1701 - Week 2

The Bourbon Kings of France by Desmond Seward
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I chose this book this week to gain knowledge of France during the early 18th Century.  This history went further back, but the background on Henry IV and LouisXIII gave an interesting perspective on where many of the events in the early 1700's were founded.

Henry IV, (1589-1610) the first Bourbon king did much to enhance peace and prosperity in France although his early reign was beset with war.  He issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598 which brought the end of the religious conflicts between Catholicism and the Huguenots.  He fostered industrialism, settled Quebec and promoted agricultural improvements. 

Louis XIII inherited a much stronger France from his father in 1610.  His mother Marie de Medici was regent and promoted discord in order to retain power.  He married 'Anne of Austria' the Infanta of Spain (which would later lead to a French claim on the Spanish throne).  Cardinal Richelieu was his first minister and did much to rule France.  Some of his achievements included standard gold  coinage, support for the arts and architecture, commission of a French dictionary and the first modern newspaper "The Gazette". He began the building at Versailles, built a small fleet to compete in global commerce, increased the standing army to 200,000 making France a power in Europe.

Louis XIV became king in 1643, and Cardinal Mazarin was his first minister.  At the death of Mazarin, Louis took control over the daily governance of France and was heavily involved in reform of taxation and the law.  Upon the death of Philip IV of Spain,  Louis attacked Flanders in the 'War of Devolution'. The "Triple Alliance" (England, Sweden, and the United Provinces along with Franche Comte) was formed to contain his advances.  The war was settled by the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678 and France won Franche Comte and 12 cities in Flanders.

In 1685 (1643-1715)Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes and as many as 300,000 Huguenots left France, taking with them much of the industrialization gain.

In 1686 the League of Augsburg (German princes, Spain, Sweden, Dutch and England) was formed to stop Louis' aggression and the 'Nine Years War' ensued.  Louis was successful in gaining, by  the  Treaty of Ryswick, Strasbourg, the Hudson Bay, and most of Newfoundland, however there was a great deal of government debt and the treasury was exhausted.  This, along with several years of bad harvests caused much unrest.

In 1700 Charles II left the throne of Spain to Phillipe (Duc d'Anjou - grandson of Anne of Austria) precipitating the Grand Alliance being formed in the Hague.  The Duke of Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy were two generals of the alliance that were particularly successful against Louis.  Due to the previous policy of keeping the aristocracy attendant at court there was not a particularly effective officer corps.  Louis did not want internal turmoil and by keeping his nobility weakened, he avoided internal strife.  Not until 1712 at Villars did France win a major battle in the 'War of Spanish Succession'.  The Battles of Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenard, and Malplaquet were all won by Marlborough and Savoy (Malplaquet, although technically won by the Alliance cost Marlborough far more troops than France lost. Marlborough was removed from command by the new Tory government.) In 1713 at the Treaty of Utrecht, Philip V (Spain) renounced his claim to France, satisfying the Grand Alliance that France and Spain would not be united, France retained Alsace but ceded Gibraltar and the Hudson Bay to England.  Louis' greatest accomplishment was to break the Hapsburg encirclement of France.  History's view of Louis' megalomania was not kind, and his weakening of the nobility and the economic state of France after his wars would lead to some of the causes of the French Revolution.  Although 'he made France suffer, he also made her great' and made France first among nations for 50 years.

Louis XV (1710 - 1774) had neither the strength nor vision of his grandfather (XIV).  His reign was marked by a policy of peace and prosperity at all costs.  He marginally supported his wife's father in the War of Polish Succession.  He supported arts and finance but did little to keep France great.  "For Louis XV, the eighteenth century was always the age of the Rococo, not of the Enlightenment."  His favorite mistress, Mme de Pompadour did much to encourage the arts, philosophy and science, but Louis showed little interest.

Louis XVI and XVII are getting way ahead of the current year, and I will return to them after I review the next 75 years.