What were the characteristics

of absolute monarchy in the

17th and 18th centuries?

Age of

Absolutism

1600 – 1715

What led to the

Rise of Absolutism?Policies and centralization of the “new

monarchies”Internal chaos and conflict caused by religious wars in France, Germany, etc. Interstate competition states’ needed a strong central gov’t in order to survive!!!Middle-class support for a strong stateDecline in noble political/economic power

Characteristics of Absolute Monarchy

hereditary rule

weakening of noble

powersroyal

control of finances & taxes

royal standing

armycentralize

d royal bureaucra

cyemphasis on royal

“Grandeur”royal

control of religious

authorities

Divine Right

Age of

Louis XIV

Louis XIVLived 1638 – 1715

r. 1642 – 1715Bourbon DynastyAssumed full power in 1661“the Sun King”Best example of absolute monarchyGolden Age of French power and culture

Before Louis:

Cardinal Richelieu Power behind the throne – Prime Minister for Louis XIII

Expanded royal power Attacked noble privileges,

forced nobles out of power Reduced autonomy of

Huguenots (example – Siege of La Rochelle)

Made France Europe’s #1 power

Set the stage for absolutism

Before Louis:

Cardinal Mazarin Richelieu’s hand-picked successor

Italian origins Continued Richelieu’s

policies Governed for Louis XIV

w/ his mother, Anne of Austria

Policies angered French nobles major rebellion

The Fronde

1647 – 1653Major rebellion of French nobles and citiesLed by “nobles of the sword” – ancient noble families

Caused by anti-noble royal policies and war weariness

Threatened royal powerEventually failed due to infighting among rebel factions

Defeat crippled noble power for 100 yrs. stronger king

The Fronde

The Fronde

Louis XIV:

Shared power with Mazarin until…Mazarin died in 1661Louis assumes FULL power over the gov’tNever appoints a new Prime Minister

The Early Years

Absolutism of

Louis XIVCentralized GovernmentRuled through Councils of State • Comprised of talented royal appointees• Each responsible for a key area of gov’t, answered

to LouisIntendants: royal officials that enforced royal laws in the provinces, collected taxes, raised troopsRoyal Bureaucracy: royal officials appointed by Louis that administered the gov’t (military, colonies, taxes, finance, etc.)Firmer control of towns/cities reduced privileges, appointed town officials, posted military garrisons in key cities

Louis’ Government

Council of War

Council of Colonies

Council of

Finance

Council of

Foreign Affairs Provi

ncial IntendantsLoca

l Officials

Professional

Royal Army

Royal Bureaucracyroyal appointees and venal office holders

Colonial

Governors

Tax Collecto

rs Customs Officials

Ambassadors

Louis XIV in a Council of

State

Absolutism of

Louis XIVLegislative PowersLouis had the theoretical right to make laws (royal edicts)But…all laws had to be “registered” by 13 regional parlements in order to take effectThis REALLY annoyed Louis

Absolutism of

Louis XIVWhat’s a parlement?High courts of appeal in charge of criminal and civil cases; controlled

by nobles who either bought or inherited their judgeship – before a royal edict took effect it had to

be “registered” by the parlement – checked the king’s lawmaking

powers

Parlement of Paris

Parlements

Throughout France

In 1673, at the height of his power, Louis ordered the Parlement of Paris to register laws first, then complainWeakened parlements ended a check on his law-making power Reduced power of provincial estates – made royal powers more uniform across France

Absolutism of

Louis XIVI AM THE STATE

Absolutism of

Louis XIVWeakening the NobilityLouis feared the great noble familiesWorked to control the nobility Gave nobles privileges, tax exemptions Sold noble titles to loyal supporters Noble dominated gov’t posts made

ceremonial Elaborate court life & ceremony =

distraction Palace of Versailles

Absolutism of

Louis XIVPalace of VersaillesBuilt b/t 1669 & 1686Louis moved in – 1683Peak of Baroque styleConstant parties, ceremony, gambling, etc.50,000 residents (10,000 nobles)Entertained & sequestered the nobility

Absolutism of

Louis XIVPalace of Versailles10,000 key nobles were “encouraged” to live at Versailles Louis could watch themShowed off royal power/wealthCenter of court lifeElaborate ceremony emphasized royal powerCourtly life distracted nobles Phony court titles for nobles in place of real political power played nobles off against each other

Versailles

Versailles

Versailles

Versailles

Versailles

Versailles

Absolutism of

Louis XIVJustifying AbsolutismPaternalism – “father of his nation”Royal Grandeur – ceremony separates the king from everyone else, shows his powerDivine Right of Kings

Bishop Jacques BossuetRight to rule from God thru hereditary monarchyBased on Christian & Roman ideas on kingship

Royal Grandeur

Royal Grandeur

Royal Grandeur

The Sun King

Major Policies: Economic

PolicyBased on MERCANTILIST ideasJean-Baptiste Colbert: mercantilist & main economic advisor Improved tax collection + efficient gov’t/less expenses = big revenues for monarchyState-run industries & state monopoliesFounded colonies to improve tradeExpanded navy to protect tradeBuilt internal improvements: canals, roads

Jean-Baptiste ColbertFavored

mercantilismGoal: self-sufficiencyBuilt up French navy – 1st step to trade & coloniesBuilt harbors, naval bases, arsenalsEncouraged art & science Paris Observatory Royal Academy of

ScienceReduced royal debts & added new revenues – funded Louis’ army & wars

A New Navy

Royal Academy of Science

Canal du Languedoc

Colbert’s Canals

Colonial Expansion

Quebec City 1700

Major Policies: Religious

Policy Resented and undermined Huguenots’ autonomy

Revocation of the Edict of Nantes 1685 Demands ALL French subjects MUST be

Catholic Forbid Protestant worship, forced baptism Churches, schools closed, burned

200K Huguenots fled to Protestant states: many were merchants blow to French economy

Louis looked like a Catholic tyrant hurt France’s reputation across Europe

Edict of Nantes Just Been Revoked

Persecution of the

Huguenots

Huguenot Migration

Louis XIV’s Persecution

of the Huguenots…More and more Louis tried to impose uniformity in religious affairs. In the 1680s he intensified persecution of Protestants; his actions made the Edict of Nantes nothing but a scrap of paper. Finally in 1685 he declared that the majority of French Protestants had been converted to Catholicism and that therefore there was no need for the edict. It was revoked. Now Louis launched a reign of terror. He refused to allow French Protestants to leave the country. He promised that those who remained could worship privately, free of persecution, but never kept the promise. Their churches were torn down, their gatherings forbidden, their children made to attend mass. The Waldensians in Savoy were massacred, and six hundred Protestants “caught making assemblies” were executed. Perhaps 250,000 fled abroad to escape persecution…

Effect of the Revocation…Recent studies have concluded that the

economic damage done to France by the Huguenot emigration has been overrated, it being only one element in the larger damage caused by the wars. Of the political damage, however, there is no question. The flood of anti-French pamphlets and satires issued by Huguenot printers and their friends in all the cities where they settled aroused antagonism to France to new heat. The Protestant coalition against France was strengthened when Brandenburg entered into alliance with Holland, and the smaller German principalities joined. In France itself the Protestant faith was reinvigorated by persecution and the feud with Catholics revived. A prolonged revolt of the Camisard Huguenots in the Cévennes, a mountainous region of the south, brought on a cruel war of repression, weakening the state. Here and among other Huguenot communities which remained in France, a receptive base was created for the Revolution…

Major Policies: Military Policy Makes major

military reforms Professional army

with better officers Less reliance on

mercenaries Standardized

weapons, uniforms, training, equipment

Peaks at 300K soldiers

Europe’s best army

Major Policies: Foreign Policy Louis’ MAIN FOCUS

Three Basic Goals: Natural frontiers (Alps,

Pyrenees, Rhine) Continental dominance: make

France Europe’s #1 power Dynastic Ambitions: make the

Bourbons #1, stick it to the Habsburgs

Used war to achieve goals after 1667

“Natural Frontiers”

RHINE RIVER

PYRENEES MTNS.THE ALPS

SPANISH NETHERLANDS

SUCCESSES• Strong absolute monarchy• Royal control of law and administration• More efficient centralized government• Weakened political power of French nobility• Golden Age of French arts – Palace of

Versailles, plays of Moliere & Racine• Expanded French territory• France become Europe’s strongest power• French language and culture dominated

Europe• Growth of French colonial empire/navy

FAILURES• Massive debt, high taxes• Non-participatory government• Discontented bourgeoisie and peasants• Large numbers of pensions for nobles• Pointless government jobs b/c of

venality• Growth of tax exempt, useless nobility• Religious persecutions• France was hated by many European

powers French isolation• Growth of English power