenots could:

– Worship freely without persecution– Fortify their towns and cities

• Greatly resented by Catholics

Reforms of Henry IV• Government involved in all aspects of life

in France foundation for absolutism• Government under Henry IV:

– Justice Dept.– Built & improved roads– Built bridges– Revived agriculture– Built royal bureaucracy– Decreased power of nobles

Demise of Henry IV• May 14, 1610 • François Ravaillac stabbed Henry IV to

death• Ravaillac imprisoned,

then drawn & quartered

The Assassination of Henry IV

Henry IVof

NavarreTomb

Basilique St. Denis, Paris

Louis XIII

• Son of Henry IV and Marie de’ Medici (Henry’s 2nd wife)

• Inherited throne at the age of 9

• Mom claimed regent

Cardinal Armand Richelieu

• Chief advisor to Louis XIII• Laid foundation for absolutism• Main goals:

o Destroy power of nobles • Defeated private armies• Destroyed fortified castles• Brought them to court

o Destroy Huguenots • Outlawed armies• Still let them practice religion

Cardinal Jules Mazarin

• Chief minister to Louis XIV

• Picked up where Richelieu left off

• Barely escaped with life during La Fronde

Louis XIV• Son of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria

– Louis XIV’s birth considered a miracle– Queen Anne childless after 23 years of marriage– Prayed to Virgin Mary– Val-de-Grâce (Benedictine Convent) built in gratitude

Louis XIV• Louis XIV became

king at age 5• Reigned for 72 years

(54 personally)• Name - synonymous

with absolutism

La Fronde

• An uprising of the nobles, peasants, urban poor, and merchant classes

• Louis XIV (child) and Mazarin nearly died

• Major impact on Louis XIV and how he viewed the nobility

“L’etat c’est moi”

• “I am the state”• Believed in divine right

o King - answerable to God aloneoNever called a meeting of Estates General

• Sun = Louis’ symbol (center of the universe)• Defined absolutism

Louis XIV

The Sun King

Reign of Louis XIV

• Expanded bureaucracy• Built up Army• Revoked Edict of Nantes• Patron of the Arts• Built Le Château de Versailles

Expanded Bureaucracy

• Appointed intendantso Public officials (“civil service”)

• Usually upper and middle class• The intendants

o Justice (oversaw courts)o Police (protection & military affairs)o Finance (taxes & financial affairs)

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

• Chief Financial Minister of Louis XIV

• Financial whiz• Economy & trade

flourished• France still in debt

(why???)

Colbert’s Tomb

St. EustacheParis

Built Up Army

• Paid, fed, trained, & supplied over 300,000 soldiers

• Built Hôtel des Invalides (military hospital)

Hôtel des

Invalides

Paris

Revoked Edict of Nantes

• October 1685 – Edict of Fontainebleau • Perhaps his biggest mistake• Protestantism made illegal• Exodus of over 100,000 Huguenots (to

Great Britain, Prussia, Dutch Republic, etc.)

Revoked Edict of Nantes

• France lost skilled workers with the exodus, thus negatively affecting France’s economy

• Also damaged Louis XIV’s reputation – bordering Protestant nations became more hostile

Patron of the Arts

• Louis XIV strongly supported the arts• Brought to court

– Playwrights & authors– Artists– Composers & musicians

Portrait of

Molière

Musée Carnavalet, Paris

Place de la Victoire

Louis XIVTomb of the Sun

King

Basilique St. Denis Paris