The Rise of Louis XIV

Young Louis XIV with his brother, Philippe, and their governess

Henry IV and Sully: 1589-1610

• Review: Henry of Navarre issued Edict of Nantes (1598) to pacify French Wars of Religion

• Royal intendents supervised nobles to keep them in line with royal policy and end sinecures

• Sully– Established state monopolies– Began a canal system– Introduced royal corvée tax

(labor) to create a national force of drafted workers

• Although much loved as a kind, compassionate king, he was assassinated 1610: stabbed by assassin who believed Henry had betrayed Catholic majority

Assassination of Henry IV (“of Navarre”)

Louis XIII and Richelieu: 1610-1643

• Louis XIII only 9 years old: shrewd Cardinal Richelieu appointed as adviser

• Balanced Catholic and Protestant powers adjacent to France to secure borders

• Centralizing policies were effective, but created resentment

– Stepped up the campaign against separatist provincial governors and parlements

– Only one law existed: disobedient nobles executed or imprisoned

– Weakened Edict of Nantes by removing political privileges of Huguenots

– Replaced local authorities with “state” agents

– Reduced local sources of patronage, thereby weakening local nobles

• King during much of 30YW

Young Louis XIV and Mazarin: 1643-1715

• 1643: Louis XIV only 5 years old: Unpopular Italian Cardinal Mazarin appointed as adviser

• 1649: Uncle (in-law) Charles executed in England

• 1649-1652 The Fronde: – backlash led by Paris parlement against centralizing royal policies

– Chaos and near anarchy: regional parlements competed for power

– Louis fled for a few months, then returned to power

• Louis learned dangers of heavy-handed politics

The Mature Louis XIV

• Master of propaganda and creation of a successful royal image

• Ensured that nobles would benefit from his growth of national authority

• Never limited nobles’ local authority

• Worked with regional parlements, except often for Paris

• Divine right rule: allegedly said “L’etat, c’est moi”

Louis XIV and Versailles

• Versailles created new model for royal head of state, removed from Paris

– Opulent non-fortified model ensured that mimicking nobles would lose fortifications

– Provided setting for cult of personality, where nobles competed for his attention

– Created culture in which only physically present nobles could compete

– Provided rituals and finery to entertain nobles, while government took place w/o them

– (Fountains were powered by water from Seine elevated by waterwheels into tanks, but only when the king looked at them)

• Councils of appointed non-nobles ran economy, military, foreign affairs, etc

– Daily meetings, much like today’s CEOs or presidents with their cabinets

– Non-noble backgrounds of councilors: entirely dependent on Louis

Policies of Louis XIV

• Revoked Edict of Nantes: unify France under Catholicism

• Achieve secure international boundaries for France

– Spanish Netherlands

– Eastern French border with HRE

– Southern border with Spain

• Colbert: controller general of finances

– Tightly managed economy, including imports, exports, taxes, nationalized industries, tariffs, and simplified bureaucracy

– Increased the taille direct tax on peasantry

– Mercantilism: increase exports, decrease imports, expand colonies, amass bullion

Louis XIV, portrayed as blessed by angels

Louis XIV and Louvois

• Louvois, war minister• Soldiering became

respectable: good salaries, improved discipline

• Promotion by merit• Intendents monitored

army nationally• Army became publicly

supported, as its discipline grew and it ceased threatening populace

Louvois giving commands

Conclusions

• Louis XIV expanded powers of national government through – personal cleverness and

strength of personality

– administrative efficiency built on previous regimes

– dependence on intelligent advisors

• Versailles lifestyle, cooperation with parlements, and support of local government– Co-opted nobles into his

increase in national authority

– Weakened nobility’s power to resist him militarily

– Prevented consolidation of any types of national resistance

Louis XIV and Moliere