Absolutismand the Wars of Louis

XIV

Definitions Absolutism: sovereignty is the ruler!

• Jean Bodin – sovereign power = authority to make laws, tax, administer justice, control the state’s administrative system and determine foreign policy

• Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture (Jacques Bossuet) (see Kagan 394)

• Kings are appointed by God and He reigns through them, therefore coming from God a king’s rule is absolute and he is responsible to no one (not even parliament) except God

Absolutism?

ruler is not legally bound to any other persons or institutions but he • was dependent on advisors & bureaucrats

• had to compromise with vested interests

• could be undone by local custom

• could be resisted by lawyers, nobles, ecclesiastics, hereditary officeholders, etc.

• had to deal w/ slow transportation & communication = not very efficient

Characteristics of Modern State

maintains order & security within the state raises, controls and supports armies for use

against other states no regard for other countries’ policies peace at home, war abroad

Background to France’s Absolute Monarchy

King Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu (and later Cardinal Mazarin) lay groundwork for centralization of French gov’t.

Louis XIII & Richelieu (Chief Minister, 1624-1642)• Limit political and military rights of Huguenots• Establish network of spies to control uprisings

within the nobility

Armand Jean du Plessis Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642) Reform & strengthen central government

• Intendants – royal officials, generally not of the noble classes that executed the orders of the central government – became increasingly dominant, thereby strengthening the rule of the king

Financial issues• State finances corrupt, inefficient, and unjust

• Taille was increased but cost of 30 Years’ War too high, debt continues to rise

“If you give me six lines writtenby the most honest man, I will findsomething in them to hang him.”

Cardinal Mazarin (1642-1661) Louis XIII dies 1642 – Louis XIV only four years

old• Regent Anne of Austria hands over government to

Mazarin The First Fronde, 1648-49 - after Peace of

Westphalia: revolution led by “nobles of the robe” & Parlement of Paris against Mazarin – they wanted power to pronounce his edicts vs. nobility unconstitutional

The Second Fronde, 1650-1652 – led by “nobles of the sword” - wanted to overthrow Mazarin for personal gain; eventually began fighting one another

1661 Mazarin dies

"Oh my poor soul, what is to become of you? — Where do you go?"

French Absolutism, 1661-1715 Louis XIV, Grand Monarque / Sun King, builder

of Versailles

Louis XIV

1661 at age 23 Louis declares himself sole ruler of the “State”• He is the fusion of power and the law (justice)

in ONE man – no advisor

L’état, c’est moi “The state is myself” = sovereign ruler

Louis XIV (b. 1638/r. 1643-1715) , House of Bourbon

Louis XIV & Family

Versailles: The Royal Court

Versailles

The Royal Court at Versailles

The Hunt

Centralization of Administration

Louis XIV builds on the system of intendants originally put in place by Cardinal Richelieu under Louis XIII• Doesn’t ensure complete control of king• Bribery often used • Local officials can however undermine king

How does Louis XIV (not) “use” the parlements? U2.8 #6

Centralization of Religion (U2.9 #1-4) religious unity necessary for success

• “One king, one law, one faith” – Louis XIV

Edict of Fontainebleau, 1685 = revocation of the Edict of Nantes (see pg. 397) • strengthens Gallican church

• Destruction of Huguenot churches & Protestant schools

• suppresses Jansenism (Christian philosophy based on writings of Augustine of Hippo; appealed to upper classes, reading public)

• intolerant of Huguenots and other Protestants• ~200,000 migrate to Netherlands, Germany, England &

America

Centralization of Economics (U2.8 #10)Jean Baptiste Colbert, 1619-1683 - minister of

finance• expand mercantilism & increase exports

• reduce internal tariffs: Five Great Farms (tariff union)

• Commercial Code: improved communications; specified type and quality of goods backed by gov’t. assurances; gave subsidies, tax exemptions; founded monopolies & colonies; built up navy; established the French East India Company

• Cost of war is still too much for national treasury! Burden of taxes falls to the poor

Centralization of Military = arm of the state Louis controls/reforms military

• army = infantry (foot soldiers), cavalry (horseback) & artillery (weapons technicians)

• systematized rank and chain of command with king at pinnacle

• gov’t. recruits, equips, feeds, clothes, and houses troops• 100,000 troops in peacetime, 400,000 in wartime

armed forces = effective gov’t. weapon supervised by civilian administrators (birth of war ministry)

economy booster but still not enough – cost of war and king’s court too high

Invasion of Netherlands 1 & 2 (U2.8 #11-13)

War of Devolution, 1667-68: Louis invades Spanish Netherlands (north) & Franche-Comte (east) – blocked by Triple Alliance (Dutch, English, Swedes)

Ends in 1668, Treaty of Aix-la Chapelle Spain gives up some towns in Spanish Netherlands.

1672-78 “Third Anglo-Dutch War”: Louis XIV in alliance w/ Charles II of England VS. William III of Orange in alliance w/ HRE, Spain, Brandenburg, & Denmark

ends in 1678, Peace of Nimwegen: Spain gives up Franche-Comté to Louis but keeps the Spanish Netherlands

Annexation of Alsace & Lorraine, occupation of Strasbourg 1681 French turn against HRE & occupy

Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine HRE split anti-French/pro-French

• Leopold I Emperor = anti-French Louis’ allies

• Elector of Bavaria• Hungarians (w/ French money) are rebelling against

Habsburgs, call on Turks in 1683 (take Vienna) HREmp Leopold I allies with Poles to drive out

Turks, then turns westward

War of the League of Augsburg, 1689-1697 (U2.9 #5-6) League of Augsburg formed in order to repel

Louis XIV’s advances • Catholic powers lead by HREmp Leopold I • Protestant powers lead by William III• LofA = Holy Roman Emperor, kings of Spain &

Sweden, electors of Brandenburg, Saxony & Palatinate, and the Dutch Republic (and England in 1689)

England and France battle in North America 1697 Peace of Ryswick (Netherlands) – Louis

XIV looses majority of territorial gains, but keeps Strasbourg and part of Alsace• Economic depression and famine in France

JOIN FORCES

War of Spanish Succession (1701-1713) U2.9 #7&8

succession of the Spanish throne - decline of Spain • King Charles II of Spain – mentally and

physically ill, childless, distant relative of Louis XIV (see chart)

• In 1700 Louis’ grandson Philip is crowned Philip V of Spain

• Bourbon dynasty now includes France, Spain, Spanish & French New World colonies = big threat to status quo in Europe

Grand Alliance, 1701, organized by William III of Orange = England, Dutch Republic, German states & Habsburg Austria

If Louis XIV does not accept on behalf of his grandson, Philip, the Spanish crown will pass to the HRE BUT by accepting the rest of Europe fears the unification of Spain and France under the Bourbons

What do they want?

Austrian Habsburgs land in Barcelona and invade Catalonia – civil war in Spain • want to keep Spain in Habsburg family• want to crush Bavaria• want to gain influence Italy

Dutch want to keep French out of Belgium & close the Scheldt

English take Gibraltar and make treaty with Portugal• want to keep Catholic Stuarts (who have sought refuge

in France!) from returning to England English & Dutch want to expand commerce in

New World and push out French

Peace of Utrecht, 1713Peace of Rastadt, 1714 British keep Gibraltar & Minorca

(=Mediterranean power) and Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Hudson Bay Territory in Canada

Duke of Savoy gets Sardinia (Spanish) Austrian Habsburgs get Milan, Naples &

Sicily, and the Spanish Netherlands Spain keeps Americas & Philip V

• Spanish & French thrones may never be inherited by same person

Consequences of war

famine, tax increases, poverty, depopulation criticism of Louis XIV loss of Newfoundland & Nova Scotia to

British, conceded British sovereignty of Hudson Bay territory (Canada)

Creation of “Dutch Barrier” 2 new kingdoms granted: Sardinia (Savoy)

& Prussia (Brandenburg)

Consequences of war And the WINNER is…England = next great

world power!• 1707 Union of England & Scotland• ASIENTO – British now allowed to provide

Spanish Americas with slaves (Bristol & Liverpool flourish)

• constitutional/parliamentary gov’t. prevails • economic growth in aristocracy & merchant

class

Decline of Spain 1596 – Philip II bankrupts national treasury 1607 – Philip III does the same

• Military is out-dated, navy doesn’t recover from 1588• Government has become inefficient; King doesn’t rule instead

Duke of Lerma = power hungry, focused on throne• Not enough economic emphasis put on building a

commercial/merchant middle class Philip IV (1621-1665) & chief minister Gaspar de Guzman

• Try to rebuild power of monarchy• Lessen the influence of the Catholic church & aristocracy• Attempt to revive gov’t. centralization program • FAILURE b/c 1/5 of population = aristocracy • Spain’s involvement in 30 Years’ War = civil war and destruction

of Spanish military in 1643• Treaty of Westphalia, 1648 = formal loss of Dutch Republic• Peace of Pyrennes, 1659 (w/ France) = loss of Artois, some

borderlands of Spanish Netherlands & France