French Absolutists

French Absolutism French Absolutism begins to develop under Henry the Fourth, Henry of Navarre, the first Bourbon King. Henry was a politique Sought to curtail the power of the parlements Fought for religious freedom Duke of Sully his C.M. Married to Marguerite de Valois, annuls and marries Marie de Medici http://www.nndb.com/people/836/000093557/

French Absolutism Henry IV was a French Protestant, also known as a Hugenot. France was a VERY STRONGLY Catholic country and the Hugenots were persecuted heavily. 10-15 % but a lot of the Hugenots were nobles, and this gave them some power, money and land. In towns that were heavily populated by Protestants, Catholic statues and images were destroyed. This made the Catholics angry, and they responded.

French Wars of Religion Battles and massacres went back and forth until the Queen mother, Catherine de Medici tried to stop them with the Edict of January . The Edict gave Protestants limited freedom of worship. It didn’t work, and the fighting went on from 1562-1570, with horrible battles and attacks.

French Wars of Religion

The St. Bartholemew’s Day Massacre Her mother, the Queen of France, Catherine di Medici, arranged the marriage because he was a Protestant and the heir in the second most powerful family in France. They invited all of the noble Huguenots to the wedding in Paris Between 5,000 and 15,000 people were massacred over two days in Paris. At the end of it all, Henri survived. The marriage went through.

French Wars of Religion Painting by François Dubois, a Huguenot painter born about 1529 in Amiens, who settled in Switzerland. Although Dubois did not witness the massacre, he depicts Coligny's body hanging out of a window at the rear to the right. To the left rear, Catherine de' Medici is shown emerging from the Louvre to inspect a heap of bodies.[1]

Henry of Navarre When Marguerite’s brother , King Henry III was assassinated, Henry of Navarre became king. He started the Bourbon Dynasty which ruled France until 1792.

Henry’s work He is one of the most beloved kings in French history. He is the only king whose statue was NOT defaced during the French Revolution. He is the only French king that is seen to have actually cared about his subjects, which was made more clear in comparison to the Valois kings who preceded him, who were seen as wasteful, lazy, weak and spent tax money on frivolity and luxury. He promised to put a “chicken in every pot” and “ruled with a sword in one hand and his ass in the saddle.”

Henry of Navarre /IV Henry was assassinated by a Catholic zealot who thought that he was conspiring against the Catholics, named Ravaillac

Duke of Sully Sully was a Huguenot but very pragmatic He refused to appoint people who would not convert to Catholicism because he knew that they would never gain enough power otherwise. He modernized and improved the country dramatically He also pursued an anti-Hapsburg policy in foreign policy.

Marie de Medicis She was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Tuscany and Joanna of Austria and brought an enormous dowry with her. She and Henry had six children Louis XIII of France Elizabeth, queen of Spain, married P IV Christine Marie, married Duke of Savoy Nicholas, died young Gaston, Duke of Orleans Henrietta Marie, queen of England, mother of James II and Charles II of England

Marie de Medicis When Henry was assassinated by Francois Ravaillac in 1610, Louis was only 9, so she ruled as regent. She ended anti-Hapsburg policies, but other than that she was unable to rule with strength and the nobles began to rebel. She was forced to call a meeting of the Estates-General, but that went terribly, and she closed the session and they did not meet again until 1789. She then appointed Cardinal Richelieu as her advisor.

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Pleissis, Cardinal Richelieu He immediately began to get the reigns on France and the nobility. He had a vision of a king with absolute power

Cardinal Richelieu “Make The King Supreme in France, and France Supreme in Europe.” This credo summarizes his actions and goals as Chief Minister of France

Cardinal Richelieu He squashed revolts in France, violently if necessary He pursued a strongly anti-Hapsburg policy He was a staunch Catholic, but would aid German Protestants if that meant weakening the Hapsburgs

Cardinal Richelieu He helped Champlain explore Canada Manipulated both or all sides in the Thirty Years War He razed castles, angering nobles Changed the role of intendants to better suit his needs

Cardinal Richelieu He ended the freedom of Protestants, signing the Edict of Fontainebleau He attacked the Protestant City of New Rochelle, destroying the city even though they had the broad support of the English King Charles I. He angered the nobles, and left an angry legacy in literature- The Three Musketeers is about New Rochelle and his control of the nobles and military.

Louis XIII Louis XIII inherited the throne when he was nine, and allowed her mother and her friends to rule in his stead . When he was young, he was betrothed to Anne of Austria, the daughter of PIII of Spain. He was not well educated and was easily swayed. He did however, trust Richelieu over his mother, and sided with him in a political fight with her.

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