Monarchy and Society in France

Page 1:

• Peasantry

  • 80-90% of French population were peasants

  • Peasants had grievances but lacked formal institutions

  • Peasantry was the economic center of gravity

  • Agricultural production was the financial foundation of the state

  • Peasant life was characterized by corporate identities

  • Agricultural productivity was low, with high mortality rates

  • Population of peasants doubled between 1460-1560

  • Peasants faced financial pressures like tithes, seigneurial dues, and royal taxation

Page 2:

• Peasantry (cont.)

  • Peasants had limited wealth, causing tension with the crown and landlords

  • Central government had loose control over peasants due to jurisdictional conflicts

• Nobility

  • Nobility was hereditary with legal privileges and exemption from taxation

  • Nobles derived income from land and not commerce

  • Nobles held land called signori, worked by peasants or leased to affluent tenants

  • Infusion of new families into nobility through military service and public office

  • Rise of nobility of the robe led to resentment from traditional nobility

Page 3:

• Nobility (cont.)

  • Ennoblement through office led to assertiveness by robe nobility

  • Crown absorbed independent fiefs to strengthen its power

• Crown: Politics and Economics

  • Crown claimed equality of subjects regardless of legal status

  • Challenges to the crown from clientage and royal officials

  • Crown absorbed fiefs but faced limits from regional institutions like provincial estates and parlements

Page 4:

• Crown: Politics and Economics (cont.)

  • Crown faced challenges from rivals despite claims of equality among subjects

  • Absorption of fiefs by the crown to consolidate power

  • Limits to monarchy's power from regional institutions like provincial estates and parlements

Page 5

• Parlements in France

  • Handpicked by the crown

  • Parlement of Paris was the most prestigious

  • Acted as a check on the legislative power of the crown

  • Could request amendments to royal laws

  • King could override objections with a Letter of Command or "The Bed of Justice"

  • Parlements could create obstacles for the crown

  • Seven regional parlements outside Paris

  • Parlements defended provincial interests against the crown

• Provincial Governors

  • Represented the crown in provinces

  • Military function, held commissions in finance and administration

  • Built client networks for power

  • Became threats to the monarchy in the mid-16th century

Page 6

• Fiscal Realities

  • European monarchs faced bankruptcy

  • French revenue heavily reliant on the taille tax

  • Crown borrowed money and sold offices

  • Venality of offices led to wider system, alienating old nobility

• Huguenots and John Calvin

  • Calvinism prominent in French Protestantism

  • Calvin's background and beliefs

  • Emphasis on predestination and sanctification

  • Calvinistic life ethos and election to salvation

Page 7

• Calvinism and Church Discipline

  • Success of works as evidence of election and salvation

  • Church's strict discipline for moral life supervision

  • Consistory administered church discipline

  • Ban on games, dancing, and certain dress

  • Spread of Calvinism in France despite its austere nature

Page 8

• Spread of Calvinism

  • Corruption and abuses in the Roman Catholic Church

  • Calvinism's convincing doctrine

  • Growth of Calvinism in the mid-16th century despite persecution

Page 9:

• Calvinism and Social Groups

  • Protestantism in France was urban, with most Huguenots being merchants, lower magistrates, or artisans.

  • The bourgeoisie resented clerics' role in their salvation due to their high sense of dignity.

  • Artisans suffered from declining living standards and exclusion from guilds.

  • Calvinism clashed with popular culture, lacking carnivals, dancing, and other festivities.

  • Few Calvinist ministers were sent to the countryside, hindering rural accessibility.

  • Economic resentment did not necessarily lead to Protestantism.

Page 10:

• Spread of Protestantism

  • Elite members in Calvinism made the religion respectable but also formed an oligarchy.

  • Aristocratic support was crucial for the French Reformation.

  • Political ambition played a role in conversions to Calvinism.

  • Relationship between Catholics and Calvinists was complex.

Page 11:

• Intensification of Tension

  • Calvinist churches in France organized with advice from Calvin.

  • Repression increased alongside the growth of Protestantism.

  • Secular courts took over heresy trials, leading to harsher punishments.

  • Punishments for heresy varied from fines to death, with execution rates tapering off by the 1550s.

Page 12:

• Countdown to Violence (1559-1562)

  • Factional struggles among aristocratic factions intensified.

  • Monarchy plunged into crisis after Henry II's death in 1559.

  • Financial crisis and military issues intensified hatred towards the House of Guise.

  • Conspiracy of Amboise in March 1560 aimed to gain control of the Crown.

  • Louis Bourbon, known as the prince of Conde, was involved in the conspiracy.

Page 13

• Political Intrigues and Power Struggles

  • Antoine Bourbon led a failed coup attempt against the Valois house.

  • Conde disclaimed knowledge of the plot and hatched a new one against the crown.

  • Francis II's death deepened the crisis for the Monarchy.

  • Catherine de Medici became regent for 10-year-old Charles IX.

  • Catherine aimed to balance power between the Bourbons and the Guises.

  • Huguenots gained influence at court, with Coligny and Conde playing key roles.

  • Catherine's edict in 1561 granted Huguenots toleration in private but not in public.

  • Huguenots demanded an end to heresy prosecution and the right to worship openly.

Page 14

• Huguenot-Catholic Relations

  • A joint Calvinist-Catholic council was summoned in the Colloquy of Poissy.

  • The Edict of St. Germain-en-Laye in 1562 granted Protestants the right to meet publicly under conditions.

  • Calvinists gained confidence, leading to iconoclasm and religious rioting.

  • Calvinism's alliance with the lower nobility strengthened Huguenot influence.

  • Militarization of Calvinist groups was a response to Catholic attacks.

  • Catholic majority grew angrier at perceived attacks on their beliefs and society.

Page 15

• Religious and Social Tensions

  • Calvinism and Catholicism remained intransigent in their beliefs.

  • Huguenot strength was bolstered by alliances with the lower nobility.

  • The attack on religious institutions by Calvinists angered the Catholic majority.

  • The Edict of St. Germain-en-Laye faced resistance from the Parlement of Paris and Catholic elites.

  • The Triumvirate, led by the Duke of Guise, vowed to defend Catholicism with arms and Spanish help.

  • Antoine Bourbon's allegiance to the Triumvirate showcased shifting religious affiliations for political gains.

Page 16

• Catherine's efforts to maintain crown autonomy

  • Catherine tried to keep Montmorency and Bourbon out of tensions between Conde and the house of Guise.

  • Mixture of factional and political concerns led to deadly polarization.

• Wars of religion between 1562-1598

  • Eight wars of religion occurred between 1562-1598.

  • Wars typically began with unsuccessful coups by either side.

  • Both sides sought help from foreign powers.

  • Crown usually won pitched battles but couldn't decisively defeat Huguenots.

  • Protestants held fortified cities, making defeats in the field non-fatal.

• Compromise peace and its consequences

  • Peace agreements allowed Protestant worship in specific locations.

  • Peace arrangements were violated, leading to resumed violence.

Page 17

• Reconciliation after Third War

  • Deaths of key belligerents allowed for reconciliation.

  • Peace settlement in 1570 granted concessions to Huguenots.

  • Marriage between Marguerite of Valois and Henry of Navarre arranged for reconciliation.

• St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

  • Attempted assassination of Coligny led to the massacre.

  • Charles IX sanctioned the assassination of key Huguenot leaders.

  • Official massacre led to widespread violence and killings.

• Consequences of the massacre

  • Mass defections from Calvinism.

  • Base's letter reflects the Huguenots' struggle to comprehend the massacre's brutality.

Page 19

• Huguenots leaving France due to religious persecution

  • Many Huguenots migrated to England, the Netherlands, and Geneva

  • Backsliding to Catholicism leading to erosion of Protestant loyalties

  • Example: In Normandy, the percentage of Protestant nobility decreased significantly from 1560 to 1593

• Radicalization of Calvinist political theory

  • Shift in sovereignty from monarchs to the people post-1572

  • Inferior magistrates could resist a tyrant as an expression of people's rights

  • Philip de Montaigne's "Vindication of the Rights of the People against Tyrants" emphasized accountability of the king to both God and the people

Page 20

• Formation of a Calvinist state within France post-1572

  • Creation of the "United Provinces of the Midi" by Huguenot towns in the south

  • Weaknesses in the system: geographic limitations and friction between nobles and assembly members

• Reign of Henry III (1574-1584) marked by collapse of ideology

  • Fifth war (1574-1576) saw factions motivated by personal self-interest

  • Edict of Bouler in 1576 granted significant concessions to the Huguenots

  • Formation of the Catholic League in 1576 to defend the Catholic Church and eradicate heresy

Page 21

• Continued hostilities and social disorder during Henry III's reign

  • Independent noblemen recruiting bands leading to criminal activities

  • Peasant uprisings in 1578-1580 due to chaos and violence

  • Complaints by nobility about the purchase of seigneuries by merchants and magistrates

  • Venality of offices creating barriers for advancement for minor administrative and legal officials

Page 23

• Formation of the Catholic League and Henry IV

  • The death of the king's brother, Duke of Anjou, threatened the Catholic cause as Henry III had no son, making Huguenot leader Henry of Navarre the heir.

  • A new League by the Guises was created to defend Catholicism, signing a treaty with Philip II of Spain to remove Protestantism from France and the Low Countries.

  • The Catholic League gained control of northern France, led by Henry of Guise and Mayenne, forcing Henry III to capitulate and restart war.

• War and Political Dynamics

  • The League aimed to exclude a heretic from the throne, gaining strength due to concerns over Protestant succession.

  • Catholics began tolerating Protestants for social order, supporting a strong monarchy.

  • The Treaty of Nemours in 1585 saw Henry III renouncing concessions to Huguenots and supporting the League's armies.

Page 24

• Rise of the League and Ideology

  • The Sixteen in Paris challenged Henry III's authority, leading to the Day of the Barricades and the League taking control.

  • The League's ideology centered on Catholic succession as a constitutional law, advocating for popular sovereignty over the king.

  • Authors like Bernard Bouche and Gyon Roseaus presented radical arguments for popular sovereignty and the right to depose tyrants.

• Leadership and Political Situation

  • Henry III accepted League demands but was buying time, leading to the assassination of the Duke and Cardinal of Guise.

  • The Paris Sixteen and provincial councils played key roles in the League's leadership and governance.

Page 25

• Theorists of the League

  • The League's theorists challenged traditional European political theories, arguing for the people's superiority over the king and the right to depose tyrants.

  • Monarchy was viewed with suspicion, and any member of the commonwealth had the right to oppose a tyrant.

• Political Landscape and Alliances

  • Henry III's assassination led to Henry of Navarre becoming the heir, facing opposition due to his Protestant faith.

  • The League remained strong with city support and Spanish assistance, causing suffering during the siege of Paris.

Page 26

• Political Dynamics and Siege of Paris

  • Radical and traditional forces within the League often conflicted, with magistrates caught in the middle.

  • Henry III's death led to Henry of Navarre's recognition as heir, despite resistance due to his Protestant faith.

  • The League's strength relied on city support and Spanish aid, leading to suffering during the siege of Paris.

Page 27

• Resolution of the situation in 1590

  • Spanish army under Duke of Parma forced Henry to break the siege of Paris

  • Henry moved into Normandy, captured Rouen with the help of an English army

• Reasons for Henry becoming king

  • Fear of anarchy and failure to select another king

• Rural uprisings and discontent

  • Peasant revolts due to war taxation and abuse

  • Peasants resisted by not paying rents and taxes

• Urban social tension

  • Power struggle in Paris between radicals and conservatives

  • Conservatives shocked by demands of the Sixteen, leading to conflicts

Page 28

• Struggles within the Sixteen

  • Radicals resorted to public intimidation and violence

  • Politiques hanged for offering concessions to Huguenots

• Failure to select a king

  • Difficulty in choosing a king to replace Henry

  • Cardinal Bourbon chosen but died in 1590

• Henry IV's conversion

  • Converted to Catholicism in 1593

  • Crowned in 1594, accepted by Parlement of Paris

• Acceptance of royal authority

  • Social elites accepted royal authority to end anarchy

  • Town governors declared loyalty to Henry IV

Page 29

• Henry IV's victory

  • Paid off enemies with money, offices, and titles

  • By early 1596, all submitted to Henry except Brittany

• Edict of Nantes (1598)

  • Granted religious toleration to Huguenots

  • Allowed Huguenots to inherit offices and practice their faith

• Provisions of the Edict

  • Three categories of Protestant worship allowed

  • Huguenots could maintain emergency forts at their expense

Page 30

• Secret royal warrants to the Edict of Nantes

  • State funds for pastors and fortified towns

  • Huguenots allowed to maintain emergency forts

• Shortcomings of the Edict

  • Did not place Protestantism on equal footing with Catholicism

  • Restrictions on Huguenot worship and political assemblies

Page 31

• No content available.