21H.912 7.1 France 1500-1789 Introduction: Like English monarchs, France’s monarchs in the centuries before our course begins, consolidated royal power by expanding the king’s domain: war, aid of the Church, and through matrimonial strategies. The French are dealing with population loss from the plague (1348), as well as the aftermath from the 100 Years’ War with England (1337-1453). 16th Century: Between 1521 and 1559, Spain and France went to war four times—or more accurately, the Hapburgs and the Valois monarchs waged war against one another. They were fighting at sea (Mediterranean) and on the continent, esp. in Italy. Francis I (r. 1515-1547) had attempted to compete with Charles V for the crown of the Holy Roman Empire—Charles was able to outbribe him. Francis found a ready ally in Sulayman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire (r. 1520-1566) to confront Charles with a 2-front war. The Turks reach the outermost limit of European expansion with their unsuccessful siege of Vienna in 1529 (they will try again unsuccessfully in 1683). Early in his reign—on the eve of the Reformation--Francis came to an understanding with the papacy in the Concordat of Bologna. This agreement gave French monarchs certain significant rights on choosing French bishops, as well as economic aid. Thus, French monarchs will control Church policy within France. Thus, French monarchs will have a vested interest in Catholicism. Francis and his son Henry II (r. 1547-1559) spend huge sums of money on palaces and on importing the Italian Renaissance to France. Between the two of them, they rebuild the Louvre, acquire the Mona Lisa, build the Dreux and Tuileries palaces. Calvinism spreads among reform-minded clergy, the bourgeoisie, and some artisans early on, and among the nobility in the latter part of the century. South has the largest Calvinist population. Henry II dies young—succeeded by 3 young weak sons, the first of which, Francis II, rules for only 17 months (r.1559-60). The second son, Charles IX (r. 1560-1574), was dominated by his Florentine mother Catherine de Medici. Henry II’s third son Henry III (r. 1574-89) was more intelligent than his predecessors, but he alternated his time between his male lovers and in repenting for his sins—he too was dominated by his mother Catherine. France is faced with weak leadership during a time of religious upheaval—eight wars of religion between 1562 and 1598. Catherine, who had initially opted for a more tolerant approach, panicked and carried out the Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572. Henry III died without an heir. This is no surprise since he was young and more concerned with his gay lovers. He was assassinated by a radical friar in 1589. The closest heir is Henry of Navarre (IV) (r. 1589-1610), who is Calvinist and decides to convert to Catholicism to preserve his kingship—he felt that tolerant Catholicism was the best road for France, saying “Paris is worth a Mass.” He enacts the Edict of Nantes in 1598 encouraging toleration—devotion to monarch rather than religion. Henry IV spreads his royal power via sale of offices (as discussed in class). 17th Century: Henry IV is assassinated by a fanatical monk, and once again France is left with a young king, Louis XIII (r. 1610-1643)—Queen mother Marie de Medici—yes yet another regent from the famous Florentine family. She seeks an alliance with Spain and appoints Cardinal Richelieu to the Council of Ministers—he is the architect of French absolutism. Marie still has to rely on the Estates General—she is the one who calls theminto session in 1614, the last time before 1789. She surrenders power to her son in 1617, who still had Richelieu as an advisor. Between 1618 and 1648 much of continental Europe was involved in the 30 Years’ War. What started out as a revolt of Protestant nobility against an unflinching Catholic HRE ends up as an international conflict. Interestingly enough, France enters on the side of the Protestants—it was more important to confront Habsburgs than it was to confront Protestantism. France’s placement of political objectives above religious ones garnered it the leading position in continental affairs. This conflict closes a century of wars of religion. Between 1642/43, both Richelieu and Louis die, and young Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715) takes the throne. His mother Anne of Austria (a Habsburg who is more culturally Spanish) appoints Mazarin as regent. Louis rules in his own right in 1661—refer to notes from class—I will discuss here only what was not already mentioned in class. One way in which Louis XIV carried out centralization was from his policy of “one law, one faith, one king” [it sounds better in French since it rhymes]. He revokes the Edict of Nantes in 1685. Louis XIV was quite the ladies’ man, despite his diminutive stature (only 5’4”). He married a Spanish princess (for political reasons in 1660), but he had numerous other mistresses. Apparently after his wife’s death in 1683, he secretly married one of his mistresses and became less of a philanderer. With respect to foreign policy, France had come out a winner in the 30 Years’ War, and thus it was able to confront the Spanish and the Dutch between 1660s and 80s—Louis uses his marriage to Marie Therese to make territorial claims in NE Europe. War was a means of Louis keeping his population unified—by the late 1680s he had stepped on too many toes and a coalition formed against him headed by William of Orange (now William III of England), the HRE, Spain, the United Provinces, and a few assorted German princes. Louis’s finances are stretched—makes an uneasy peace in 1697—continues to fight England in NW. A further crisis arises when the mentally defective (and terribly in-bred), impotent (therefore childless) Spanish King Charles II died in 1700. His mental and physical conditions were well-known secrets, to the point where his two brother in laws, Louis XIV and the HRE had already agreed to divide his holdings in 1698. Nevertheless, the King willed the crown to Louis XIV’s grandson Philip of Anjou, and Louis reneged on the treaty, sent his grandson to Spain with a slew of French ministers; but he had to agree to the fact that the crown of France and Spain were not united. Fighting between the French, English, Dutch, Austrians, and Prussians continued until 1713, with the Peace of Utrecht. France was allowed to keep Philip on the throne—without united