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II. French Absolutism (Chapter 15)

A. French Foundations

  • Henry IV (1598-1610), Bourbon, restored peace and stability after the War of the Three Henrys

    • Facilitates absolutism by “calming things down”

    • Pluralism – satisfies both Huguenots and Catholics, for now…

    • Edict of Nantes

  • Louis XIII (1610-1643) & Cardinal Richelieu limited nobles

    • Louis: baby king, worked in tandem with Richelieu

    • Strengthened bureaucracy (government workers)

    • Stayed in power during most of Thirty Years’ War

    • Foreign affairs: number one goal → weaken the Habsburgs

      • Involvement in Thirty Years’ War weakens Austrian Habsburgs

      • Aids Catalan revolts in Spain via supplies, money, etc.

        • Geographically close to France as well

  • Cardinal Mazarin extended Richelieu’s policies

    • Continues to try to limit power of nobles

      • Angers nobles, leads to riot called THE FRONDE

      • “Loyal” nobles (to Mazarin) vs. “rebel” nobles killing each other

  • Louis XIV sees and learns from the violence, was only 5yo; creates a plan when king

B. Louis XIV: The Sun King

  • Totalitarian; face of Absolutism

  • Baroque style: ornate, shows off wealth

  • Centralized government using intendants

    • Intendants – local officials who carried out Louis’ commands

  • Personally involved in all government actions

  • Not calling Estates General (French Parliament) → nobles politically voiceless

  • Revoked Edict of Nantes

  • Used spying and terrorism to keep control and mess up saboteurs

  • Established “court culture” at Versailles

    • Kept people busy with trivial things

    • Kept people out of conspiring against the king

C. Financing War

  • Louis XIV continually wages war during his long reign

  • Colbert’s (minister of economics)

    • Mercantilism → Wealth should benefit the state → absolutism

      • Gets France interested in colonies, for money, resources, EVERYTHING

  • War → key to France’s military and political power

  • Self-sufficiency in mercantilism: industry, merchant marine, colonization, taxation

  • 1667: France invaded Spanish Netherlands (modern day Belgium)

    • Geographically close, rich in resources, weakens Spain and Habsburgs

    • Dutch, English, & Swedes stopped him

  • 1672: France invades Dutch provinces

    • Willian III of Orange, Austria, Spain, Brandenburg, & Denmark stopped France

    • Balance of power – international alliances (post-Westphalia)

    • Issue plagues Europe to this day: entangling alliances → tons of countries involved

  • 1678 Treaty of Nimwegen: ended France’s Dutch ambitions; gained Franche-Comte

  • All of these wars leave France in a bad financial position

D. Louis Looks to HRE

  • Occupation of Strasbourg (1681) + Elector of Brandenburg allied with Louis → crisis for HRE

    • Example of secularism, sovereignty, internationalism, etc.

  • HRE Diet (governing body of Germany) was divided in terms of France

    • Utter chaos, borderline joke

    • Is France an enemy or an ally??

    • Can’t get their act together

  • Louis financed Hungarian revolts, forcing HRE attention to the east

    • Funded Magyar rebels in Hungary province (in Austria)

    • HRE in two-front war, have to choose between France invasion or controlling Hungarian rebels

    • France not so much stretched thin – monetary/military funding is much less strain than splitting troops (which is what HRE is forced to do)

  • Ottomans besieged Vienna (1683)

    • Stretches Austria even thinner

    • Leopold I (new HRE emperor) and Poland drives them out

  • League of Augsburg formed (1686) 🇪🇸🇩🇪🇳🇱🇸🇪

    • HRE, Spain, Sweden, German states, Dutch Republic

    • All aligning to get rid of Louis XIV 🇫🇷

    • Foreign diplomacy: complicated messy business

E. War of the League of Augsburg (9 Years’ War)

  • England invites William III to (peacefully) invade and take control (1688)

    • Dutch leader takes over England → 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 joins Augsburg League

    • Kicks out James II (Catholic): talked with Louis to form alliance

  • Dutch + English fleets stalled France

  • Louis directly taxed nobles

    • Waging war → draining treasury

  • Treaty of Ryswick ends 9 Years’ War (1697)

    • Very little change

    • Louis’ treasury depleted

  • Charles II of Spain was dying (mental incapacities… sterile → no heir)

    • What happens to his empire?

F. War of Spanish Succession (1702-1713)

  • Louis XIV and HRE Emperor married Charles II’s sisters → inheritance?

  • European powers agreed to divide Spain’s possessions

    • In the beginning, everyone agreed to take a part of the Spanish empire

  • 1700 – Charles II died; willed empire to Louis XIV’s grandson (shocks everyone)

    • Much better deal for Louis XIV

    • Habsburgs exhausted their line in Spain → Bourbon?

  • 1701 – William III of England formed Grand Alliance against Louis

    • Died in 1702; Queen Anne took over

  • Grand Alliance: 🇩🇪(bradenburg)🇳🇱🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇵🇹🇮🇹(savoy)🇦🇹

  • Opposition: 🇫🇷🇪🇸🇩🇪(bavaria)

G. Peace of Rastatt/Utrecht (1713-1714)

  • 🇬🇧 gets Gibraltar, Minorca, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia

    • Gained key water ports

  • Savoy (Piedmont): becomes Piedmont-Sardinia, ruler recognized as “king”

    • Ended up becoming the unifiers of Italy (eventually)

  • 🇦🇹 gets Milan, Naples, Sicily, Spanish Netherlands (now Austrian Netherlands)

    • Gained areas in Italy

  • 🇪🇸 → Philip V (Louis XIV grandson) became king regardless

    • Promised to never unify with France

  • 🇫🇷 → end of Stuart pretender, famine, tax increases, uprisings

  • Brandenburg: ruler recognized as king of Prussia (legit sovereign kingdom)