Early Modern Europe

The Rise of Nation States

Bourbon France

A.Civil War and Establishment of the Bourbon Dynasty - Between 1562 and 1589, civil war broke out throughout France between Catholics and French protestant Huguenots. Eventually, a Huguenot leader named Henry de Bourbon seized control of the French throne and established the Bourbon dynasty that would rule France for the next 200 years. He became known as Henry IV.

1.Henry IV (1589 - 1610) - Following the civil war, France was in chaos. Henry quickly began to rebuild the country into the strongest nation in Europe. He did this by:

a. Converting to Catholicism which made him popular.

b.Issuing the Edict of Nantes in 1598 which granted religious toleration to Protestants.

c.Began a major economic program which brought the French government out of bankruptcy.

d.Began a major public works program which rebuilt roads and bridges.

B.Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu (1610 - 1643) - Henry IV was assassinated in 1610 and was succeeded by his nine year old son, Louis XIII. Louis was an incapable ruler. His greatest accomplishment was appointing a strong chief minister. He was:

1.Cardinal Richelieu - Richelieu was the real power in France during the reign of Louis XIII. Although he was a clergyman he was a skilled and shrewd politician as well. His main goal was to build the monarchy in a supreme authority. He accomplished this by:

a.Destroying fortified castles of nobles.

b.Transferring control of provinces from nobles to the King's officials.

c.Crushing the power of the Huguenots.

d.Imposing taxes which made the monarchy wealthy.

e.Entering the Thirty Years War which helped weaken France's rivals.

f. Having a strong successor, Cardinal Mazarin who continued policies.

2.The Thirty Years War - This war began as a struggle in Germany between protestants and Catholics and continued as a political war. German princes wanted independence from the Holy Roman Emperor headed by the Hapsburg family. France entered the war on the side of the protestants and the German princes rather than the Catholics. The thirty year war claimed nearly a third of Germany's population. Finally in 1648 the war was ended with the signing of the Peace of Westphalia. As a result:

a.France gained valuable German territory.

b.The Netherlands and Switzerland became independent.

c.The Hapsburgs lost most of their authority in Germany.

d.Many longstanding problems between European nations were resolved.

e.France emerged as the major European power.

1.Absolute Rule

a.Louis claimed Divine Right to rule. He proclaimed himself "Sun King".

b.He exercised unlimited political power. He once said, "I am the State".

c.He never convened the Estates-General during his reign.

d.Declared and fought four wars to enlarge his territory.

e.Chose his ministers only from the middle class. This weakened nobles.

2.Blossoming of Culture

a.Built palace of Versailles into one of the most magnificent palaces in the world. Nobles were forced to serve in Louis' court there.

b.France became the European center of art and literature.

c.French became the most widely spoken language in Europe.

3.Religious Persecution

a.Edict of Nantes was revoked and Huguenots were persecuted.

b.French protestants were given the choice of converting to Catholicism or leave the country.

4.Strong Economic Policy - Louis named Jean Baptiste Colbert as his finance minister. This highly able minister furthered prosperity through;

a.Improved farming methods.

b.Building new roads and canals for trade.

c.Gave money to new industries.

d.Protected French industries with high tariffs on imports.

e.Established French trade centers abroad.

D.The Age of Enlightenment -The latter part of the Renaissance in the 1700's became known as the Age of Enlightenment. The great writers, scientist and philosophers of this period believed that truth could be arrived at solely by rational and logical thinking. This became known as Rationalism. France became home of some of the greatest figures of the Enlightenment, including:

1.Montesquieu - Wrote Spirit of the Laws which described that the perfect government had checks and balances built in.

2.Rousseau - Wrote The Social Contract which proclaimed popular sovereignty which is the free choice of people.

3.Voltaire - He advocated free speech and religious toleration.

4.Diderot - Compiled collection of all knowledge, called Encyclopedia.

BOURBON FRANCE

TWO MAJOR GOALS OF CARDINAL RICHELIEU

1. Make the monarchy the supreme authority in France.

2. Build France into the most powerful nation in Europe.

RICHELIEU'S METHOD OF REACHING HIS GOALS

* Weakened the power of nobles by destroying their fortified castles.

* Crushed the power of the Huguenots by destroying their walled cities.

* Enriched the monarchy by imposing heavy taxes on the lower classes.

* Entered the Thirty Years' War to weaken France's rivals

THIRTY YEARS' WAR (1618-1648)

* War between Protestants and Catholics in Germany

* Protestants desired independence from the Hapsburg Holy Roman Emperor who was Catholic

* Hapsburgs dominated early stages of war

* In 1635, Richelieu entered predominantly Catholic France

into the war on the side of the protestants.

* Ended in 1648, by the Peace of Westphalia

RESULTS OF THE THIRTY YEARS' WAR

* France gained the valuable German territory of Alsace

* The Netherlands and Switzerland became independent

* The Hapsburgs lost most of their authority in Germany

* Many longstanding problems between European nations were resolved

THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

* In the 1700's the latter part of the Renaissance became known as the Age of Enlightenment

* The Great writers, philosophers, and scientists of the time felt that truth could be arrived at only through rational and logical thought. This is known as rationalism.

* France became home to the greatest figures of this age

Montesquieu - Wrote Spirit of the Laws (1748) which stated that the perfect government had built in checks and balances

Rousseau - Wrote The Social Contract (1762) which proclaims that a government's sovereignty (power) is controlled by the people it governs

Voltaire - Advocated free speech and religious toleration in Letters Concerning the English Nation (1733). His most famous work is Candide (1759)

Diderot - Between 1751-1771 he compiled all knowledge into a 28 volume set called Encyclopedia