The Age of Absolutism in France Flashcards
Henry III
Not strong enough to keep the country in peace
Feeble health
No sons
Assassinated Henry the Guise
Was assassinated himself
Catholic League
Extreme Catholic party independent of the king, goal was to suppress protestants
Huguenots
French Protestants/Calvinitis who followed the teachings of John Calvin
Henry of Navarre
Strongest leader of the Protestant Huguenots
Henry of Guise
The leader of the Catholic League
Assassinated by Henry III
War of Three Henry’s
The Catholic League signed a treaty with Phillip of Spain
Henry IV
(AKA Henry of Navarre)
For reasons of state - he formally converted to Catholicism
Edict of Nantes
For Protestant Huguenots
1) Complete freedom of conscience
2) Right of public worship (in all places where it already existed)
3) They had the right to hold any public office
Governing and garrisoning some two-hundred cities
Marie de ‘Medici
Widowed wife of Henry IV
Revered everything he did
Went back to inefficiency and corruption
Louis XIII
Marie and Henry’s son
Married the Spanish Infanta for an alliance
Overthrew his Mother with his advisor, Cardinal Richelieu
Cardinal Richelieu
Louis XIII’s chief minister
Dominated every branch of the government
Devoted himself to two main subjects
1) Unification of the whole state under the absolute authority of the crown
2) France’s dominance of Europe
His ideals of absolute monarchy
“Intendents”
Royal civil servants appointed by the king to oversee and enforce his will in the provinces
Louis XIV
The Sun King
Built Versailles
Consolidated power in France through centralization, weakening the nobility
Established a powerful, centralized government from his palace at Versailles
Cardinal Mazarin
The first minister of Louis XIV’s youth
Co-ruler of France alongside the queen
Louis XIV’s most trusted advisor and friend
Laid the foundation for Louis XIV’s expansionist policies.
Fronde
A series of civil wars in France
Challenged to the growing power of the monarchy
Strengthened the path towards absolutism
First Estate
The Catholic Clergy
Second Estate
The Nobility
Third Estate
The vast majority of the population
Jean Baptiste Colbert
Louis XIV’s finance minister
Mercantilism
Spearheaded economic reforms and mercantilist policies
Aimed to strengthen the French economy and bolster the monarchy’s power
Mercantilism
An economic theory emphasizing national wealth through a favorable balance of trade
Versailles
The center of royal power and politics under Louis XIV
The royal court was moved there
Used to keep a tab on his enemies and solidify his absolute monarchy
“Sun King”
Louis XIV
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes
Persecution of Huguenots and a mass exodus of skilled individuals from France
Grant of tolerance
- Edict of Nantes
- Revocation of the Edict of Nantes
- Edict of Versailles
Religious toleration
