France’s Ultimate Monarch

Louis XIV

Religious Wars Create a Crisis

• Henry IV = 1st king of Bourbon dynasty

• Catholics hate Henry b/c he’s Protestant, so he switched to Catholicism

• 1598 – Henry declared religious tolerance for the Huguenots = Edict of Nantes

Henry IV Continued

• Wanted to rebuild France and stop all of the religious bloodshed

• Eventually stabbed to death by a fanatic who hated Henry’s religious compromises

Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu

• Louis = weak• His cardinal, Richelieu, was the true ruler

of France• Wanted to be moral but was very

ambitious• Increased power of Bourbon monarchy by

moving against the Huguenots, limiting power of nobles and trying to make France the most powerful country in Europe

Pictures of Louis XIV and his palace

Skepticism

• Intellectual movement that arose after the religious wars

• Idea that nothing can be known for certain; doubted church doctrine

• “All that is certain is that nothing is certain.” - Montaigne

• Descartes – helped develop scientific method

Louis XIV Rules Absolutely

• Cardinal Mazarin was the true ruler b/c Louis was only 5

• Mazarin made France strong: increased taxes and strengthened central government

• Mazarin’s policies lead to riots led by nobles – Louis was freaked out and decided to reduce the noble’s power

Louis takes control…

• 23 when took control• Excluded nobles from council and

created government agents – intendants – Collected taxes and administered justice

Economic Growth

• Jean Baptiste Colbert = minister of finance• Country focused on mercantilism and

becoming self-sufficient• High tariffs and government loans to

French companies• When Colbert died, Louis screwed up the

economic policies (by oppressing the Huguenots – sent them running to the hills with their businesses etc.)

Louis’ Grand Style

Louis as a kid – ugh! Louis as a young kid

Louis Fights Disastrous Wars

• Kept wanting to fight wars to prove France’s strength

• Freaked out Europe, so a bunch of European nations formed an alliance to stop France

• Bad harvest + high taxes = suffering people

• War weary country gets in ANOTHER war (War of Spanish Succession) - no European nation wanted France to have any say over the king of Spain.

War of Spanish SuccessionKing Louis XIV of France was the most powerful monarch in Europe; it was feared that allowing his son to inherit Spain would seriously compromise the balance of power in Europe