Download france and the construction of the absolute monarchy

FRANCE AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ABSOLUTE MONARCHY
I.
French monarchy emerged from the Hundred Years’ War (1453) stronger
A. Monarchy gained in prestige due to French victory
B. Joan of Arc had made following King Charles VII a matter of state and religion
C. Gabelle (salt tax) and taille (land tax) gave French monarchy _______________________
D. Estates General ___________ to emerge as ___________ -____________ (as Parliament in
England)
1. Three “estates” of France:
2. Any _________ ________ could combine to make law: Clergy and nobility usually combined
3. What view did the bourgeoisie have of the estates? Did they want a strong or weak monarchy?
4. Commoners saw Estates General as a tool of power by the feudal nobility
5. French kings saw the Estates General as a _______ ______ _________ ________ and it
seldom met
E. __________ ____________ under control of the monarchy emerged under Louis XI (r. 1461-83)
II. French monarchy was strengthened through the rule of Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francis I
A. Royal administration, financial support increased and national army strengthened
B. Supported the growth of humanistic scholarship in France, most notably François Rabelais, Michel
de Montaigne and Leonardo da Vinci
C. France began to challenge the Empire and Spain for dominance
1. Charles VIII invaded Italy (1494) upsetting balance of power
2. Francis I (reigned 1547-1559) challenged the power of Charles V on a wide front
a. Why did Charles V present a threat to the French? ______________________________
b. What were the series of wars called fought between French/Spanish?
______________________. They did fight during French Wars of Religion
3. Signing of Treaty of Cateau Cambresis, 1559
a. Ended Habsburg-Valois Wars
b. France admitted to Spanish claims in the Netherlands and Italy
c. Rivalry and war would begin again after ___________ took throne
4. Battles between Valois and Bourbons of France and Habsburgs of Spain and Austria would
continue until 1659
a.
Culmination of struggle between France and Habsburgs would be
______________________________
b. France would lead anti-Habsburg coalition
i.
France would finance anti-Habsburg, Protestant side
ii. France would enter the Thirty Years’ War in 1635
iii. Fighting between France and Habsburg Spain would continue after the Peace of
Westphalia, 1648, until the defeat of Spain in 1659
iv. Defeat of Spain and loss of Spanish power symbolized by Peace of the Pyrenees, 1659,
bringing the marriage of King Louis XIV of France and Maria Theresa, the infanta of
Spain
III. Weak kings and religious wars weakened the monarchy, 1547-1589
A. Henry II (reigned 1547-1559)
1. Weak king following strong Francis I allowed ____________________
2. Persecuted _______________ and brought ____________ and _____________
3. Many in nobility became Protestants (Huguenots) _________________ from the king
a. Almost 50% of nobility became Huguenots
b. Only about 10% of population at large were Protestants
B. Early death of Henry II brought his 3 sons to power before they were mature
C. Monarchy dominated by Catherine de Médicis (1519-1589), wife of Henry II (married, 1533) and
mother of Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III
1. Catherine was unpopular, _____________-born, devout Catholic
2. Served as ___________ for each of her sons who became king before adulthood
D. Three sons of Henry II (Francis II (r. 1559-60), Charles IX (r. 1560-74) and Henry III (r. 1574-89))
were dominated by their mother, Catherine de Medici, unpopular Italian
1. Francis II (r. 1559-1560), came to throne at age 15, mentally ill, died after very short reign of
injuries
2. Charles IX (r. 1560-1574), came to throne at age of 10, dominated by mother and approved the
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
3. Henry III (r. 1574-1589), came to throne at age 13, assassinated at end of War of the Three
Henrys
E. Religious warfare between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots) devastated France, 1562-89
SEE NOTES ON FRENCH WARS OF RELIGION
IV. Reign of Henry IV (1589-1610)
A. Henry IV is regarded as one of France’s most ________ and ___________ monarchs
B. France ________________ from devastation of the religious wars
C. Henry came to the throne after years of religious civil war, 1562-1589
D. Henry __________ to Catholicism, 1593, to bring peace to France
E. Many members of the nobility followed him and converted to Catholicism
F. Edict of Nantes issued, 1598, effectively granting religious toleration to Protestants in France
1. Huguenots were granted the right to practice their Protestant religion
2. Huguenots received the right to fortify their towns for protection from Catholics
C. Domestic policies of Henry IV improved France after decades of religious warfare
1. Chose Duke de Sully as his chief minister
a. Sully was a very able administrator, and a ______________.
b. Why was Sully not popular with the Nobility?
2. Henry IV and Sully used _____________ to strengthen French economy and nation
a. ______________ took the responsibility for improving France and the French economy
b. Policies stimulated French commerce, agriculture, and industry
c. Roads, canals built and swamps drained using _________________
d. New ______________ methods introduced; new industries established
3. Finances were greatly improved under Sully: The ____________ showed a surplus by Henry's
death in 1610
4. Law and order was re-established under __________________
5. Nobility and its power in the provinces was ______________
D. Henry's childless marriage to Margaret (daughter of Henry II and Catherine de Medici) was
annulled in 1599; married Marie de Medici, 1600
E. Henry IV was _____________, 1610, by Francois Ravaillac, Catholic fanatic
V. Marie de Medici became regent upon Henry IV’s death (Louis XIII was 9 years old)
A. TRUE or FALSE: Marie de Medici continued the policies of Henry IV and was a good regent
B. Marie appointed Concino Concini as first minister replacing Sully
1. Concini was ___________ by the French as a ____________ Italian
2. How were the finances of France affected during this time period?
3. Marie arranged an unpopular marriage between her son Louis XIII and Anne of Austria by
treaty with Spain
C. __________________ had to be summoned to repair the financial mess, 1614
1. Estates-General __________, showing this group’s _________ to solve problems
a. _________________ wanted reduction of tax burden
b. First and Second Estates wanted ______________ and the Huguenots suppressed
c. What are the inherent issues with how the Estates-General is constructed?
2. Estates-General will not meet again until ___________
D. Marie takes notice of member of __________ (clergy), Jean Armand du Plessis de Richelieu,
Bishop of Luçon
1. Richelieu remained at court to become a ____________
2. Richelieu became a ___________ and a member of the ____________, 1622
3. Cardinal Richelieu was named _____________, 1624
4. What did Louis XVIII recognize about Richelieu?
5. As First minister, Richelieu was the ___________________, 1624-1642
6. Reign of Louis XIII is actually the rule of Richelieu
VI.
Richelieu's "raison d'etat": ______________________________________________________
A. Fortified cities of the Huguenots were a threat to the monarch's absolute power
1. Huguenots were ordered _________________________
2. La Rochelle, the leading Huguenot city, was besieged and others cities were attacked
3. Peace of Alais, 1629, brought very generous terms
a.
b.
4. Most Huguenots became _________________ of Louis XIII due to the generous terms of
Richelieu
5. TRUE or FALSE: Huguenots were allowed to serve in government/military
B. Cardinal Richelieu worked _____________________________
1. Richelieu ordered the _______________ of all fortifications not necessary to the
________________
2. Castles of the noble’s _________________ were destroyed by French army
3. Nobility's ___________ of Richelieu grew; he survived several ____________ attempts
C. Richelieu improved government efficiency with his "intendant" system
1. France was divided into 30 districts, each controlled by an ________________
2. The Intendant reported _____________________
3. The intendant replaced the _________________ in these local areas and served to lessen
_________________
D. Richelieu's economic policies had moderate success
1. Mercantilism was practiced: Richelieu negotiated trade agreements with Denmark, Russia, and
Sweden
2. What were the two primary reasons for taxes going higher during his tenure?
E. Richelieu promoted spectacle and splendor to glorify the monarchy as the symbol of all France
1. Established the French Academy to __________ and ____________ the French language
2. Richelieu encouraged Louis' attendance to ceremony and other public appearances
3. Tried to promote the growth in ____________ as a result of the ___________ in the eyes of
the peasants and the ______________
F. French (Richelieu's) foreign policy: to break power of the Habsburgs (of Austria and Spain) over
Europe
1. Habsburg lands surround France
2. Richelieu maneuvered to weaken the Habsburgs through war, directly and indirectly
3. Richelieu ____________ other nations to war against the Habsburgs
a. Protestant side that opposed the Habsburgs in Thirty Years' War: Protestant German
princes, the Dutch in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden
b. ____________ and ___________ the Ottoman Turks that threatened the Austrian Habsburgs
from the Balkans
4. France entered the Thirty Years' War in 1635 only when the ________________________ and
the Danes and Swedes could no longer carry on the war without help
5. France entered the war on the _______________ side demonstrating Richelieu's placing of
national interests above religious interests
6. Richelieu died in 1642 naming ____________________ his hand-picked and personallytrained successor
7. Cardinal Mazarin would negotiate the __________________ ending the Thirty Years’ War and
the __________________ with Spain leaving France as Europe's supreme power
8. _______________ would inherit the _______________ monarchy constructed by Cardinal
Richelieu and Cardinal Mazarin