Rise of French
Absolutism
Mr. Rush
“One King, One God, One Law.”

Absolutism
– The idea that the monarchy was the
embodiment of the state, and the sole
authority figure
– In an absolutist state the monarch claimed to
rule by, “divine right” and answered, “to God
alone.”
“One King, One God, One Law.”
Complete control of the nobility,
jurisdictions, institutions and interest
groups
 Financial management changed from
temporary deals with the nobility to
finance wars, to bureaucratic systems
which collected taxes for the monarch
 Permanent standing armies

Nine Principles of Mercantilism
“First, to inspect the country’s soil with
the greatest care.”
 “Second, all commodities found in a
country, which cannot be used in their
natural state, should be worked up within
the country.”
 “Third, for carrying out the above two
rules, there will be a need of people.”

Nine Principles of Mercantilism

“Fourth, gold and silver once in the
country, whether from its own mines or
obtained by industry from foreign
countries, are under no circumstances to
be taken out for any purpose, so far as
possible, or allowed to be buried in chests
or coffers.”
Nine Principles of Mercantilism
“Fifth, the inhabitants of the country
should make every effort to get along with
their domestic products, to confine their
luxury to these alone, and to do without
foreign products, as far as possible.”
 “Sixth, in case the said purchases were
indispensable because of necessity or
irremediable abuse, they should be
obtained form these foreigners at first
hand, so far as possible, and not for gold
or silver, but in exchange for domestic
wares.”

Nine Principles of Mercantilism
“Seventh, such foreign commodities
should in this case be imported in
unfinished form, and worked up within the
country, thus earning the wages of
manufacture there.
 “Eighth, opportunities should be sought
night and day for selling the country’s
superfluous goods to these foreigners in
manufactured form.”

Nine Principles of Mercantilism

“Ninth, except for important
considerations, no importation should be
allowed under any circumstances of
commodities of which there is sufficient
supply of suitable quality at home.”
Henry IV
Catholic
 Edict of Nantes in 1598

– Gave the Huguenots freedom to worship in
150 fortified towns such as La Rochelle
– Helped restore internal peace in France

Appointed Maxiemilien de Bethune , a
protestant, as Duke of Sully
Policies of Sully
Effective administrator
 Leased collection of indirect taxes on salt,
sales and transit to financiers
 Revenues increased despite a decrease in
the number of taxes due to an increase in
trade
 Subsidized trade with the Indies

Policies of Sully
Created a countrywide highway system
 Supported the idea of an international
organization for peacekeeping

Cardinal Richelieu
Henry IV is murdered in 1610
 Henry’s son, Louis XIII is a child, Marie de’
Medici acts on behalf of young king
 Appointment of Armand Jean du Plessis,
Cardinal Richelieu, to Council of the
Ministers
 After 1628, Richelieu is the first minister of
the French Crown

Policies of Richelieu
Used influence over Louis XIII to exalt the
French monarchy as the embodiment of
the French state
 Total subordination of groups and
institutions to the French monarchy
 Weakening the influence of the nobility

– Leveling of castles, long standing symbol of
feudal system
– Crushed aristocratic conspiracies with
executions
Policies of Richelieu
Divides France in to 32 generalites
(districts)
 Each district had a royal intendant
appointed by the monarch

– Typically newer judicial nobility, noblesse de
robe, who would often pay for appointment

Intendant would relay information from
the king to the generalites and would
report on information from the generalites
to the king
Policies of Richelieu
Recruited men for standing armies,
collected taxes, presided over
administration, checked up on local
nobility and oversaw economic activities
 Policies led to an increase of the power of
the royal intendants, and thus an increase
in the power of the centralized French
state

Policies of Richelieu

Along with Louis XIII, began chipping
away at the Edict of Nantes
– “One God,” Catholicism only

Foreign policies
– Destruction of the fence of Habsburg
territories
– 1631 treaty with Lutheran king Gustavas
Adolphus, promising French support against
Catholic Habsburgs in 30 years war
Policies of Richelieu
 “Could
Richelieu be considered a
politique?”
Policies of Richelieu

Calls for French Academy to prepare a
dictionary to standardize the French
language in 1635
– French still international language of
diplomacy today

Secured cooperation of cities to share in
local tax revenue
Richelieu’s Rationale

Raison d’ etat (reason of state)
– God will forgive actions as far as the state is
concerned that would be criminal if committed
privately

Justification for harsh tactics used by
Richelieu
Cardinal Mazarin
Cardinal Jales Mazarin was Richelieu’s
successor
 Attempted to continue the policies of
Richelieu
 Was not able to control nobility in the way
that Richelieu was successful

– Nobility felt they were being manipulated by
the French Crown
– Saw an opportunity to return to feudal society
The Fronde
Resistance towards paying taxes
 French Defeat of Spanish armies at Rocroi
in 1643 led the people to believe peace
was at hand and that taxes were
unnecessary
 The French monarchy attempts to impose
new taxes, but the Parliament of Paris
rejects them
 Decreased order, leads to civil war

Results of the Fronde
It became clear that government would
have to compromise with bureaucrats and
social elites
 French economy badly disrupted, would
take years to rebound
 Traumatic effect on young Louis XIV

– Mobs broke into palace, taking him and his
mother prisoner
– Shaped his beliefs in absolute monarchy