Lecture 2 Flashcards
what house did Louis XIV belong to
House of Bourbon
when did Louis XIV reign
1643-1715
what were the nick names of Louis XIV
Louis Le Grand; le Roi-Soleil
what did Louis emphasize
great emphasis on image projection/performance through paintings/sculptures/etc
who were some of the painters of Louis
Charles Le Brun; Hyacinthe Rigaud
who built Palace of Versailles
built by Louis XIII, 1623
what was Palace of Versailles a symbol of
a magnificent symbol of power
who was Louis Le Vau
architect of Versailles
who designed the hall of mirrors
Charles Le Brun;
what was la Chambre du Roi
king’s bedchamber, in the centre was the kings bed
why was la Chambre du Roi important
it was key how to king wielded power through the politics of display
when did Louis come to power
age of 4
what was Versailles
a hunting lodge
who was regency during the early years of Louis’ reign
regency of Anne of Austria; chief minister Cardinal Mazarin
what was going on during Louis’ childhood years
end of Thirty Years War; Peace of Westphalia, 1648; war with Spain, 1635-59; the Fronde, 1648-53; Louis’ personal rule began 1661
what is important about the Fronde, 1648-53
the civil war (la frond) was a failed rebellion, this resulted in emergence of absolute monarchy
why did there have to be others reigning as louis was so young
these wars were expensive and required an army led by strong leaders… but this was al at the time that louis was a child on reign
what were the king’s rituals
Ritual of king’s levée and couchée at Versailles
what did the levée and couchée symbolize
confirmation of his authority over his nobles
prevented nobles from trying to rise to power and attempt to overthrow him
what was the levee
all people in place would get up at dawn and prepare for the king’s levee (rising)
rose in the presence of a select group of wealthy noble men, they wanted to be there as they would get favour of the king
people wanted to help him get dressed and would eventually ask for favours
people would buy tickets to watch him and his morning routine
what was the couchée
bedtime routine
all these helped enforce the image of louis as the Sun King… he rising and setting of him promoted this
when was the age of absolutism
1660-1789
what is absolutism
notion of absolute sovereignty over a territory, subordinating/eliminating alternative sources of power
could do absolutely anything without the approval of anyone (church, parliament, etc)
what ended absolutism
crashing down with the onset of the french revolution
what did Bishop Jacques- Benigne Bossuet say about absolute rulers
absolute ruler should use power for public good; make good use of states resources, protect states from danger, rage war justly…. He was NOT above the law
Louis understood this; just as they honour us, we must protect and honour them
who was Bishop Jacques- Benigne Bossuet
one of the most famous apologists for absolutism
what were Louis’ absolutist measures
Reliance on “new” men Reining in of outer provinces Imposition of religious uniformity Mercantilist measures of Jean-Baptiste Colbert Colonies and wars
what was meant by Reliance on “new” men
(upper bourgeois or noblesse de robe rather than noblesse de l’épée) as, e.g., intendants to administer the 36 generalités; centralization of power
how were the new men appointed
appointed and dismissed by him
this was his was of undercutting the nobility and maintaining absolute power
what are the noblesse de l’épée
the old elite
what are (36) generalités
how france was divided
what is meant by Reining in of outer provinces
(e.g. Brittany, Languedoc, Franche-Comté) and regional parlements; Estates General didn’t meet between 1614 and 1789.
what was the Estates General
he didn’t allow for it to happen
they were the national representatives (the people)
what is Imposition of religious uniformity
persecution of Quietists, Jansensists (Bishop Cornelius Jansen) and Huguenots (revocation of the Edict of Nantes of 1598 in 1685)
what is un roi, une loi, une foi
one king, one law, one faith
what are Huguenots
French protestant of the time
what was Edict of Nantes of 1598 in 1685
the rise of these people had been protected by the Edict
what were the Mercantilist measures of Jean-Baptiste Colbert
road/waterways improvements; tariffs; investment in industry (e.g. Gobelins tapestries); reduction of tax farming; sale of venal offices
what is Mercantilist
governmental regulation of nations economy to increase state power at the expense of rival nations
who was Jean-Baptiste Colbert
finance minister 1664-83
what was tax farming
process that allowed tax colectives to keep hearty amount of the tax they collected
this didn’t last long
what was sale of venal offices
offices of judgeships and such…. all in a way to boost state revenue
short term fix, but in the long run is undermined site beaurocricy
what was Colonies and wars
massive expense on war and colonies led to high indebtedness
nothing could counteract the masses amount of expensive
what were the wars fought under Louis Xiv
Franco-Dutch War (1665-71)
War of the League of Augsburg
War of Spanish Succession
what was the Franco-Dutch War (1665-71)
first major war with Spain over a claim to today’s Belgium
6 years of fighting, france had gained only slithers of land, but his army had grown massively, but the cost of the people was so large
what was bad about the Franco-Dutch War
army expanded to 280,000; tax revolts; resort to new loans
what was the tax revolt
taxation of nobles didn’t really happen, but tax from the poor happened
he needed to borrow money, and ended up at the feet of bankers due to interest and loans
what was War of the League of Augsburg
(Nine Years’ War) (1688-97): France against German states, Dutch Republic, England etc; army of 420,000
what was the War of Spanish Succession
(1701-14): Archduke Charles of Austria (Habsburg) contending with Philip of Anjou (Bourbon) for Spanish throne; compromise gave Philip Spain, Charles territory in Italy and the Netherlands; massive cost and weakening of French state and economy; failure of absolutism
when were there Varieties of governance
in 1714
where were republics
in Switzerland, Venice, Poland-Lithuania, United Provinces
where were autocracies
in Russia, Ottoman Empire, Papal States; constitutional monarchies in GB, Sweden
where were absolutist monarchies
in France, Spain, Austria, Brandenburg-Prussia.
what directly contrasted frances’ way of rule
Contrast of GB with France
what was the Civil War of 1640s
execution of Charles I, 1649
same time as the Frond in France, between parliamentarians and civilians, ended with King dead
how was britain run after the execution of the king
interregnum and rule of Oliver Cromwell
what happened after the rule of Oliver Cromwell
restoration of Charles II, 1660
where was Charles II during his exile
spent exile at court of Louis 14 and wanted to have the same as him, but was unable to implement the powers
when was Glorious Revolution
1688-9
what was the Glorious Revolution
(revolt by Protestant leaders and William of Orange against James II)
what did the Glorious Revolution result in
william was on the thrown with his wife mary
William and Mary as constitutional monarchies, balanced by powerful parliament; Bill of Rights; modernized bureaucracy/tax collection by consent/cheap loans (“Treasury Orders”)–all eventually paved way for GB to eclipse France
why did they want James II gone
a catholic, wanted a catholic dynasty
william of Orange colluded with key english protestants in engljand and threw James off
William gained the thrown
what was in the Bill of Rights
which allowed for their people to vote freely and not to suffer cruel and unusual punishment, could petition their government
what are Treasury Orders
guaranteed by parliament
people were reassured that loans to government were safe and could have low insert rates
