Am I In Charge? Absolutely! Special Guest Louis XIV

Absolutism  16 th and 17 th Centuries  Political theory that believed in the “Divine Right of Kings”  Monarchs received their authority from God  They were responsible to God alone  Bishop Bossuet established this in Politics Taken From the Very Words of Scripture. Bishop Jacques Bossuet

Historical causes  Destruction caused by religious wars [justified strong rule]  Huge increases in wealth from exploration  Conflicted with individualism of the Renaissance

How to get absolute power  Rid yourself of other pesky institutions that have local control or power [tribunals or nobles]. Centralize your power and administration  Use secret police to establish fear, quiet dissenters and maintain order  Create and maintain standing armies  Tax, tax, tax and control it yourself using bureaucracies  Government administration with employees that answer only to the King  Bureaucrats serve the state not themselves or local interests

Absolutely in charge. Really?  Absolutists did not have the consent of their citizens  Lacked the financial, military and technology resources to be total control

Setting up French Absolutism  Win the hearts and minds  1589 Henry IV became king  Sharply lowered taxes on peasants  Chief Minister Sully streamlined taxes and increased trade ‘a chicken in every pot’

Cardinal Richelieu: Chief Minister  Appointed by Marie de Medici, mother of heir Louis XIII, following Henry IV’s murder to advise her son  Laid the foundation for French absolutism  Excluded nobles from the royal council, leveled castles and ruthlessly killed any conspirators  Increased government efficiency by creating intendants who answered to the king only and governed at the local level  Established the French Academy

The Fronde  Civil wars between  Growing resentment about increased power of monarchy  Cardinal Jules Mazarin succeeded Richelieu and was not the same enforcer  People refused to pay taxes  Monarchy would have to compromise with bureaucrats and social elite  Convinced Louis XIV that absolute monarchy is necessary to prevent anarchy

Louis XIV ( ): The Sun King and Baller  Worked with the nobility to mutually increase prestige  Louis won military taxation from Languedoc in exchange of his granting nobility increased social status and access to him  Palace of Versailles overwhelmed and inspired, center of government  Great host of ceremonies and excluded the most powerful nobles " L'État, c'est moi" (the state is me)

The End of an Era  Louis XIV was one of the great state- builders of Europe  Despite this, the peasants of France suffered as they never had before or since. This would bring government welfare as a state function it the 18 th century  His absolutist policy solidified the place of France as the dominant power in Europe