French Absolutism and the French Revolution
During the period between 1589 through 1783, the French Monarchy had risen to
its height of absolute power and then was destroyed by the French Revolution. The reigns
of Henry IV, Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI each contributed to the
strengthening of the French Monarchy as well as the destruction. Class struggles were a
major problem throughout the reigns of each king. France was broken into three estates
that were; the clergy, the nobility, and the common people. They were each striving for
more power. The enlightenment had also caused problems. Before the enlightenment
people had accepted things as they were, but by the end of the enlightenment people
decided to change their forms of government. The idea that life would be better if things
would change became reality. This was a threat to the power of the king. The different
policies of the kings also affected the rise and fall of the French Monarchy.
The combination of class struggles, the enlightenment, and different policies of the kings
were major contributing factors in the rise and fall of the French Monarchy.
The first of the kings to deal with these problems was King Henry IV, who was an
honorble ruler. Henry IV was king of France between 1589 and 1610. He was supported
by Spain and the pope, however, the league refused to accept a Protestant king of France
and many Catholic nobles deserted the royal army. Henry won many victories over the
league and in 1593 he defeated his enemies and announced that he was converting to
Catholicism, but he did not forget his Protestant roots. In 1598, he issue the Edict of
Nantes, ...
... middle of paper ...
...Robespierre and his
followers were executed.
During the period between the 16th and 18th century, there were many rulers
that contributed to the rise and fall of the French Monarchy. The ideas of the
enlightenment, class struggles, and policies of the king had different effects on the reigns
of each king. It is very ironic that after years of fighting for a democracy, the Fench
people decide that they want a dictatorship. If I was a ruler during the period of the
French Revolution, I would have ruled as an absolutist. I would not expect the people
to love me, as Louis XVI did, because this would only show my weakness. People are
unsure of what they want and need a strong ruler to tell them what they need. I am sure
that I would fall as the other rulers did, but as the saying goes,"what goes up, must come
down."
A Comparison of the Characteristics of the Absolutist Rule of Charles I of England and Louis XIV of France
...s on who should have power. Rebellions broke out across France and turned the nation against itself. The major revolutionary revolt was The Storming of Bastille. The third estate demanded for a republic. King Louis was killed, along with his wife Marie Antoinette to pursue the ideas of changing society. Maximilien Robespierre ordered their deaths by the violent and horrific machine, the guillotine. He was also killed shortly after, but provided the Jacobins a leader in his efforts to overthrow the monarchy. Napoleon was the last to save the revolution as it came to a close. The French Revolution has changed history and the lives of everyone in France up to today. Many people sacrificed themselves to change the country for others today. This revolution was life changing and inspired many others around the world to stand up for their beliefs and fight for a democracy.
Beginning in mid-1789, and lasting until late-1799, the French Revolution vastly changed the nation of France throughout its ten years. From the storming of the Bastille, the ousting of the royal family, the Reign of Terror, and all the way to the Napoleonic period, France changed vastly during this time. But, for the better part of the last 200 years, the effects that the French Revolution had on the nation, have been vigorously debated by historian and other experts. Aspects of debate have focused around how much change the revolution really caused, and the type of change, as well as whether the changes that it brought about should be looked at as positive or negative. Furthermore, many debate whether the Revolutions excesses and shortcomings can be justified by the gains that the revolution brought throughout the country. Over time, historians’ views on these questions have changed continually, leading many to question the different interpretations and theories behind the Revolutions effectiveness at shaping France and the rest of the world.
The later 18th century was a time of crisis for the old regimes of Europe and their economic systems and political agitation sometimes breaking out into revolts. English Industrial Revolution vaulted Britain to the fore. France was the most powerful and the most typical of the old aristocratic absolute monarchies of Europe. (lower taxes off backs of lower classes).
The French Revolution was a period of radical social and political turmoil in France from 1789 to 1799 that greatly affected the French and modern history, marking the steady decline of powerful monarchies and the rise of democracy and nationalism. The trigger for the revolution was the autocratic government of the King, Louis XVI. With absolute power over the people, the King could make all laws, appoint government officials, wage war on whomever he pleased, and imprison anyone he wished. As a consequence the majority of the citizens became disgruntled and disillusioned with the state and problems that came about which later played a part in causing the revolution. The French revolution was attributed to a number of factors which are identified and discussed below.
...gainst the British monarchy in 1776, it encouraged ideas, such as taking arms against a tyrannical action, as well as inalienable liberties for all (i.e. John Locke). These ideas, as well as many others proved to have an everlasting impact on the cause of the French Revolution.
The French Revolution happened in France around the period 1789-92 (although these dates are disputed by historians), and resulted in the overthrow of the French monarchy and the Ancien Régime (the system of government). The monarchy in France had been established for many centuries, and the causes of the Revolution were deeply-rooted, including the problems with the Ancien Régime, the growth of nationalism, the influence of philosophers, and the example of the American Revolution. In the short term, there were other factors that precipitated the French Revolution, and these included the character of Louis XVI (the reigning French monarch at the time), the Bankruptcy of the French Crown, and, in the very short term, the economic and agricultural problems of 1788 and 1789.
When he declared Luther a heretic, any adoring Catholic saw Luther as an enemy as well. While Lutheranism spread, other denominations of Protestantism spread as well. Animosity between Catholics and Protestants continued to climb through the later 1500s. Countries began leaving the Catholic faith and converting to Protestantism. For example, England was one of the first countries dismiss Catholicism. In 1547, Henry VIII asked the Pope permission for a divorce, but was denied. So he decided that the Pope no longer had power in England. This created international chaos in Europe. Protestant countries began fighting Catholic countries. Religious sparring happened on foreign ground and at home. France experience problems between French Catholics and French Protestants, each one believing they were the dominate religion. Religious tolerance and intolerance arguments were fought within many countries. Those who wouldn’t convert to the monarchs religion of choice were
French revolution, a greatest event of modern times which left France and other countries shocked because of its huge effect. It influenced the whole human society and gave a message of liberty, equality and fraternity. French revolution was a movement which took place in 1789 till 1799; it was a violent and bloody revolt that caused a lot of brutal events in the history such as the execution of King Louis the XV1 and his wife Marie Antoinette. It also destroyed the whole generation of the king’s family as his youngest son suffered and died, his daughter lived a brutal life. The French revolution launched a region of terror that killed thousands of people and inspired almost all European countries like Italy and Russia. It was to throw down monarchy and government an d bring republic. The causes that formed French revolution were the differences between the three social classes (first estate clergy, the second nobility and the third commoners), the injustice in tax for instance the third estate had to pay a lot of tax while the first and the second estate paid low or none. The prices on the bread were so high that a minimum wages person could not afford and had to survive without food. France most of the population was the commoners but still they were discriminated and owned less land. The other causes were the weak government, crises, leaders, ideology and discontent in France. People also thought that everything that happened in France was because of Marie Antoinette (King Louis the XV1) as she was a foreigner from Austria and also they thought she was a lesbian type as her relationship with women was weird. These all factors left France with a huge destruction of life time
that we would be worse off. Just the idea that you would be king "would cheer me
It is often debated whether or not the reign of King Louis XIV had a positive or negative effect on France. Although there were improvements during his reign in transportation, culture, and national defense, there were far more negative aspects. He depleted the national treasury with his liberal spending on personal luxuries and massive monuments. His extreme fear of the loss of power led to poor decision making, which caused the court to be of lower quality. King Louis XIV’s disastrous rule brought about a series of effects that influenced the French Revolution in the following century.
King Henry IV was the great-grandson of Edward III who also thought that he was entitled to rule France and so the battles continued. In 1387, Henry IV had three sons one of which was named Prince Hal. Price Hal was groomed to be king and continued the fight with France for territory as his father and grandfather had done. He believe...
Louis XIV (the fourteenth) was an absolute monarch. He was often called "the Sun King," and ruled over France. He devoted himself to helping France achieve economic, political, and cultural prominence. Many historians believe the phrase "absolute power corrupts absolutely" mirrors Louis' reign. Louis XIV revoked the Edict on Nantes, changing the economy of France in one motion. By creating the city of Versailles and being a major patron of the arts, Louis was very influential on French culture. He made France go almost bankrupt from his costly wars and failures. Louis was very corrupt in his power, and it shown in all he did to change France; he got what he wanted, when he wanted it.
Since many people were questioning the church, this led to what people refer to as the wars of religion. Henry was one of the 16th century kings of France. He was the first protestant king. He was later converted to Catholicism, but continued to let the protestant people worship, though they were very limited. This was the one of the first times both religions were allowed to be practiced in Europe.
The corruption of the monarchy was a major cause of the French Revolution. Monarchy is a government in which a country is ruled and controlled by a single person,