Absolutism, Power, and More Conflict

France, Louis XIV, Hapsburgs, Thirty Years War

Absolutism Kings and Queens who believe totally authority rest with them inside their bordersBased on the theory of divine right

God had ordained they would rule

Monarchs grew more powerfulDecline of feudalismRise of cities National kingdoms Middle Class Diminished Church authority Upheaval leads people to seek stability

France, Chaos, and Kings

France in chaos as religious wars between Huguenots and Catholics fight wars

St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre Slaughter of Huguenots

Henry of Navarre is a Huguenot who ascends to the throne

“Paris is worth a mass”

Converts to Catholicism to keep the Peace

Edict of Nantes

Henry of Navarre wants to ease the tensions in the country

Allows Huguenots to have cities in the country where they are free to worship

Henry is able to restore the strength of the French monarchy by easing the religious tensions

CRAZED MONK ATTACKS!!

Henry was driving along minding his own business in his carriage when tragedy strikes

Fanatic monk leaps into his carriage and stabs him to death ending his 11 year reign of prosperity

Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu

Louis XIII is Henry’s son Weak king

Cardinal Richelieu is the source of power during his reign

Revoked the Edict of Nantes No Protestant city could have walls

Weaken NobilityRequired nobles to tear down their fortified castles Placed Middle Class in positions of authority

Louis XIV Rules Absolutely

“L’etat, c’est moi” or I am the State

Strong absolute ruler

Cardinal Mazarine his trusted advisor who rules while he is young

Louis XIV takes complete control at age 23 and continues to strengthen the monarchy

Louis XIV and Nobility

Hated and mistrusted the NobilityExcludes from advisory councils

Forces the court to move to Versailles where they are under the Kings control

Intendants were put in charge of local affairs such as tax collect in place of Noble Lords

Versailles

Rustic little hunting lodge expanded into one of the most opulent palaces in the world

Jean Baptiste Colbert

Economic advisor to Louis XIV

Mercantilism Export to other countries

Import as little as possible

Amass wealth in the country

Country becomes self-sufficient

Colonies provide raw materials and markets for goods

Louis and his Wars

Attempts to expand France into the Spanish Netherlands

France has the best army in the world at this time

Gain 12 towns in the first campaign

Dutch break the dikes during the second campaign forcing the French to retreat

Louis and his Wars

Treaty of NijmegenFrance took several towns from the war and some territory

Encourages Louis to continue with more wars

Successive wars end in a stalemate as Europe comes together to fight against the French

Seeking to establish a balance of power where no one state could dominate the others

War of Spanish Succession

Charles II dies without a successor in Spain

Had promised the throne to Philip of Anjou who was Louis grandson

Now Spain and France were both ruled by the Bourbon dynasty

Disrupted the balance of power

England, Austria, Dutch republic, Portugal and German and Italian princes join forces to fight against France and Spain

War of Spanish Succession

12 years of warfare weakens the French and other powers

Treaty of Utrecht Philip of Anjou could remain king

Crowns of Spain and France would not be combined

BRITAIN THE BIG WINNER!Gibraltar, slave trade, Nova Scotia, Hudson Bay area

War of Austrian Succession (1740)

Louis XV now the King Charles VI dies without a male heir

Pragmatic Sanction gave his daughter Maria Theresa the right to inherit his land in the absence of a male heir

Major powers of Europe take sides Spanish and British colonists battle Ends with Maria Theresa retaining Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia Causes a significant drain on the French government

American Revolution

Warned that the state would collapse with any outbreak of war

Supports the Americans in their revolt against Britain

Why would France be willing to support the Americans even at the potential cost of their own country?

The French Revolution

King Louis XVI lived well while the rest of the country starved

The French Revolution

Other Causes

Rise of enlightened ideas

Food Scarcity

Resentment of religious intolerance

Resentment of royal absolutism

Social and Class Structure

First Estate Clergy – 130,000

Tax Exempt

Collected Tithes and Religious Fees

Most upper positions held by hereditary nobility

Social Class and Structure

Nobles- 300,000

tax exempt King used tax exemption to keep the nobles happy

Leaves the Middle Class to pick up the bill!

Social Class and Structure

Third Estate Bourgeoisie to beggars

Poor living in some of the worst conditions in western Europe

Rural poor riot over bread prices and other increases in dues and fees

Bread prices largely determined quality of life

Louis XVI

Weak leader not concerned with what is going on in his country

Marie AntoinetteHated for being Austrian

Madame Deficit

Large debt leads to the need to call the Estates-General to raise funds

Three Forces of Change

What are the three major forces or causes that lead to the French Revolution?

Enlightenment Ideals

Weak Leader

Economic Woes

Estates-General 1788-1789

After several attempts to institute change in the tax structure that were struck down by the judiciary and popular uprisings calls for the first time since 1614

Each Estate had one vote Church and Nobles usually outvoted the third estate even though they had less people

Each estate meets separately and decides on its vote

Enlightenment Changes Minds

Third Estate want all estates to meet together with each delegate voting

Third Estate would dominate based on population in this system

Louis sides with the Nobles and forces the Medieval rules to be followed

Abbe Sieyes champions the third estates cause encouraging the delegates to take action

National Assembly

Sieyes idea for the Third Estate June 17, 1789 The Third Estate votes to start the Naitonal AssemblyMarks the end of Absolutism in France Locked out of their meeting room in protest to their bold moveBreak into a Tennis Court for a meeting place

Tennis Court Oath

Delegates pledge to stay until they have drawn up a new constitution recognizing the rights of all citizens

Comparing Revolutions

Take 1 minute and list terms, people, and ideas that led to the American Revolution

Join with a partner and create a venn-diagram comparing and contrasting the causes of the French and American Revolution

Last Attempt to Maintain Power

King Louis XVI tries to keep the peace by giving into the demands of the 3rd Estate and demanding that all three Estates meet together

Do not want the division in the country to increase Scared that he can not trust the French Army so he moves his Swiss Guard into Paris causing a panic

Parisians believe the foreign army is coming to massacre citizens

REVOLT I SAY!

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

French Version of the Declaration of Independence

Storming of the Bastille

Great Fear

Peasants in the country side also concerned for their safety

Believe that the Nobles will hire people to destroy what little crops they have

Begin to ransack nobles’ homes and burn the documentation of their feudal obligations

Helped end the practice of Feudalism once and for all

Declaration of the Rights of Man

As fear sweeps the country the National Assembly states its purpose“All men are born and remain free and equal in rights”Ensured basic rights of citizens

Speech ReligionEqual Justice

“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

Revolution and the Church

Church lands taken Sell the land to pay off debtAvoid taxing more heavily

Church officials and priest to be elected by property owners

Paid as state officials Catholic church loses power and independence

Not popular with the Catholics of the CountyPits Peasants against the Bourgeoisie and the Revolution from this point onward

Louis the Lion Hearted???

Louis warned he and his family were in danger

Supporters of the Monarch left France rather than stay to deal with the revolution

Attempts to escape to Austria Recognized near the border

Returned to Paris under guard

Increased general paranoia and allowed radicals to take further control

Three Factions

RadicalsSat on the leftWanted more changeNo monarchy, establish a republic Sans-Culottes extreme wing

Wage earners and shop keepersLower food prices and an end to the shortageNo role in assembly but influential in other ways

Three Factions

ModeratesSat in the center

Looking for change but were not trying to reform the entire system

Change within the structure of the current Monarchy system

Three Factions

Conservatives Sat on Right

Wanted limited Monarchy

As few changes in government as possible

ÉmigrésNobles who fled France

Looking to restore the Old Regime and the Monarch