Transcript France`s Ultimate Monarch KEY IDEA

France’s Ultimate
Monarch
KEY IDEA After a century of wars and
riots, Louis XIV, the most powerful
monarch of his time, ruled France
The Bourbons Gain the French Throne
France was torn by eight
religious wars between
Catholics and Protestants from
1562 to 1598.
In 1589, a Protestant prince,
Henry of Navarre,
became King Henry IV of the
Bourbon Dynasty. He changed
religions in 1593, becoming a
Catholic to please the majority
of his people.
Henry of Navarre
The Bourbon Dynasty
The Bourbons are one of the most famous
ruling dynasties of Europe. Beginning with
Henry IV, a number of French kings came
from this family. The Bourbons also held
royal titles in Spain, Sicily, and other parts
of Europe. The current king of Spain is a
Bourbon-King Juan Carlos.
Henry Navarre’s Reforms
In 1598, he issued an order called the
Edict of Nantes. It gave Huguenots—
French Protestants—the right to live in
peace and have their own churches in
some cities.
Henry rebuilt the French economy and
brought peace to the land.
Henry was followed by
his son, Louis XIII, a
weak king. However,
that son had a very
capable chief
minister, Cardinal
Richelieu.
Cardinal Richelieu Takes Control of France
Richelieu ruled the land
for Louis XIII and
increased the power of the
crown at the expense of
the Huguenots and the
nobility.
1. The cardinal ordered that
Huguenots could not build
walls for their cities.
2. He also said nobles had to
destroy their castles.
Richelieu Continues to Lessen the Power
of the Nobles
Richelieu also tried to curb the power of
the nobility by banning the luxurious
clothing and prohibiting sword fights which
was a popular recreation of the noble lords.
As a result, Protestants and nobles could
not hide within walls to defy the king’s
power.
Richelieu used people from the middle
class
not nobles—to work in his government.
That
also cut nobles’ power.
French thinkers had reacted to the religious
wars
with horror. They developed a new
attitude—
skepticism. Nothing could be known for
The Sun King: Louis XIV
Despite his royal
standing, Louis XIV was
neglected as a child.
Once, he nearly
drowned in a pond
because no one was
watching him. Later, he
became known as the
“Sun King”. He
believed that, as with
the sun, all power
radiated from him .
In 1643, Louis XIV,
age five, became king.
Cardinal Mazarin ruled
for him until Louis was
old enough to take the
throne. Mazarin was
very influential in
Europe. He brokered
the Peace of
Westphalia to end the
Thirty Years War.
Louis XIV Becomes Absolute Ruler
Louis became a powerful ruler, with total
control. He once said “I am the State” As a
king, he worked hard and paid great attention
to the smallest details of government. Louis
determined never to let nobles challenge him.
There were many rebellions against Louis XIV
but they failed because the French
government acted swiftly and violently to stop
them
Colbert
Louis froze the nobles out of his government.
He gave more power to government officials
and made sure that they answered only to him.
He hired men called intendants to collect the
taxes and administer justice.
Louis also worked hard to increase the wealth
of France. His chief minister of finance, Jean
Baptiste Colbert, tried to build French industry.
Colbert and Mercantilism
Colbert aimed to convince French
people
to buy French-made goods and not those
from other countries.
Louis urged people to settle in the new
French colony in Canada. The fur trade there
brought wealth to France.
At this time, many Huguenot artisans and
businessmen began to flee France because
the Edict of Nantes was cancelled and
Huguenots could no longer worship in safety.
Merchantilism
Economics: Mercantilism refers to the
popular economic policy during the age of the
absolute monarchs. The principal goal was
to increase state power at the expense of
other nations. Mercantilists believed that this
was done by increasing exports and reducing
imports by holding large stores of gold and
silver and by exploiting the resources of the
colonies.
Louis XIV Builds a Glorious Palace
Louis enjoyed a life of luxury at his
court. He built a huge and beautiful
palace at Versailles near Paris.
France’s Power Grows
Louis also made sure that nobles had to
depend on his favor in order to advance in
society. He would force the nobles to help him
dress, feed him, clean his shoes and perform
other demeaning tasks.
Louis made France the most powerful nation
in Europe. France had more people and a
larger army than any other country.
The League of Augsburg
The League of Augsburg was formed to
stop the French expansion. Leaders from
the Holy Roman Empire (Hapsburgs),
Sweden, Spain and smaller European
nations joined together in order to defeat
France.
War Takes Its Toll on France
Louis made some mistakes that later proved
costly.
After winning some wars against neighboring
countries, he became bolder and tried to
seize more land. Other nations joined together to
stop France by the late 1680s.
The high cost of these wars combined with
poor
harvests to produce problems at home
in France.
The War Of Spanish Succession
The final war fought in Louis’s time lasted
from1700 to 1713. In this War of the Spanish
Succession, France and Spain attempted to
set up
united thrones.
The chosen successor for the throne of Spain was
Philip of Anjou. He was a Bourbon and related to
the French Bourbon Dynasty.
The Treaty of Utrecht
The rest of Europe felt threatened and joined in
war
against them.
The war waged on across western Europe until
the question of succession was settled by the
Treaty of Utrecht. Philip of Anjou was allowed to be
king as long as France and Spain were not
politically united.
Both France and Spain were forced to give up
some of their American and European colonies to
England, the new rising power. England gained
colonies in the New world and control of the Straits
of Gibraltar, the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.
The King of Spain Was an
Imbecile
Charles II, King of Spain, was mentally
challenged (too much inbreeding among
the royals) and never had control of any
part of the Spanish government. His
advisors made all decisions for him. He
was so severely deformed that his food had
to be chewed for him in order for him to be
able to eat. It was his death that prompted
the frenzy over the Spanish Throne.