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