missing information Flashcards
course of the dutch war?
Good:
- crossed the Rhine capturing 40 Dutch towns
- gained Franche Comte and its capital Besancon
- Vauban captured Maastricht in just 25 days
Bad:
- Louis rejected Conde’s offer to capture Amsterdam (gloire)
- then rejected generous peace terms of the De Witt government, making impossible demands that meant they had no choice but to keep fighting
- they opened dykes flooding land between Amsterdam and ending all French hopes of capturing it
- William then overthrew De Witt’s government and boosted Dutch defence
- the French could not bring about a decisive defeat and drained their finances, in a negative bank balance the beginning of the war
- they also seemed overly aggressive leaving civilian refugees that meant they lost their allies (Munster, Cologne and England) and the Dutch gained allies (Leopold, Lorraine and Spain)
- Turenne killed by a stray cannon ball and Conde had to retire because of gout
what land did the policy of reunions particularly focus on?
territories on the north eastern border with the spanish netherlands
overview of the buildup the nine years war?
1687: demand reunions becomes permanent French territory and seizes Avignon
1688: Cologne archbish, three demands (reunions gains, palatinate compensation and furstenburg), when not granted invades cologne and palatinate
1688-89: glorious rev
1689: 6000 troops to James in Boyne
1689-90: French aggression in palatinate (Mannheim destroyed and 20 major towns razed to ground including Worms)
1690: bullies Savoy who joins grand alliance
what went to who in the first partition treaty?
Joseph: Iberian Spain, Spanish Netherlands, Spanish colonies and Sardinia
Charles: Milan
Louis: Sicily, Naples, Tuscany and towns north of the Pyrenees
what went to who in the second partition treaty?
Charles: Spain and all overseas territories
Lorrain: Milan
Philip: apparently Lorraine (?) and all Italian lands except Milan
agreed June 1699 and ratified in March 1700 in the treaty of London
aggravating actions from Louis in the buildup to the war of spanish succession after the two partition treaties?
1700-1701
- announced Philip would retain his claim to the french throne, registered by parlement
- sent French troops to occupy Dutch garrisons violating the terms of ryswick
- ordered Philip to grant the asiento (right to import slaves) to the french guinea company
- bought the right for trade companies to trade in the spanish empire which the english had wanted for themselves
- published an edict that banned most english goods and taxed the rest
- treaty of the hague sees formation of the second grand alliance with the goal of preventing the union of France and Spain
- only nine days after Louis recognises James III, son of James II, as king of England violating the terms of Ryswick
overview of the course of the nine years war?
- grand alliance weakened
- France never successfully invaded due to strong military command (Luxembourg, Vendome, Vauban, Noailles)
- France still unable to achieve a decisive victory and all sides consider coming to a peace agreement
how was the grand alliance weakened?
- it lacked a unified command
- Sweden and Denmark withdrew in 1691
- France bribed Savoy to withdraw in 1696
what French generals were there in the nine years war?
Luxembourg
Noialles
Vendome
Vauban
what were Luxembourg’s successes in the nine years war?
1693: defeated William at Neerwinden that left him defending his policies in parliament
what were Vendome’s successes in the nine years war?
1697: took Barcelona forcing Spain out of the war with losses 97% higher than France’s
what were vauban’s successes in the nine years war?
1691: captured Mons
1692: captured Namur
what were Noailles’ successes in the nine years war?
1694: captured Ter, Palamos and Girona
what caused all sides to want to reach a peace agreement in the nine years war?
French setbacks:
- by 1695 France was financially exhausted
- the last great general Luxembourg died 1695
- Villeroi replaced him and lived up to his reputation as incompetent and lost Namur in the Spanish Netherlands in 1695
- France also found that Vauban’s fortifications were not impregnable
Allied setback:
- William’s capture of Namur strengthened his reputation but brought not major breakthrough and lost lots of troops
- the allies were facing setbacks at sea and in the New World
what happened at sea during the nine years war?
- no side was able to dominate
- Louis’ navy had some initial success such as the 1690 battle of beachy head against the british and dutch in which he gained temporary control of the English channel
- but the french navy was defeated at La Hague in 1692
what happened in North America during the Nine Years War?
successes:
- the governor general of France constantly raided English settlements
- the battle of Fort Loyal in 1690 killed over 200 English colonists
setbacks:
- but the French failed to capture their target of Boston
- the British captured Port Royal, the French capital of Nova Scotia
what happened in the caribbean in the nine years war?
- French progress in the carribbean was initially disappointing but they made gains from 1694
- Du Casse captured Jamaica in 1694
- they seized Spanish treasure fleets with 90,000 silver pesos and over 1 million livres worth of cacao
what happened in India in the nine years war
in 1693 19 Dutch ships forced France to surrender Pondicherry
overview of Blenheim?
1704
- led to 20,000 French casualties
- France lost impression of invincibility
- Cevennes revolt deprived them of another 20,000 and Villars
overview of Malplaquet
1706
- Malborough seized Menin fortified by Vauban
- Villeroi’s poor leadership led to 12,000 French casualties
- Eugene of Savoy led siege of Turin leading to loss of Italy
overview of 1707
- Austrians stood on French soil after besieging Toulons
- lost key French fortresses like Pavia and Milan
- Villars managed to break the supposedly impregnable allied lines at Stollhofen without casualties
overview of Oudenaarde
1708
- Louis’ army saw 5000 desertions and 15,000 casualties, more than triple the allied total
- they captured Lille and expelled french forces from almost all the spanish netherlands
overview of Ramillies
1709
- Malborough successfully captured Mons but his troops were left too weak to move past it with 25% of his force killed
- allied greed led to the rejection of the peace Louis had wanted since 1706 and made unreasonable asks so he had no choice but to keep fighting
a pyrrhic victory
what happened in 1710
- sweeping victories ended the allied threat in spain permanently
- the tories came to government with the aim of ending the costly war
what happened in 1711
- Joseph died, Charles undermined the allied aims which softened attitudes towards coming to a peace agreement
- malborough was accused of pursuing the war for his own gain by the tories and sacked
what were the five reasons for French downturn in the war of spanish succession from 1704 to 1709?
- military losses caused by poor tacticians
- good allied leadership
- loss of allies
- poor french finances
- the harsh 1708 winter and the subsequent famine
what were the three reasons for French resurgence from 1709?
- impossible peace terms that forced Louis to keep fighting
- french military successes
- allied setbacks
all Jansenist dates?
1661 - harsher stance taken
1665 - Regiminis Apostolici
1667 - Alex dies replaced by Clem
1668 - Peace of the Church
1668-77 - Jansenists are annoying
1677 - edict to suppress Jansenism by Louis
1679 - long term supporters die
in 1661 what are the harsher measures Louis uses to root out Jansenism?
- banned new nuns
- expelled scholars
- made all French clergy sign a formulary against Jansenism
- imposed Jesuit doctrines
what did Regiminis Apostolici say?
- declared Jansenist propositions in augustinus to be heretical
- 200 men and police officers sent to port royal to enforce compliance
what did the peace of the church say?
- gave jansenists the right to respectful silence
- withdrew armed guards
- permitted the nuns to live and teach freely
how did Jansenists annoy Louis from 1668-77
- port royal produced anti-jesuit literature
- it was two jansenist bishops who opposed the regale
what did Louis’ edict against Jansenism say in 1677?
the nunnery was ordered to reduce its members to only 50 women
what happens under Innocent XI pre-1685?
the regale and four gallican articles:
- extension of the regale (right to collect revenue from empty dioceses originally only in northern france)
- Louis deprives the two jansenist bishops who opposed it of their revenues
- Inn threatens to excommunicate
- Louis published the four gallican articles in 1682
Louis refuses to help:
- defend Christendom in Vienna from Ottoman attack, putting dynastic rivalry above the defence of the christian faith
dates of Jansenism post-1685?
1690 Alex VIII
1693 Vineam Domini
1694 Innocent XII condemns
1703 Cum Nuper
1709 exhumation thing
1713 Unigenitus by Clement XI
what does Alexander VIII do in 1690 against Jansenists?
condemns 31 of their propositions
what did Vineam Domini say in 1693?
- by Innocent XII
- condemned Jansenist respectful silence from the Peace of the Church
what did Innocent do against Jansenists in 1694?
- condemned all five propositions from the peace of the church thereby invalidating it
port royal also weakened due to the death of many of its nuns (75% of originals had died) the rest were in their 50s
what did Cum Nuper do in 1703?
- opposed by Parlement President de Harlay and Pontchartrain who resisted Louis’ lettres des cachets ordering acceptance of the condemnation
what happened in 1709 regarding Jansenists?
- Quesnel published papers saying Jansenism was not subordinate to any pope, bishop or king
- Louis invited papal condemnation and sent in a new abbess
- when the nuns refuse to accept her he sent 300 archers and some polices officers to arrest and disperse them, destroy buildings and exhume 3000 corpses (actions as seen as immoral e.g. cutting up limbs to fit in travel containers)
what were French relations with the papacy like post-1685?
issues:
- Innocent not impressed with the revocation
- Issues over French diplomatic asylum
- buildup to the nine years war
reconciliation:
- death of Innocent XI
- increasingly alienating others and instead siding with the pope
why was innocent not impressed with the revocation?
‘christ never used soldiers to convert’
resented the extension of the regale and the four gallican articles
would rather Louis focused on fighting the Turks
what issues were there over French diplomaitc asylum post-1685?
- Leopold removed French embassy immunity from 1662 Corsican guards incident
- Louis dispatched the Marquise de Lavardin withe several hundred men to fortify the embassy
- the pope publicly excommunicated Lavardin and secretly informed Louis that he and all his ministers had also been excommunicated
- Louis responded by accusing the pope of Francophobia and persuading Leopold to invade France
what did Louis do with the death of Innocent XI?
- saw it as an opportunity for reconciliation with the papacy
- restored Avignon, withdrew the Gallican articles and compromised over the regale
- avoided total ultramontanism by still allowing the gallican articles to be taught and kept the regale income
how did Louis alienate others and instead side with the pope?
- accepted clement’s bull ‘vineam domini’ in 1693
- then accepted Clement’s 1703 ‘cum nuper’, appalling Harlay and Pontchartain
- then accepted the 1713 Unigenitus that condemend all 101 propositions and instead
Unigenitus was opposed by:
- 15 bishops
- Paris archbishop Noailles
- nearly half the Sorbonne’s theologians
- chancellor Pontchartrain who resigned
how long was the canal at Versailles?
1,500 metres
how many fountains at Versailles?
over 1000
how many sculptures at Versailles
300
how did Louis champion plays?
Moliere compared Louis to Apollo and Neptune
when was the speech writing competition to praise the king?
in 1671
when was the pleasures of the enchanted island fete
1664
when was the grand carousel?
1662
who was the italian scientist at Louis’ court
Cassini
first accurate measurement from the earth to the sun
discovered Jupiter’s big red spot
what was Colbert’s role in gloire?
- established the academies opera, music, dance, architecture and founded the Gobelins
- he met academies every Tuesday and Friday
who was Maintenon’s father
a crippled comedy author
what was Maintenon’s role at court before marrying Louis?
governess to the illegitimate childresn of Madame de Montespan
how did the Duc de Saint Simon and Liselotte criticise Maintenon?
- Duc de Saint Simon said she feigned religious devotion to exploit Louis’ fear of sin
- Liselotte called her a witch and a whore
how did Maintenon influence appointments?
- influenced succession plans
- influenced ministerial appointments
- e.g. encouraged Louis to make the Duc de Toulouse a prince of the blood
how did Maintenon influence religion?
- supposedly encouraged the revocation of the edict of nantes
- encouraged him to take further measures against Jansenism and encouraged the destruction of Port Royal
- brought a much more pious atmosphere to court
- the papacy reportedly approached her as an informal diplomatic actor knowing she had influence over Louis
- however she was certainly not the only religious influence at court
- Le Tellier and Louvois encouraged persecution of Huguenots
- the Pope and Jesuits (bossuet?) encouraged persecution of Jansenists
when did Maintenon set up Saint Cyr
1686
what happened with Treves and Louvois?
- Louis had refused to grant permission to Louvois to burn Treves in 1690
- however Louvois disregarded this instruction and issued the order himself to ‘spare Louis’ conscience’
- then there was the ordeal with the fireplace tongs
when did Louvois die?
under suspicious circumstances…
1691
when did Louis get an anal fistula?
1687
how did Louis’ struggle to control intendants pre-1685?
- lack of country-wide infrastructure
- poor communication and corruption
- only 33 intendants in 1673
- Bearn didn’t have an intendant until 1682
- overworked and underpaid
how did Louis control Parlement pre-1685?
- office values were 5x those of 1640 and the paulette had been extended so officiers saw no threat to their positions
- Louis used this general good will to make royal council decrees superior to those of parlement 1661-1665
- he also removed their ability to discuss royal edics
- he then entirely removed their right to remonstrance in 1673
regional parlement was harder to control - Colbert failed to standardise legal procedures and magistrates resisted royal edicts
how did Louis have control over parlement post-1685
parlement and religion
- he lost the support of most of parlement after dropping his Gallican articles and inviting papal condemnation of Jansenists
- in 1713 after unigenitus there were large protests that were also supported by most of the clergy
the paulette
- in 1701 the crown recevied 5.7 million livres through the paulette
- in 1702 Chamillart ignored parlement protests against paying another 5.7 million livres and received the full payment after threatening to create more offices
how effective were intendants post-1685?
- performed tasks like rooting out corruption and overseeing local justice
- helped deal with crises sich as handouts for the poor after the 1694 famine
however:
- there was little infrastructural control and they were still overburdened and underpaid leading to corruption
- Brittany had no intendant until 1689
- many monopolised their own positions despite the three year safeguard
what province post-1685 acts as an example of good regional control?
Franche Comtee
- close intendant control over taxation
- royal control over a new parlement in Besançon
- financially exploited elites
what new tax policies were introduced and what were five limitations to Louis’ control over taxation?
the crown introduced the capitation (1695) and the dixieme (1710)
- corrupt officials embezzled public funds
- the capitation was only kept until 1699
- Alsace, Flanders and Franche-comte immediately purchased exemptions: pays d’etats and imposition continually underpaid indirect taxes and didn’t have to pay the taille
- the dixieme gained Louis 96 million livres in 4 years but resulted in defiance of royal authority
- 75% of Augergne’s nobility refused to declare
effect of war on the economy
- 87% of state expenditure was on war by 1690, over double from 1660
- tariff wars with England and Holland damaged French interests rather than the enemies
- wars dominated 22 of the last 30 years of Louis’ reign
- the movement of armies spread disease and leeched resources
- the increase of taxation due to war lowered demand for industrial goods and saw the emigration of skilled labour
- money was lost trying to gain allies e.g. 2 million to Hanover, Denmark and Munster
other contributors to the worsening domestic situation in France
taxes avoided by the richest so burden falls on the poorest:
- 66% of French nobles were exempt from direct taxation
- Alsace, Franche Comte and Flanders immediately bought capitation exemptions
- capitation only kept till 1699 as Louis did not want to alienate his natural supporters
- dixieme brough in 96 million livres in 4 years but saw defiance of royal authority, 75% of Augergne’s nobility refused to pay
- Alsace also bought exemptions to the dixieme
the role of the church:
- leadership in the church became increasingly aristocratic e.g. Noailles chosen as archbishop due to his silence and ination
- the church did pay annual don gratuits from 1688-98 but it remained wealthy and underpaid
- it avoided paying the capitation and paid 24 million livres to exempt itself from the dixieme
econonomic hardship on the general population
- 80% of people depended on agriculture
- bread shortages saw peasants eating nothing but acorns and boiled grass in Cevennes and Poitou
- 6% of the population were killed in a famine from 1692-4
- conscription of 200,000 peasants left fields unattended
- harsh winter from 1708-9 with -40 degree temperatures
- nearly 50% of people in Rouen were in poverty
who were the burgundy circle
- Cambrai archbishop Fenelon
- Rouen government official Boisguilbert (proposed laissex-faire alternatives to mercantilism)
- Vauban (blamed harsh taxation for depopulation
all arrested at some point
attempts to deal with issues by Louis
what was the camisards rebellion?
- 1702
- huguenot revolt in the cevennes mountains against extreme conversion methods
- the house of the chief inquisitor was torched and he was stabbed 52 times
- they were hard to defeat and distracted forces from abroad
what are four instances of opposition to Louis’ rule?
- Normandy rebellion under Louis de Rohan 1674: tried to mount a rebellion in Normandy promising cooperation with peasants and huguenots. Rohan and all his collaborators were executed
- satirical publications, particularly smuggled in from England the Dutch republic, crown censorship remained
- the burgundy circle, led by fenelon, published Telemachus 1699, all taken down: the grand dauphin timidly mentioned the poor at court, Louis slapped him down
- parlement and the sorbone 1713, opposition to unigenitus, Louis bullied them into compliance
missing information from Fouquet?
- he was surintendant des finances
- he had bought himself the position of procureur-general of the Paris Parlement (like chief prosecutor) which was scary for Louis as it was where the Frondes had begun
- he had a massive financial influence and great wealth
- in his three year trial he had public opinion on his side, his original sentence was just exile but Louis had it commuted to life imprisonment in Pignerol
when did Fouquet build Veaux le Vicomte
1641
when did Fouquet buy belle-isle-en-mer?
1658
when was Fouquet arrested?
1661
what did Colbert do to reduce direct taxation?
Colbert’s domestic policies
- increased the efficiency of collection through intendants
- tackled corruption through the codification of law
- by his death 20% of corruption was lost compared to over 50% when he came to power
- but during his time in power taille yields in pays d’etats were 94% lower than in pays d’elections
how did Colbert increase indirect taxation?
Colbert’s domestic policies
- increased taxes on salt, drink and tobacco to make up for loss of direct taxation
- he allegedly reduced debts by 67% but these figures were found to have major discrepancies by Le Peletier
- the increase of tax cause revolt e.g. in Brittany 1675 that needed 10,000 troops to quash
how much did the canal des deux mers cost?
7.5 million livres
what are some cool stats from the canal des deux mers
- it was over 170 miles long
- it reduced transport costs by 75%
how did Colbert encourage and control domestic manufacturing/industry
Colbert’s mercantilist policies
- the gobelins rivalled imports
- but private industries only received 2.5% of the 20 million livres awarded to industry each year (rest to gobelins)
- the focus on industry meant agriculture was mostly ignored
- he brought in 150 decrees controlling industry e.g. a minimum thread count
- but they were widely ignored and he over-estimated state power
- guild membership was made compulsory in 1673
how did Colbert reduce imports?
Colbert’s mercantilist policies
- increased import tariffs which trebled in 1667
- but this increased inflation and led to retaliatory tariffs
what trading companies did Colbert create?
overseas trade and colonies
- the company of the north
- the levant company
- the west and east indies company
all in the 1660s-70s
what investment did Colbert put into the New World
overseas trade and colonies
- from 1664-1704 the number of individual merchants trading overseas doubled
- 800 single females were sent to New France who helped increase the population by 52%
overview of Le Peletier?
- overshadowed by Louvois
- increased persecution of Huguenots that decreased skilled French labour
- suffered mounting public deficits so he devalued the currency and sold more offices which only contributed to inflation
- short term, ineffective solutions
overview of Pontchartrain?
- conducted a census of the population for the first time since Vauban in 1678
- introduced the capitation in 1695 (but was removed in 1699)
- under him there was chronic tax evasion
- clashed with Louis over Jansenism that led to his resignation
overview of Chamillart?
messed up badly:
- in 1706 state debts amounted to 288 million livres
- credit of the state was almost exhausted
- sold offices and debased coinage 5 times in 6 years
- tried to force into circulation paper money with disastrous effects
- he resigned due to his failings
- but in 1706 he introduced the council of commerce that directly consulted merchants rather than dictate to them
- this began the move away from mercantilism and towards free trade
overview of Desmarets?
- nephew of Colbert
- undertook several policies to restore France’s finances (postponed repayment of loans and secured lower interest rates)
- he also introduced the dixieme in 1710 but there were so many concessions and exemptions that the reform lost a lot of its value
- he was working on a method to repay France’s debts when Louis died in 1715
dates of all the finance ministers?
Fouquet: till 1661
Colbert: 1661-1683
Le Peletier: 1683-1689
Pontchartrain: 1689-1699
Chamillart: 1699-1708
Desmaretz: 1708-1715
how was manufacturing affected post-1685?
- emigration of Huguenot labour affected manufacturing
- Lyon lost 75% of its silk workers in 1702
- the gobelins shut for the nine years war
- manufacturing was hit by tariffs and trade wars
how was the burden of finances seen post-1685?
- the taille was increasingly inefficient: the 18 million livres gained in 1712 couldn’t even meet 10% of annual government expenses
- embezzlement and tax evasion were common: the failure of intendants
- the failure of the capitation and dixieme
- the cost of war (Colbert mostly operating in peace time)
overview of the fronde of the parlement in three steps
- anne exploited parlement to raise money but this backfired and they demanded the chambres st louis
- they arrested Broussel which caused backlash (Gondi, Mole, Henrietta Maria) and he is then released
- Conde besieges Paris on behalf of the crown, is scared by Turenne and agrees to the Peace of Reuil
overview of the frondes of the nobles in five steps
- the peace of reuil fails
- Mazarin arrests Conde, Conti and Longueville but it backfires, they are released and he enters voluntary exile
- Louis comes of age and recalls Mazarin which backfires
- but Conde distracts by sieging Paris, is defeated by Turenne, cannons etc.
- Louis re-enters Paris, recalls Mazarin and disperses trouble makers
three causes of the frondes?
- poor financial situation
- bad leadership/the alienation of parlement
- Louis’ minority/the regency
four reasons for the failure of the frondes?
- no clear target
- no clear leader
- strong military
- disunited opposition
what is a possible argument that Louis’ policy of Reunions was defensive?
- Vauban’s fortification of Casale, Strasbourg and all other land was helpful for defense
- the seizure of Montbeliard was in between Alsace and Franche Comte and if it had fallen into enemy hands might have led to the invasion of both
- the capture of Strasbourg 1681 ensured french control of alsace, border security and pre carre
arguments that Louis’ policy of reunions was offensive
- especially from 1683 after the death of Colbert and the growing influence of Louvois (removed Colbert’s son, appointed Le Peletier etc.)
- seemed to have started mildly defensive and turned into naked aggression
- seen in the fact in 1684 Louis bombarded Genoa and burnt it to the ground
- Louvois also ravaged the low counties in 1684 and burnt 20 villages around charleroi to the ground
what was the course of the war of devolution?
- Louis had 50k men compared to the Spanish 20k men
- Conde got Franche Comte in a fortnight
- Turenne and Vauban quickly captured significant towns such as Lille, Charleroi, Douai and Oudenaarde
what were the economic effects of the revocation of the edict of nantes?
- 200,000 Huguenots fled
- Reims lost half its workers
- Lyon lost 75% of its silk workers
initial success in regency council foreign policy
1643: Conde for the crown at the battle of rocroi
1644: Gaston besieges Gravelines
1645: Mazarin’s diplomacy (brokers peace between Sweden and Denmark to instead help him, Polish alliance, alliance with Rakoczy)
1648: battle of lens
period of French failure in foreign policy during regency council?
1648-52
- due to Frondes, frontline troops withdrawn to deal with conflict
- military leaders turn on crown (Gaston, Turenne, Conde)
- Mazarin’s diplomacy lost
success again French foreign policy regency council?
1652-1659
1653: siege of Rocroi by Conde against France, loses to Turenne
1655: Turenne beats Conde again at Landrecies, the treaty of westminster
1658: battle of the dunes stops Spanish offensive in Flanders
1659: peace of the pyrenees
