Absolutism: a system in which a ruler holds total power. In 17th century tied to idea of divine right of kings.

Divine Right: idea God had created the monarch and monarch was God’s representative on earth. Monarch only had to answer to God, not to the parliament or the people.

Absolute Monarchs had the power to•Make laws•Levy taxes•Administer justice•Control the state’s officials•Determine foreign policy

•Came to throne as a boy•Weak king•Reign dominated by his chief minister, Cardinal Armand Richelieu

Cardinal Richelieu had 2 goals:

•Increase the power of the Bourbon monarchy

•Make France the strongest state in Europe

Richelieu saw three dangers:•Independence of Huguenot cities – took away their political and military rights while preserving their religious rights•Power of the nobility -- used intendants or government spies to uncover plots against the government•Encircling Hapsburg armies – involved France in 30 Years’ War on side of Protestants to weaken the Hapsburgs

•Became king at 5

• Cardinal Mazarin served as his chief minister for the next 18 years

Many nobles in France hated Mazarin for raising taxes and strengthening the central government and there were many riots. From 1648 -1653, riots tore France apart. Nobles, merchants, peasants, and the urban poor began riots known as the Fronde.

•As a child Louis feared the Fronde as the rioters threatened his life.•Even when the violence was over, Louis never forgot his fear or anger.

With death of Mazarin, Louis (age 23) asserted his divine right to rule France

To gain control of the government, Louis established his palace at Versailles.

The palace

•Served as the personal household of the king

•Housed the chief offices of the state

•Was the place where powerful subjects came to find favors and offices for themselves and their clients

Greatest danger to Louis’s rule came from very high nobles and royal princes.

To rid himself of this problem, he simply removed them from the Royal Council, which was the chief administrative body of the king.

Simultaneously, he enticed the nobles and royal princes to come to his court, where could keep them busy with court life and out of politics.

Although Louis had control over France’s nationwide policy, maintaining control at the local level was a challenge.

He resorted to bribery in towns and the provinces to see that his policies were carried out.

To achieve religious harmony, Louis issued the Edict of Fountainebleau in 1685.

This edict rescinded the Edict of Nantes.

Many Huguenots fled France rather than convert to Catholicism.

Financing his court and his many wars was very costly for Louis. Serving him as controller-general of finances was Jean Baptiste Colbert

As minister of finance, Colbert established a policy of mercantilism. This policy•Established a high tariff on imported goods•Encouraged overseas colonies•Regulated trade•Expanded manufacturing by offering subsidies

Mercantilism sought to establish a favorable balance of trade – export more than you import.

Louis involved himself in many costly wars, the most significant being the War of the Spanish SuccessionWar began when Charles II of Spain died without an heir. On his deathbed, he left the throne to the grandson of Louis XIV. The other powers of Europe feared a merger of France and Spain.

Coalition of England, the Dutch Netherlands and HRE joined forces to defeat France.

War ended with Treaty of Utrecht

According to the treaty,•Great Britain took Gibraltar, gained Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and the Hudson Bay territories from France.•A British company was granted an asiento, permission to send enslaved Africans to Spain’s American colonies.•Austrian Hapsburgs gained the Spanish Netherlands and other Spanish lands in Italy.•Prussia and Savoy were recognized as kingdoms.

On his deathbed, Louis warned his great-grandson and heir, Louis XV to avoid war and try to lighten the burden of your people. Louis XV, only age 5, failed to follow the advice of his great-grandfather.