The+Reign+of+Louis+XIV

Section 21-2: The Reign of Louis XIV

Bold:


 * 1) Edict of Nantes- In 1598, Henry took another step toward healing France’s wounds. He declared that the Huguenots could live in peace in France and set up their own houses of worship in some cities.
 * 2) Cardinal Richelieu- Became, in effect, the ruler of France. For several years, he had been a hard-working leader of the Catholic church in France. Although he tried sincerely to lead according to moral principles, he was also ambitious and enjoyed exercising authority. As Louis XIII’s minister, he was able to pursue his ambitions in the political arena.
 * 3) Skepticism- The idea that nothing can ever be known for certain. These thinkers expressed an attitude of doubt toward churches that claimed to have the only correct set of doctrines.
 * 4) Louis XIV -The most powerful ruler in French history. (More Info Below).
 * 5) intendants- Government agents who collected taxes and administered justice. To keep power under central control, he made sure that local officials communicated regularly with him.
 * 6) Jean Baptiste Colbert- Colbert believed in the theory of mercantilism. To prevent wealth from leaving the country, Colbert tried to make France self-sufficient. He wanted it to be able to manufacture every- thing it needed instead of relying on imports.


 * 1) War of the Spanish Succession- Other countries felt threatened by this increase in the Bourbon dynasty’s power. In 1701, England, Austria, the Dutch Republic, Portugal, and several German and Italian states joined together to pre- vent the union of the French and Spanish thrones. The costly war dragged on until 1714. The Treaty of Utrecht was signed in that year. Under its terms, Louis’s grandson was allowed to remain king of Spain so long as the thrones of France and Spain were not united.

Key People:


 * 1) Louis XIV- Although Louis XIV stood only 5 feet 5 inches tall, his erect and dignified posture made him appear much taller. (It also helped that he wore high-heeled shoes.) Louis had very strong likes and dislikes. He hated cities and loved to travel through France’s countryside. The people who traveled with him were at his mercy, however, for he allowed no stopping except for his own comfort. It is small wonder that the vain Louis XIV liked to be called the Sun King. He believed that, as with the sun, all power radiated from him. When Louis became king in 1643 after the death of his father, Louis XIII, the true ruler of France was Richelieu’s successor. Louis’s last years were more sad than glorious. Realizing that his wars had ruined France, he regretted the suffer- ing he had brought to his people. He died in bed in 1715. News of his death prompted rejoicing throughout France. The people had had enough of the Sun King


 * 1) Cardinal Mazarin (MAZ•uh•RAN). Mazarin’s greatest triumph came in 1648, with the ending of the Thirty Years’ War. Louis’s last years were more sad than glorious. Realizing that his wars had ruined France, he regretted the suffer- ing he had brought to his people. He died in bed in 1715. News of his death prompted rejoicing throughout France. The people had had enough of the Sun King


 * 1) Jean Baptiste Colbert- Colbert believed in the theory of mercantilism. To prevent wealth from leaving the country, Colbert tried to make France self-sufficient. He wanted it to be able to manufacture every- thing it needed instead of relying on imports. To expand manufacturing, Colbert gave government funds and tax benefits to French companies. To protect France’s industries, he placed a high tariff on goods from other countries. Colbert also recognized the importance of colonies, which provided raw materials and a market for manufactured goods
 * 2) Henry of Navarre-Married to Catherine’s daughter. he was a Huguenot prince. Descended from the popular medieval king Louis IX, Henry was robust, athletic, and handsome. In 1589, when both Catherine and her last son died, Prince Henry inherited the throne. He became Henry IV, the first king of the Bourbon dynasty in France. As king, he showed himself to be decisive, fearless in battle, and a clever politician.
 * 3) Louis XIII- Son of Henry IV. He was a weak king, but in 1624, he appointed a strong minister who made up for all of Louis’s weaknesses.
 * 4) Cardinal Richelieu- He took two steps to increase the power of the Bourbon monarchy. First, he moved against Huguenots. He believed that Protestantism often served as an excuse for political conspiracies against the Catholic king. Second, he sought to weaken the nobles’ power. Richelieu ordered nobles to take down their fortified castles. He increased the power of government agents who came from the middle class. The king relied on these agents, so there was less need to use noble officials. (More Above).
 * 5) Michel de Montaigne- Lived during the worst years of the French religious wars. After the death of a dear friend, Montaigne thought deeply about life’s meaning. To communicate his ideas, Montaigne developed a new form of literature, the essay. An essay is a brief work that expresses a person’s thoughts and opinions.
 * 6) René Descartes- A brilliant thinker. In his Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes examined the skeptical argument that one could never be certain of anything. Descartes used his observations and his reason to answer such arguments. In doing so, he created a philosophy that influenced modern thinkers and helped to develop the scientific method.
 * 7) Cardinal Mazarin- His greatest triumph came in 1648, with the ending of the Thirty Years’ War. Many people in France, particularly the nobles, hated Mazarin because he increased taxes and strengthened the central government. From 1648 to 1653, violent anti- Mazarin riots tore France apart. At times, the nobles who led the riots threatened the young king’s life.
 * 8) Molière- Wrote some of the funniest plays in French literature. Molière’s comedies include Tartuffe, which mocks religious hypocrisy.
 * 9) William of Orange- became the king of England. He joined the League of Augsburg, which consisted of the Austrian Hapsburg emperor, the kings of Sweden and Spain, and the leaders of several smaller European states. Together, these countries equaled France’s strength.

Ideas/Events:

RELIGIOUS WARS AND POWER STRUGGLES:


 * In 1572, the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in Paris sparked a six-week, nationwide slaughter of Huguenots.
 * Henry devoted his reign to rebuilding France and its prosperity. He restored the French monarchy to a strong position.
 * Richelieu also wanted to make France the strongest state in Europe. The greatest obstacle to this, he believed, was the Hapsburg rulers, whose lands surrounded France.

WRITERS TURN TOWARD SKEPTICISM:


 * As France regained political power, a new French intellectual movement developed. French thinkers had witnessed the religious wars with horror.
 * After Colbert’s death, Louis announced a policy that slowed France’s economic progress. In 1685, he canceled the Edict of Nantes, which protected the religious freedom of Huguenots.

THE SUN KING’SGRAND STYLE:


 * Having the nobles at the palace increased royal authority in two ways. It made the nobility totally dependent on Louis. It also took them from their homes, thereby giving more power to the intendants. Louis required hundreds of nobles to live with him at the splendid palace he built at Versailles, about 11 miles southwest of Paris.
 * Versailles was a center of the arts during Louis’s reign. Louis made opera and ballet more popular. He even danced the title role in the ballet The Sun King.

LOUIS FIGHTS DISASTROUS WAR:


 * Under Louis, France was the most powerful country in Europe. In 1660, France had about 20 million people. This was four times as many as England and ten times as many as the Dutch republic. The French army was far ahead of other states’ armies in size, training, and weaponry.
 * Louis invaded the Spanish Netherlands in an effort to expand France’s boundaries. Through this campaign, he gained 12 towns. Encouraged by his success, he personally led an army into the Dutch Netherlands in 1672.
 * This was the same tactic they had used in their revolt against Spain a century earlier. The war ended in 1678 with the Treaty of Nijmegen. France gained several towns and a region called Franche-Comté.
 * Tired of hardship, the French people longed for peace. What they got was another war. In 1700, the childless king of Spain, Charles II, died after promising his throne to Louis XIV’s 16-year-old grandson, Philip of Anjou.