Chapter 4 Section 2
France Under Louis XIV
pp. 114-118
NAME_____________________
1-2] Wars between what two [2] groups tore France apart in the late 1500s? Huguenots [protestants] and
Catholics
3] What was the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre? 8/24/1572 3,000 Huguenots killed at a wedding, total
collapse of French order in society
4] Who became King in 1589, was a Huguenot but converted to Catholicism? Henry IV
5] That did the Edict of Nantes in 1598 do? Allowed Huguenots tolerations and allowed them to fortify
their cities and build armies
6] The goal of King Henry IV was to do what? Feed the people “Chicken in every pot”, build roads,
bridges, and improve agriculture
7] Who became king after Henry IV was assassinated? Louis XIII he was 9 years old
8] Who did this new king make the Chief Minister in 1624? Cardinal Armand Richelieu
9] What did Richelieu do to the Huguenots? Smashed walled cities, forbid armies, but did allow them to
worship as they chose
10] What did he do to the Nobles of France? Defeated their armies, destroyed castles, tied them to the King
by giving them government posts
11] Who was the person that took Richelieu’s place? Cardinal Jules Mazarin
12] Who became King of France in 1643 at the age of 5? Louis XIV
13] What was the Fronde? Nobles, Merchants, and Peasants rebelled, drove boy king from his palace, but
failed to overthrow the government
14] Who said after Mazarin’s death and 18 years on the throne “It is now time that I govern them myself!”
King Louis XIV
15] King Louis XIV believed in what right of kings? Divine Right
16] What did he take as a symbol of his absolute power? The Sun
17] What does “L’etat, c’est, moi” mean? I am the State, it is what King Louis XIV believed
18] What was the Estates General? Medieval Council of all French Social Classes
19] Between what years did the Estates General not meet, and played no role in checking the power of the
Monarchy? 1614-1789
20] What is an INTENDANT? Royal officials, collected taxes, recruited officers, carried out policies
21] Under Louis XIV a 300,000 member WHAT helped control matters at home or abroad? Standing Army
22] Who was Jean Baptiste Colbert and what did he do? Finance Minister under Louis XIV, had land
cleared for farming, encouraged mining and industry, built up luxury trade, put high tariffs on imports
23] What was the symbol of the Sun King’s wealth and power? Palace of Versailles
24] How many people lived at this symbol? 10,000
25] What was the LEVEE? The Rising ceremony for Louis XIV getting up, Nobles competed for the right
to help dress the King
26] What was the “splendid century”? Rise of Arts during Louis XIV reign
27] Who wrote tragedies based on ancient Greek myths for the French King? Jean Racine
28] What actor-playwright turned out comedies like “the Miser”? Moliere
29] What did the French Academies do? Set up high standards for the Arts and Sciences
30] How long did the Sun King rule France? 72 years
31] What is a BALANCE of POWER? Distribution of Military power so that no one country is too
powerful
32] What war was fought to stop the unification of France and Spain when Louis XIV’s grandson became
king of Spain? War of Spanish Succession
33] In 1865 what did Louis XIV revoke that caused 100,000 people to flee France? Edict of Nantes
34] How did this departure affect the French economy? It hurt the economy
35] Why did Louis great grandson take the throne after his death and not one of his sons or grandsons?
Louis XIV outlived his own sons and grandsons
36] Was the new king a good king? No Louis XV was a weak ruler more concerned with pleasure, France
fought many wars, and the treasury was depleted “After us the deluge”