Absolutism and Louis XIV

Louis XIV and Absolutism in the 17th Century

The Context of Absolutism

• The second half of the 17th century was marked by the aftermath of the Thirty Years' War and the rise of the Scientific Revolution.
• Despite scientific advancements, life remained difficult for most people.
• Absolutism emerged as a political ideology, asserting the divine right of kings to rule.

Louis XIV: The Divine Right Monarch

• Louis XIV, the "Sun King," reigned over France for more than 70 years and was considered the epitome of a divine right monarch.
• Portraits of Louis XIV, such as the one painted when he was 63, depicted him as regal and powerful, emphasizing his legs as a sign of desirability.
• He ascended the throne at age four in 1643, during the aftermath of the Thirty Years' War.

Challenges and Rebellions

• Under Louis XIII, Louis XIV's father, France faced numerous rebellions due to heavy taxation and famine caused by the Little Ice Age.
• Ordinary people often blamed tax collectors and local officials rather than the king for their hardships.
• Following Louis XIII's death, his widow, Anne of Austria, served as regent with the assistance of Cardinal Mazarin.
• Anne increased military deployments to defeat the Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs, despite widespread protests.
• Constant warfare strained aristocratic resources, as nobles were responsible for raising and paying for their own armies.
• The monarchy faced threats from peasant and noble protests, including coup attempts.

The Paulette Tax and the Nobles of the Robe

• Earlier in the 17th century, judges temporarily undermined the monarchy.
• Henry IV, Louis XIV's grandfather, introduced the Paulette tax on government officials, including judges, allowing them to retain their positions for life or sell them to successors.
• This created a class of powerful bureaucrats known as the nobles of the robe, who were largely immune from state oversight.
• Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin attempted to remove these nobles from office, leading to protests and the imprisonment of judges.
• The triumph of the nobles of the robe demonstrated the limitations of the monarchy's absolute power.

Jansenism and the Fronde

• Jansenism, a Catholic movement, advocated for a purging of the self and a fervent spirituality.
• Jansenists challenged established church authority and called for intense religious commitment to address France's problems.
• The Fronde, a series of opposition movements between 1648 and 1653, involved the old nobility and the courts protesting against increased taxation without permission.

Louis XIV's Consolidation of Power

• Louis XIV was officially crowned king in 1654 at the age of 15.
• He focused on organizing the administration of his kingdom, raising funds, and uniting his subjects under his rule.
• Louis XIV established a lavish court life to divert the nobility and maintain control.
• In the 1660s, he began transforming a hunting lodge at Versailles into a grand palace complex.
• Versailles housed approximately 15,000 people and became the center of French court life.
• Nobles competed for status and honors, such as assisting the king with his daily routines.
• Louis XIV sponsored operas, concerts, and plays to enhance his image of power and greatness, earning him the title of the Sun King.

Divine Right Theory

• Monarchs across Europe embraced the concept of divine right, asserting that their rule was divinely ordained.
• Bishop Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet preached that God established kings and that princes acted as ministers of God (using double , not single). Specifically, he said, Princes
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• Bossuet argued that kings were divine and their actions were necessarily correct.
• Louis XIV's perceived statement, "L'État, c'est moi" (The State is Me), reflected his belief in his own power and authority.
• Divine right theory also implied religious conformity, leading Louis XIV to view Protestants as disorderly and sinful.
• In 1685, he revoked the Edict of Nantes, causing thousands of Protestants to flee France.

Bureaucracy and Mercantilism

• Louis XIV's regime relied on accomplished bureaucrats to oversee tax collection and administration.
• Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a prominent official of middle-class origin, managed finances and public works, driving the kingdom's economy.
• Colbert oversaw French expansion into North America.
• Colbert supported mercantilism, which viewed economic development and trade as a form of warfare.
• Mercantilist thinkers believed in a finite amount of wealth in the world, leading to a zero-sum approach where one kingdom's gain was another's loss.
• Mercantilist policies included refusing entry to foreign ships and imposing high tariffs on competitors' goods.
• Examples of mercantilism include the outlawing of cotton textiles in France, although smuggling remained prevalent.

Wars and Criticisms

• Louis XIV waged four major wars: the War of Devolution, the Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg, and the War of the Spanish Succession.
• These wars resulted in territorial gains and losses, as well as significant losses in Canada to Britain.
• The constant warfare and zero-sum worldview exhausted resources.
• By the end of his reign, absolutist rule was being questioned, with critics denouncing France as tyrannical and oppressive.
• Exiled Huguenots criticized Louis XIV's rule as driven by ambition and vengeance.

Conclusion

• Absolutism was a system of tyrannical rule based on monarchical divinity, demanding religious, economic, and social conformity.
• It incurred high costs in taxation and loss of life.
• The rise of constitutionalism in England offered an alternative, albeit still violent, system that enshrined certain human rights.