1. The rise and fall of the Sun King and the Balance of Power in Europe
Absolutism: France

2. Huguenots
Review – What happened in the French Wars of Religion?

3. Henry IV heals France (kinda)
1598 – Henry IV signs the Edict of Nantes
Allows Protestantism, lets them live in peace
Henry worked hard to rebuild France
Assassinated in 1610
His son Louis XIII becomes King
Weak king, but had a smart man advising him
Cardinal Richelieu becomes top advisor and later regent:
Limited Protestant rights
Forbade Protestant cities to have walls around them
Limited power of nobility
Forced them to tear down their castles

4. The Sun King: Louis XIV
Most powerful ruler in French history
“L’etat, c’est moi” – I am the state
At first, the real power was Richelieu’s successor Cardinal Mazarin
Louis XIV was four years old when he became king
But becomes very unpopular with the French due to high taxes
Violent riots (mostly nobility) against Mazarin
Louis bitter about the nobles who rebelled and swore he would weaken them
Nobles rebellion fails for three reasons
Nobles distrusted each other
Government was violent in its response
Peasants and townspeople tired, were willing to live under an absolute monarch

5. Mazarin dies Louis XIV takes over completely (age 22)
Expelled nobles from all royal government posts
Replaced them with intendants, or government agents
Collected taxes, administered justice
Louis had tight control over them
Gave government money and tax benefits to French companies
High taxes on products imported from other countries
Big focus on French colony in Canada
Raw materials and trade

6. Economic stagnation and war
1685 cancels the Edict of Nantes with the Edict of Fontainebleau
Thousands of Huguenot craftspeople and merchants left France
Disastrous impact (shrinks 25%) on French economy
Under Louis, France becomes the most powerful nation in Europe
20 million residents (4 X as many as England, 10X as many as Holland)
France invades Netherlands
Dutch break open their dams, flood the land to prevent France from taking over
France gained very little
War of the Spanish Succession
Charles II dies, no heir, Louis claims the Spanish throne
Allied countries attack France to prevent a merger with Spain (BoP)
14 year long war
England is the big winner – they get Gibraltar at the tip of Spain which controls access to Mediterranean
War was expensive for France – about $21 billion in debt by end of the war (1715)

9. Soft Power and Versailles
Louis XIV was also known as the Sun King
Ended up reigning for 72 years – longest reign ever
100 nobles awaited him when he awoke every morning – to wait on him
Having his nobles at court had advantages
Made them dependent on Louis
Kept them away from their homes, making the intendants more powerful
Built Versailles: One of the most magnificent royal palaces in the world
$2.5 billion in today’s dollars to build this
36,000 laborers and 6,000 horses used to build it; 5,000 acres of gardens

10. Versailles

11. Versailles – King’s bedchamber

12. Chapel at Versailles

13. Gardens at Versailles

14. Versailles – Queen’s bedchamber

15. Versailles – Hall of Mirrors