The Reign of Louis XIV
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Transcript of The Reign of Louis XIV
The Reign of Louis
XIV
Religious Wars and Power Struggles• Between 1652 and 1598, Huguenots (French
Protestants) & Catholics fought 8 religious wars• In 1589, Henry IV king – Huguenot & 1st Bourbon king• Gave up his Protestantism and became a Catholic
– “Paris is well worth a mass.”• 1598 Edict of Nantes - religious tolerance to
Huguenots• Henry rebuilt France, made it prosperous, and
strengthened the monarchy– He was stabbed to a death in 1610 by a religious fanatic
Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu• Louis XIII, becomes king (son of
Henry)• Weak king - strong minister,
Cardinal Richelieu• Richelieu basically rules France• Richelieu 2 steps increase monarchs power
– Restricted Huguenots (no walls) so they couldn’t defy the king
– Weakened power of the nobles• No fortified castles• Gave government jobs to
middle class people• Wanted France to be strongest
state in Europe– Led to involvement in Thirty
Years’ War
Louis XIV Comes to Power• The strengthening of the French
monarchy led most powerful ruler in French history – Louis XIV - 1643
• Louis XIV believed that he and the state were one and the same– “L’etat, c’est moi” = “I am the state”
• Liked to be called the Sun King because all power radiated from him
Louis XIV said, “L’etat, c’est
moi”
Louis, the Boy King• King @ 4 – country ruled by Cardinal
Mazarin - replaced Cardinal Richelieu• Nobles hated Mazarin - he increased taxes
and strengthened the central government– Nobles rebelled and threatened Mazarin and
Louis– Rebellion failed when peasants and
townspeople got tired of fighting and disorder– They preferred the oppression of an absolute
king to the chaos
Louis Weakens the Nobles’ Authority
• Mazarin died - Louis took control• Excluded nobles from his councils (weaker)• Increased the power of the intendants, who
collected taxes and administered justice– Intendants were like “civil servants”; appointed
by king: collect taxes, administer justice & make sure his rule was being followed all over France
• He made sure that intendants communicated with him regularly
Economic Growth• Louis wanted France to be economically,
politically, and culturally strong• Minister of finance, Jean Baptiste
Colbert, believed in mercantilism –Wanted France to keep its wealth by being
self-sufficient, rather than relying on imports• Helped expand manufacturing• Placed high tariff (tax) on imported goods• Recognized importance of colonies for raw
materials and market for French goods– Fur trade from Canada
Economic Growth
• After Colbert’s death, Louis canceled the Edict of Nantes, which protected religious freedom for Huguenots
• Thousands of Huguenot artisans and business people left France
• France was left without many of its skilled workers
• Economic progress was slowed• Who does that remind of you of?
The Sun King’s Grand Style• Louis spent a fortune surrounding himself with
luxury• Built the huge palace at Versailles near Paris– Palace was 500 yards long– Ornate decoration and furnishings– Intended to clearly show Louis’s wealth and power
Louis Controls the Nobility• Louis required hundreds of nobles to
live at Versailles• They were kept busy with elaborate
rituals surrounding Louis– The Levée
• Increased royal authority in two ways:– Made the nobility dependent on Louis– Took them away from their homes so the intendants had more power
• Kept them under Louis watchful eye
Patronage of the Arts• Versailles was a
center of arts• Louis made opera and
ballet more popular• Most famous writer –
Moliere– Wrote comedies
• Louis supported the arts as a way to glorify the king and promote values that supported his absolute rule
Louis Fights Disastrous Wars
• France - most powerful country in Europe
• Invaded the Spanish Netherlands, but he only gained a small region
• Continued to fight but other countries built alliance against him
• A poor harvest, high taxes to finance the wars, and constant warfare brought suffering to the people of France
War of Spanish Succession• In 1700, king of Spain dies with no heir• He promised the throne to Louis XIV’s
grandson, Philip• Spain & France were enemies - now
both French Bourbon ruled• Other countries joined together to stop
it unifying of France & Spain• Led to the long War of Spanish
Succession
War of Spanish Succession• War lasted until 1714• Ended w/ Treaty of Utrecht Louis’s
grandson remain king of Spain, but thrones Spain & France could not be united
• British came out of the war w/ Gibraltar (fortress controlling the Mediterranean) Ability send African slaves to the Spanish colonies in the Americas French territories in North America
Louis’s Death and Legacy• Died in 1715 after 72 years of rule• Positive legacy:– France was a great power– Leader in European art and literature– Military leader of Europe– Had a strong empire of colonies
• Negative legacy:– Left huge debt from wars and building
Versailles– Resentment by the poor over taxes and Louis’s
abuse of power eventually led to revolution