France Under Louis XIV Age of Absolutism 1WH.C6.PO1.

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France Under Louis XIV

Age of Absolutism

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Louis XIV

• Absolute monarch in the late 1600s

• Threw elaborate parties – “to give the people pleasure”– Pageants, sports, dances,

plays, and music• Just 100 years earlier:– France was being torn apart

by religious wars

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Rebuilding France

• Religious Wars between Huguenots (French Protestants) and the Catholic majority

• St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre– 3,000 Huguenots slaughtered– Symbolized the break down of

order in France.

Huguenot Cross

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Henry IV

• 1589, Huguenot prince became King of France– Ruling a majority Catholic nation would

be difficult so he convert to Catholicism– Issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598

• Granted religious toleration to Huguenots

• Laid the grounds for absolute rule by:– Building a royal bureaucracy– Reducing the influence of the nobles

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Richelieu

• Henry IV was killed by as assassin in 1610

• His 9 year old son, Louis XIII, inherited the throne– Cardinal Armand Richelieu

appointed as chief minister• Richelieu set out strengthening

the central government– Goals was to destroy Huguenots and

Nobles

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Richelieu

• Huguenots– Smashed the walls of their cities– Outlawed their armies

• Nobles– Outlawed their armies– Destroyed their fortified castles

• Tied the nobles to the King by given them high posts at court or in the Royal Army

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Louis XIV

• Cardinal Richelieu died just before Louis XIV (at five years old) inherited the throne.– Appointed a new advisor

before his death that continued to extend royal power.

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Louis XIV, the Sun King

• Rebellion swept France after Louis XIV took the throne.– Nobles, merchants, peasants and urban poor all

for their own reasons– Even drove the King from the palace

• 1661, Cardinal advisor died and Louis XIV took the reigns of government.

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“L’etat, c’est moi”

• His grandfather was Philip II of Spain – Louis XIV believed in divine

right• Chose the sun as the symbol

of his power– As the Sun is the center of the

universe, the Sun king stands in the center of the Nation (France)

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Estates General

• Medieval council made up of representatives of all the social classes in France– First Estate: clergy– Second Estate: nobility– Third Estate: commoners

• Did not meet during the reign of Louis XIV– Not from 1614 to 1789

• Estates General played no part in checking royal power! ( Unlike in England)

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Strengthening Royal Power

• Louis followed the policies of Richelieu• Appointed intendants (royal officials) to

• Collect taxes• Recruit soldiers• Carry out his policies

– Jobs went to wealthy middle-class men– Cemented the relationship between middle class and

the monarchy• Military became largest in Europe – Used at home and abroad

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The Economy

• Finance minister, Colbert, followed mercantilist policies:– Encouraged domestic industries• Tariffs on imported goods

– Encouraged overseas colonies• France became the wealthiest state in Europe• Louis XIV was always short of money– Cost of his royal court and many wars!

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Versailles

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Versailles

• Royal hunting lodge turned into immense palace

• Became the perfect symbol of the Sun King’s wealth

• Became the king’s home and seat of government– Housed 10,000 people

• Nobles, officials, and servants

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Court Ceremonies

• Levée, or rising– Nobles served the king in his daily task of

dressing/undressing• Served a serious purpose– Turned nobles into courtiers angling for privileges

rather than battling for power• Protected the nobles prestige and left them

free from taxes!

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Cultural Flowering

• Age of Louis XIV was classical age for French culture – drama, art, music, decorative arts….

• Louis set up French academies for the sciences and arts.

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Successes and Failures

• Louis XIV ruled France for 72 years, longer than any other monarch

• French culture, manners, and customs replaced those of Renaissance Italy.

• Failures:– Wars– Persecution of Huguenots

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Wars of Louis XIV

• Spent money to expand the borders of France• Dutch and English worked together to

maintain the balance of power in Europe• War of Spanish Succession:– Louis’s grandson inherited throne of Spain– Wanted to unite the two kingdoms– War to prevent dragged on until 1713• France signed treaty not to unite thrones

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Persecution of the Huguenots

• Louis saw the Huguenots as a threat to religious and political unity of France

• Reversed the Edict of Nantes– 100,000 Huguenots fled France

• Biggest blunder of all:– Huguenots were hard working and prosperous

people– Serious blow to the French economy.

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Questions to Ponder

• How did Henry IV rebuild French unity after the religious wars?

• Describe how Louis XIV strengthened the power of the monarchy.

• How did Louis’s persecution of the Huguenots harm France?

• Write a brief paragraph describing Louis XIV.