Absolutism and

the Modern French State

 

Thomas Hobbes, 1588-1679

Cardinal Richelieu, 1585-1642

Louis XIV, 1638/43-1715

 

                                

á     What is the nature of the Òmodern state,Ó whether absolutist or constitutional?

á     What is "absolutism," in theory and practice?

á     How did absolutism develop in France?  What were its limits?

 

Key Terms

1) Jacques-Benigne Bossuet,                           6) Versailles

2) Thomas Hobbes & Leviathan                     7) Nobles of the Robe

3) Cardinal Richelieu & raison dÕetat            8) War of Spanish Succession

4) Intendants

5) Louis XIV (LÕetat, cÕest moi)

 

 

I.  The Modern State and Absolutism

 

á     Modernity and the Growth of Centralized State Power

 

á     Sovereignty, Bureaucracy, and Centralization

o  A Monopoly on Law, Justice, and Violence

 

á     Jacques-Benigne Bossuet, Politics Drawn from the Words of Holy Scripture

       vs.

á     Thomas Hobbes, The Leviathan

 

á     Responsible Monarchs vs. Arbitrary Autocrats

 

á     Early Modern Absolutism vs. 20th-Century Totalitarianism

 

 

II. The Origins of Modern French Absolutism, 1300-1600

 

The Hundreds Years War (1337-1453):  England vs. France

á     Standing Armies, Taxation, and Bureaucracy

á     The King vs. Lords:  Expanding Royal Power

 

Independence from Rome

¤  The Avignon Papacy (1358-1378)

¤  The Invasion of Italy (1494-1530)

¤  The Concordat of Bologna (1516) and the Origins of Gallicanism

¤  Creation of a French National Church

 

The Sixteenth Century:  From Stability to Civil War to Stability

á     St. Bartholemew's Day Massacre (1578)

á     The Edict of Nantes (1598)

 

 

III.  Perfecting the Absolutist State:  The Bourbon Monarchy

 

á     Henry IV (1589-1610):  The Edict of Nantes

 

á     Louis XIII (1610-1643) and Cardinal Richelieu (1624-1642)

¤  raison d'Žtat

¤  Relations with the Nobility

¤  Administration and Bureaucracy:  The Intendants and Middle-Class Officials

¤  Huguenot Policy — LaRochelle (1627)

¤  The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) and the Treaty of Westphalia

 

á     Louis XIV (1643/1661-1715):  "L'etat, C'est Moi"

á     The Boy King and the Fronde

á     Mazarin (Politics) and Colbert (Mercantilist Economy)

á     Nobles of the Robe (New) vs. Nobles of the Sword (Old)

á     Versailles: ÒDomesticationÓ or "Collaboration" of the Nobility?

á     Hall of Mirrors 2 Courtyard   Louis XIV The Park 2 3

á     French Imperialism in Europe: Louis XIV's Wars

 

o   The Long-Term Weaknesses and Limits of French Absolutism

¤  Finances:  Aristocratic Exemptions, Tax Farming, Peasant and Middle-Class Tax Burden

¤  Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) and Huguenot Persecution

¤  Imperial Overstretch and the "Balance of Power": The War of Spanish Succession, 1701-1713

¤  The Inexorable Logic of Centralization: Alexis de Tocqueville's Theory of the French Revolution (1789) - The Old Regime and the French Revolution