Transcript The Palace of Versailles Original Hunting Lodge of Louis XIII The

Bourbon France
Establishment of the Bourbon Dynasty
Huguenots – French Protestants (Calvinists)
• Between 1562 and 1589, civil war broke out
in France between Catholics and protestant
Huguenots.
• Huguenot leader named Henry de Bourbon
seized control of the French throne and
established the Bourbon dynasty He became
Henry IV.
• Following the civil war, France was in chaos.
Henry quickly began to rebuild the country
into the strongest nation in Europe.
Henry IV 1589-1610
 Henry
converted to Catholicism to
gain support of the country’s majority.
 Issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598
proclaiming toleration of Protestants
in France
 Led by his finance minister the Duke
of Sully, who instituted mercantilist
policies and began major economic
reforms and public works programs to
enrich the nation
 In 1610, Henry was assassinated by a
fanatic monk as he rode in his
carriage.
Louis XIII 1610 – 1643
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Henry was succeeded by his ten year old
son Louis XIII.
His mother Marie de Medici served as his
regent and arranged his marriage to an
Austrian princess.
She dismissed Sully leaving France
without strong leadership.
Huguenots and nobles took advantage to
strengthen their own positions and
threaten royal authority.
In 1521 Marie appointed a strong chief
minister Cardinal Richelieu to aid the king.
Louis hated ruling. He spent most of his
time at his hunting lodge at Versailles
while Richelieu ran the country on his
behalf. (Power behind the Crown).
Hunting Lodge of Louis XIII (Versailles)
Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642)
Richelieu was a member of the clergy
and a shrewd politician (politique). He
had made a name for himself in the
last meeting of the Estates General in
1614.
He had three main goals:
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Reassert royal power over the
nobility.
Destroy the political power of the
Huguenots.
Build France into the most
powerful nation in Europe
Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642)
To achieve his goals Richelieu
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Sent royal officials (intendants) into the
provinces to strengthen royal authority.
Appointed members of the middle class
(bourgeoisie) to government positions
rather than nobles.
Weakened the power of the Huguenots by
destroying their walled cities that had been
allowed under the Edict of Nantes. He still
allowed their freedom of religion to avoid
another civil war. (Peace of Alais, 1629).
Enriched the monarchy by imposing heavy
taxes on the lower classes.
Entered the Thirty Years War on the side of
German protestants to weaken Frances
rivals.
Foreign Affairs under Richelieu and Louis XIII
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Cardinal Mazarin
r. 1642-1661
Richelieu revived French opposition to the
traditional rival Hapsburg rulers in the
Holy Roman Empire.
In 1635, Catholic France entered the
Thirty Years War on the side of the
protestants rather than the Catholics.
Hapsburg power was severely weakened
by the war. It ended in 1648 with the
signing of the Peace of Westphalia.
Although Richelieu (1642) and Louis
(1643) died before the war ended, France
emerged as Europe’s most powerful
country
Richelieu was succeeded by Cardinal
Mazarin who continued his policies
Louis XIV “The Sun King” (1643 – 1715)
•In 1643, following the death
of Louis XIII, his five year old
son became king as Louis XIV.
His mother served as his
regent aided by Cardinal
Mazarin.
•Mazarin continued the
policies of Cardinal Richelieu
Cardinal Mazarin
r. 1642-1661
Louis XIV as a Child
• During his childhood French nobles rebelled against royal
power (1648-1653) in what was known as The Fronde.
• Louis would never forget this and he become the ultimate
absolute monarch.
• Louis XIV would become one of the strongest and most colorful
monarchs of all time. He was known as the Sun King.
The Reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715)
The Sun King’s Reign is
noted for its:
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Absolute Rule
Blossoming of French Culture
Religious Persecution
Strong Economic Policy
The Reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715)
Absolute Rule
 Louis claimed Divine Right and
exercised unlimited power
 He never convened the Estates
General during his reign.
 Louis forced the nobles to live in
his court so he could watch and
control them.
 He created a new class of nobles
called nobles of the robe to
weaken the power of the
traditional nobles of the sword.
Louis XIV The Sun King
The Palace of Versailles
Original Hunting Lodge of Louis XIII
The Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles
The Gardens and Fountains of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles
The Queen’s Chamber
The Theatre
The King’s Chamber
The Palace of Versailles
The Hall of Mirrors
The Daily Dressing of the Sun King
The Reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715)
Religious Persecution
Persecution of Huguenots
 Louis believed that France must
be unified by one religion.
 In 1685, Louis revoked the Edict
of Nantes and Huguenots were
persecuted.
 Protestants were forced to
convert to Catholicism or leave
France.
 Many of Frances wealthiest
merchants left. This later deeply
hurt France economically.
The Reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715)
Strong Economic Policy
 Louis Appointed a strong finance
minister Jean Baptiste Colbert.
 Colbert was a strong mercantilist.
 He established French colonies
abroad.
 Supported new industries with
government funds.
 Colbert built new roads and canals
to improve trade.
Jean Baptiste Colbert
The Reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715)
The Wars of Louis XIV
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European countries feared the growing power of Louis and France.
During his reign Louis fought four major wars and many smaller
skirmishes against these countries.
The last of these was The War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714).
 It centered over who would become the king of Spain when the
last Hapsburg king died without an heir in 1700.
 The war ended with the Treaty of Utrecht (1713).
 Louis’ grandson became Spanish king but France lost territory
including colonies in North America.
The wars drained the French treasury. By the time of his death in
1715, France was facing severe financial crisis.
Louis great grandson Louis XV inherited the throne but he and his
successor Louis XVI were crippled by the debt and were much
weaker rulers than the “Sun King”.
As a result, 18th century France moved closer to revolution which
finally erupted in 1789.