1. Absolutism and LOUIS XIV

2. 17th century was a period of great transition
European climate was getting colder - less food
Governments spent more - mostly on armies and raised taxes on the poor
France and Spain gained control over the papacy
England and Germany establish national churches

3. We see the start of absolutism - rulers with absolute power
They reigned by divine right not like medieval monarchs, by the grace of God

4. They: a) controlled the church b) law courts c) abolished freedoms and liberties d) maintained permanent armies e) used secret police and spies f) established huge bureaucracies focused on the king g) secured the cooperation of the nobility

5. Not total rule because the lacked the resources
But it did foreshadow totalitarianism in 2 respects: i) glorification of the state over all else ii) use of war and expansionism to divert attention from domestic problems
Henry IV and his advisor the Duke of Sully laid the foundations for absolutism in France
It’s important to note the difference in absolute rule and total rule. If confused, research totalitarianism and compare it to absolutism.

6. But the number of taxes actually declined – and revenues increased
Sully: a) revived the paulette tax - a tax on hereditary positions b) started a highway system c) and dreamed of an international organization to keep the peace d) also indirect tax on salt and sales
But the number of taxes actually declined – and revenues increased
Henry and Sully would also sell government offices that conferred nobility.

7. Henry died; Marie de Medici ruled for the boy-king Louis XIII
In 1624 she appointed Cardinal Richelieu her Council of Ministers
Louis XIII was nine years old when Henry was assassinated. Because of this, Marie de Medici ruled in his place.

8. Richelieu’s policy was to weaken the Habsurgs who surrounded France
Richelieu: a) subordinated all offices to the monarchy b) weakened the power of the nobles c) recruited for the army d) supervised tax collection e) checked on nobility f) regulated economic activity
Richelieu’s policy was to weaken the Habsurgs who surrounded France
Richelieu, Louis XIII chief minister, was a politique who placed public order above religious zeal.

9. “raison d’etat” - what is done for the state is done for God
1631 France joins Sweden in the Thirty Years’ War against the Catholics
Richelieu wrote Political Testament which said power is based on revenue
French monarchs couldn’t tax at will so they would never have complete control
“raison d’etat” - what is done for the state is done for God
Third bullet – there’s an example of why absolutism wasn’t totalitarianism
France role in the Thirty Years War helped to advance France’s long term policy of weakening the Habsburg Empire

10. Richelieu persuaded the king to appoint Jules Mazarin as his successor
Richelieu and Louis both died
Queen Anne of Austria (Hapsburg) governs for her son Louis XIV
When Louis XIII dies, Louis XIV is five years old. Cardinal Mazarin is XIV’s chief minister, and Queen Anne rules in place of XIV for a while.
Louis XIII, Anne of Austria, and their son Louis XIV

11. Young Louis XIV
Dapper gent.

12. The war was between the king and the nobility - the frondeurs
Mazarin continues Richelieu’s policies but leads to a civil war - The Fronde ( )
The war was between the king and the nobility - the frondeurs
Violence continued for 12 years and had three significant results: a) government would have to compromise with the nobility b) the economy was ruined and would take years to rebuild c) Louis XIV would never forget the trauma
The Fronde is an often asked item on the AP Exam. With an infant king and a brand new chief minister, nobles led rebellions against the royal authority. This is the Fronde. Louis XIV flees Paris with the increasing violence.
What long term effects will this exposure to threatening violence have on King Louis XIV?

13. Under Louis (Sun King) absolutism reached its height
1661 Mazarin died and Louis took control of the economy
“When Louis sneezed, all Europe caught cold”
Reigned for 72 years
How does Louis XIV childhood experiences define his powerful reign?
*While royal power was absolute, it was not arbitrary. Monarchs MUST obey God’s law, if they did not they would answer to God for their misconduct.

14. Married Maria Theresa because of a diplomatic arrangement with Spain
Had complete control over all classes of society
Ruled from Versailles where he required the nobility to reside for several months each year
60% of revenue was spent on the maintaining of Versailles
How is Louis XIV nickname “The Sun King” an accurate depiction of his reign?

15. Palace of Versailles
How does the extravagance of Versailles represent the reign of Louis XIV.

16. L’ etat c’est moi! “I am the state”
Because he didn’t share his power with Parliament, Henry would boast “L’ etat c’est moi!” or “I am the state”

17. Louis XIV’s Carriage

18. The Bourbon Family Crest

19. L’ ouis XIV as Apollo
by Jean Nocret, 1670

20. The Sun Symbol

21. Marie Theresa & the Dauphin

22. Versailles Statistics
2,000 acres of grounds
12 miles of roads
27 miles of trellises
200,000 trees
210,000 flowers planted every year
80 miles of rows of trees
55 acres surface area of the Grand Canal
12 miles of enclosing walls
50 fountains and 620 fountain nozzles
21 miles of water conduits
3,600 cubic meters per hour: water consumed
26 acres of roof
51,210 square meters of floors
2,153 windows
700 rooms
67 staircases
6,000 paintings
1,500 drawings and 15,000 engravings
2,100 sculptures
5,000 items of furniture and objects d'art
150 varieties of apple and peach trees in the Vegetable Garden

23. Versailles Today

24. Palais de Versailles

25. Palais de Versailles

26. Chateau de Versailles

27. Chateau de Versailles Gardens

28. Fountains, Fountains, and More Fountains!

29. And More Fountains!

30. And More Fountains!

31. And Even More Fountains!!!

32. Temple of Love

33. Hall of Mirrors
We will be talking more about the Hall of Mirrors in the future

34. The King’s Bed
The Queen’s Bed

35. Louis XIV’s Chapel

36. Louis XIV’s Opera Stage

37. Louis XIV Furniture

38. The Gallery of Battles

39. Other monarchs imitated Louis and French replaced Latin as the language of the educated
But his weakness was always finances
He appointed Jean-Baptiste Colbert Controller of Finances

40. Colbert believed the wealth of the country should serve the state
He applied the theory of mercantilism to France
Mercantilism - government policies for the regulation of economic activities by and for the state

41. Colbert sent 4,000 people to Canada
Marquette and Joliet - Mississippi River La Salle - Louisiana

42. Commercial class prospered while agriculture declined
Because of war, bad harvests, deflation of currency, and emigration Colbert’s goals were never attained

43. 1685 Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes
Closed schools, destroyed Protestant churches, and exiled those who would not renounce their faith
“one king, one law, one faith” “un roi, une loi, une foi”
The revocation won Louis enormous praise
How can religious intolerance of Louis XIV hurt the economy of France?
If you’re a Huguenot, are you happy with Louis XIV’s policies?

44. Louis XIV’s Wars Kept France at war for most of his reign
Appointed Marquis de Louvois secretary of State for War
Louvois created a professional army A) feed the troops b) an ambulance corp c) standard weapons and uniforms d) rationalized training e) regulated promotion

45. 1667 Louis invaded Flanders (Belgium) no success
1672 he invaded Holland but the Dutch saved themselves by flooding their land
1681 he seized Strasbourg and parts of Lorraine
1689 William of Orange - king of England
William joined the League of Augsburg, but neither side won
Claude Le Peletier, Colbert’s successor devalued the currency and sold offices and titles to the nobility

46. Between 1688-94 bad harvests sent the price of wheat skyrocketing
The War of Spanish Succession a) old territorial disputes b) dynastic question of Spanish throne

48. 1700 Charles II was king of Spain - he was insane
Charles died in 1700 and left the throne to the grandson of Louis XIV, Philip of Anjou IV
The Dutch and British refused to accept French control of the Spanish colonies and Netherlands
Curious as to whether or not he was insane? Do some outside research.
After Charles died, other European nations feared that Louis could create a universal monarchy between France and Spain.

49. English, Dutch, Austrian, Prussians, and the Italian duchy of Savoy formed the Grand Alliance
Even though they were all fighting the French internal conflicts developed
Two soldiers dominated: Eugene, prince of Savoy representing the HRE John Churchill representing England

50. PEACE OF UTRECHT Philip of Anjou remains king of Spain
Spain and France must never unite
France kept Alsace
France gave Austria the Spanish Netherlands ( became Austrian Netherlands)
France gave England Nova Scotia, Hudson Bay, Newfoundland
France recognizes the Hohenzollern rulers of Prussia
Spain gave England Gibraltar
Spain gave England -asiento- the rights to the slave trade
The Peace of Utrecht kept the peace in Europe for the next thirty years. Don’t spend time studying all of Louis XIV’s wars, instead, focus on the consequences of those wars and the provisions of Utrecht.

51. The Treaty Represented the balance of power principle
Saw the decline of Spain
Saw the rise of the British Empire
Marked the end of French expansionism
The Treaty kept the peace in Europe for the next 30 years. It contributed to the rise of the British Empire and saw the beginning of the decline of the Spanish Empire.

52. French Classicism
Poussin was the greatest classicist painter Rape of the Sabine Women

53. Absolutism and Classicism melded
Art glorified the king
Lully, Couperin, and Charpentier created great orchestral works
Moliere and Racine wrote powerful plays on controversial issues
Les Femmes Savantes - Tartuffe, mocked intelligent women

54. Spanish Decline No middle class Agricultural decline
Population decline
Failure to invest wisely
Intellectual isolation (religious reasons)
Increase in Dutch and English trade with Americas
Americas develop local industries
Increasing royal expenditure

55. 1715 Spain a second-rate power
Several times the king declares bankruptcy and cancels national debt
People dropped out of society or turned to religion
High rents and taxes drove peasants off the land
Philip IV left control to Count-Duke Olivares
Olivares believed in imperialism
Imperialism meant conflict with the Dutch
Wars between the Spanish and Dutch would contribute to the decline of both of those powers by 1713.