Investigating the Minister Who Did the Most to Preserve and Enhance Royal Authority in France 1610-1715 During their respective reigns, Louis XIII and Louis XIV had many ministers. Some of whom were detrimental to the advancement of their royal authority over the kingdom and others who had a generally positive effect on royal authority. This essay will look at the three main ministers, Richelieu, Colbert and Mazarin. These ministers are regarded as having the biggest impact on the two Louis'. We do not look at the other ministers, as they appear in minor roles; none of them, on a grand scale make a massive contribution to the state of affairs in France. This is why they are only occasionally referred to in this essay. Richelieu came into power in 1624, and it was the turning point of Louis XIII's reign. Richelieu made a substantial contribution to royal authority, and he first did this by solving all the problems that his predecessors had left for him. Richelieu was greatly admired among much of the country, and this brought a certain harmony to the country, which other ministers, such as Mazarin cannot claim to have done. Richelieu was held in high regard by two powerful factions in France, the dévots and the français. This is because the dévots regarded heresy as the chief enemy of the state. Richelieu was a Cardinal and therefore this faction did not have to worry about him being a heretic. The français were mainly concerned with Spanish imperialism and Richelieu did a lot to allay their fears. This increased royal authority because it meant that Louis had more loyal supporters who he could count upon for help in wars a... ... middle of paper ... ...into French society to collect money. He eventually wiped out French debt, not an easy task! Colbert increased royal authority because he was able to decrease the debt and put France back in the black. This meant that Louis had money to wage wars with and to follow his main goal of gloire. This increased respect for Louis XIV and therefore increased his royal authority. In conclusion, Richelieu was the most successful of all ministers as he increased royal authority the most. He did however create a lot of problems for himself, but not to the same extent that Mazarin did. He was not the greatest financial mind of the time, but because he had more power than Colbert he was able to make a bigger contribution, thus allowing us to say that he did the most to preserve and enhance royal authority in France 1610-1715.
Investigating the Effect to Which the Factions Were in Control of Henrican Government Between 1540 and 1547
A Comparison of the Characteristics of the Absolutist Rule of Charles I of England and Louis XIV of France
The reading depicted the surprising visit of King Louis XIV, together with six hundred nobles and thousands of court servants at Chantilly in 1671. The host Prince de Condé and his most trusted headwaiter Francois Vatel was given fifteen days to be prepared for the arrival of the gigantic royal party. A spontaneous event of mis-arrangements during the preparation has gradually built up the stresses on Vatel which ultimately broke down his stress threshold and led to his tragic ending. Madame de Sévigné who was a talented letter writer in 17th century decided wrote down the tragic story of a courtier in her letter, even though she was never there to see it in person.
O: Rage and revolt can describe the country of France at the time of the Revolution faced because of turmoil and struggle they faced. Different estates were formed based on what you did and your class in society. The people of society wanted more say in the government and decisions that King Louis XVI made. The public didn't approve with much of what King Louis did. His lack of ability to be a strong king and leader affected his reputation to the public eye. King Louis was tried for committing treason to the country of France. Treason is the attempt to kill a sovereign and overthrow the government. Some of the reasons were his attempt to flee to Varennes, living in Versailles which was not in Paris, and reforms he passed as a ruler. These actions performed by King Louis isn’t what a King does, but that doesn’t prove any
that contributed to the rise and fall of the French Monarchy. The ideas of the
The Memoires de l’Estat de France quoted in R J Knecht Profiles in Power: Catherine de Medici, Essex, 1998
Ed. John Hardman. French Revolution Documents 1792–95, vol. 2. “Père Duchesne, no. 313”. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1973.
Frightfully stimulated as a child from a home intrusion by Parisians during an aristocratic revolt in 1651, Louis XIV realized his rule would be decisive, militant, and absolute (458). His lengthy reign as Frances’ king and how he ruled would be the example that many countries throughout Europe would model their own regimes under. With this great authority also came greater challenges of finance and colonization. In the 17th century, the era of absolute monarchs were the means to restore European life (458).
Kreis, Steven. "Lecture 12: The French Revolution - Moderate Stage, 1789-1792." The History Guide -- Main. 13 May 2004. Web. 03 Nov. 2011. .
At the beginning of the 17th century, France was a place of internal strife and bickering bureaucrats. The king, Louis XIII, had come to the throne in 1610 at the age of nine, leaving the running of the kingdom to his mother, Marie de Medici. One of her court favorites, Armand de Plessis de Richelieu, rose through the ranks, eventually gaining the title of Cardinal and becoming one of Louis’ key advisors and minister. His political manifesto, Political Testament, was a treatise for King Louis XIII that offered him advice mainly concerned with the management and subtle subjugation of the nobles and the behavior of a prince. Beneath all of the obeisant rhetoric, Richelieu was essentially writing a handbook for Louis XIII on how to survive as a king in a political landscape increasingly dominated by the aristocracy. Richelieu’s ideology shows a pragmatic attitude reminiscent of The Prince, a political work by 15th century Florentine politician Niccoló Machiavelli.
King Louis XIV's 72 year reign was incredibly influential in shaping French history. King Louis XIV’s childhood was traumatic because of “La Fronde” which was a noble rebellion against the monarchy. This experience taught King Louis XIV to distrust the nobles. It was for this reason that he eventually excluded nobility from the council and surrounded himself with loyal ministers whom he could control. He also separated the aristocracy from the people of France by moving the court to the Palace of Versailles. One of the most notable of King Louis XIV’s decisions was that he refused to appoint another Prime Minister after the death of Prime Minister Mazarin. Every decision, from the declaration of war to the approval of a passport, went through him personally. During his reign as king, France participated in several wars including the War of Devolution, in Anglo-Dutch War, and the War of the Spanish Succession. Another major action he took was the proclamation of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes, imposing religious uniformity through Catholi...
Generally, the English people had a great celebration when Charles II returned to the throne in May of 1660.1 Many believed that restoring the monarchy was the only way to secure constitutional rights. In fact, there was an expectation that bringing back the king would return life to the way it was before 1642 and the rule of Cromwell. Charles II was responsible for improving the government for the people. However, despite some achievements, the king was not very successful in creating a stronger and more effective monarchy. He was dependent on his advisors and other parts of the government from the very beginning of his reign. There were constant conflicts between the king and Parliament over religious issues. When Charles II finally did gain some independence, he still did not accomplish much to improve the monarchy. Overall, the government was very inconsistent during the 1660s and 1670s, and the people became disillusioned with the monarchy. The king did not hold all of the responsibility for what happened to the government, though. The people should have taken charge and worked for a change in the system. The rule of Charles II helped show the English citizens that they could not rely on the government so much, but they needed to take more of the power into their own hands and become more autonomous.
The Rise in Political Power of 17th Century England and France In the seventeenth century, the political power of the Parliament in England, and the Monarchy in France increased greatly. These conditions were inspired by three major changes: the aftermath of the reformation, the need for an increased governmental financing, and the reorganizing of central governments. These three points were each resolved in a different way in both England and in France. The first major point which eventually increased political power was
Gottschalk, Lous Reichental and James T. Shotwell. The Era of the French Revolution (1715-1815). Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1929. Print.
The challenges to the power of the Monarch was by the reign of James I (1603-25) the monarch was faced with an increasing effective Parliament, culminating in the temporary abolition of the monarchy in (1625). Consequently, the monarchy’s powers were eroded by both revolution and by legal challenges, which included the case of Proclamations (1611) , the monarchy could not change the law by proclamation. The law of the land, which required that the law be made by Parliament, limited the prerogative. In the case of Prohibitions Del Roy (1607) the Monarch had no right to act as a judge, and in the case of the Ship Money Case (1637), although th...