Brief Notes on Absolute Monarchy in France

France provided the best example of the political absolutism during this period and can very well be regarded as the torch-bearer in this regard. In France kings like Henry IV (1589- _i1610), Louix XIII (1610-43) with the help of their chief ministers tried to make France a world power and assumed absolute Powers. But absolutism in France reached its zenith under Louis XIV.

Who became a model of an absolute and grand monarchy in Europe. Louis XIV became the king of France when he was less than five years old. His adviser and regent Mazarin carried on government of the country with firmness and effi­ciency. While Louis XIV was still a minor, the royal authority was seri­ously challenged by a rebellion known as Frondes between 1648 and 1652. The rebels subjected monarchy to the gravest humiliation and threatened to shake the fabric of the state to its foundation. However, the rebels failed to undermine absolutism.

On the other hand, the violence of the struggle convinced many Frenchmen that the only alternative to the royal absolutism was anarchy. In 1661, after the death of Mazarin, Louis XIV took over the management of the state affairs in his own hands and tried to establish his autocratic rule.

He was lucky to find the people obedient and docile. He tried to enhance the power and prestige of the crown and asserted his absolute powers. He said, “All power, all authority, resides in the hands of the king, and there can be no other in his kingdom than that which he establishes.

The nation does not form a body in France, it resides entire in the person of the king.” In fact Louis believed in the theory of divine right of kings’ and regarded himself as more than a human being.

Louis XIV attached great importance to splendour, magnificence, pomp and show. He built a new place at Versailles, few miles from Paris, which soon became a symbol of royal elegance and glittering court life. Soon Versailles began to set the models and fashions for the entire civilized western world. In fact the monarchs of other European countries tried to emulate the grandeur of Louis XIV.

Louis XIV could not tolerate any challenge to his absolute authority and, therefore, tried to enfeeble all those institutions which clashed with his authority. He sought to check the authority of Parliaments by intro­ducing royal system of law and justice and depriving the Parliaments of their jurisdiction over crucial cases. In this way, Louis XIV projected himself as the fountain of justice and highest judicial authority.

He in- creased the powers of the Intendents (officials of the central government) who had replaced the nobility as the chief administrators in the provinces under Richelieu’s directions. The Intendents were made personally responsible to the king for the upkeep of their provinces. He reorganized the army and replaced the old system of formation of regiments by private officers.

Army began to be recruited and controlled by the government. The army was given proper training and uniform. It was organized in a hierarchical fashion with various ranks under the direct command of Louis XIV. Soon the French army gained the distinction of being one of the largest and most modern armies of Europe. All the above measures contributed significantly to the growth of political absolutism of Louis XIV.

Louis tried to strengthen his position economically with the help of his Finance Minister Jean Baptiste Colbert. The tax system was reorganized which resulted in the flow of enormous money in the national treasury. He dismissed dishonest tax collectors and sought to check numerous evil practices and frauds which deprived the state of enormous revenues.

He tried to revitalize the sick industries and introduced a number of new industries to increase production. For this purpose he sought the help of foreign experts. Custom barriers in various provinces were removed to facilitate free trade. He got the roads widened and constructed long canals to promote trade.

He introduced the uniform system of weights and measures. Louis XIV attached great importance to exports and sought to check imports. For this purpose he erected high tariff walls and offered state aid to the exporters.

Louis tried to lighten the tax burden of the agriculturists and encouraged them to produce more. Through all the above measures Louis XIV succeeded in giving a fillip to trade, com­merce, industry as well as agriculture which greatly contributed to the prosperity of the people and brought greater revenues to the king.

In the foreign sphere also Louis tried to win laurels by adopting policy of imperialism and territorial aggrandizement. He furthered colonization in Canada and elsewhere. During his regime Louisiana was explored and two great trading companies to the East and the West Indies were chartered.

Louis greatly strengthened the French navy and raised the strength of French naval ships from 20 to 200. He also paid attention to the renovation of the ports. As a result of the efforts of Louis by the be­ginning of the eighteenth century France succeeded in carving out an ex­tensive colonial empire which consisted of colonies in Africa, North America, West Indies, India, Madagascar and Canada.

Louis XIV’s ambitions drove him into four major wars of wanton ag­gression which resulted in enormous waste of men and money. In 1667 Louis was involved in War of Devolution with Spain. After the death of Philip IV of Spain in 1659, Louis claimed Spanish Netherlands on the ground that the territory devolved on him as an inheritance of his wife Maria Theresa, the eldest daughter of the Spanish King.

However, his claim was rejected by Spain. Thereupon war of devolution broke out between France and Spain. France succeeded in conquering the southern parts of Belgium and even captured Franche-Comte. The success of Louis XIV greatly alarmed England, Holland and Sweden and they sought to check the growing power of France.

These powers prevailed upon the King of Spain to make peace with Louis. Accordingly Spain signed Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle with France on 29 May, 1668 by which it permitted France to retain the conquered southern parts of Belgium.

Next Louis waged a war against Holland because it had formed an alliance with Sweden and England and prevented him from conquering the Spanish Netherlands. Louis was also annoyed with Holland on account of numerous other reasons viz., it was a strong commercial and colonial rival of France; it granted refuge to French Huguenots who were being perse­cuted by Louis; the Dutch press had indulged in campaign of ridicule and humiliation against Louis.

However, before starting campaign against Holland, he neutralized the Swedish and English kings by paying them heavy bribes. Louis launched a campaign against Holland in 1672. The Dutch found themselves helpless before the invading French forces. How­ever, the inspiring leadership provided by William of Orange and the aid provided by Holland’s old enemies, Spain and Austria, enabled them to checkmate Louis.

As a result of prolonged warfare Louis lost the fruits of the earlier victories. By the Treaty of Nimwegen (1678), Holland succeeded in retaining her own territory. However, France got Franche Comte from Spain and Alsace from Austria. In 1680, France forcibly occupied the cities of Strassburg, Luxemburg and other Rhine cities.

In 1689 Louis invaded Palatinate, a fine German principality adjoining Alsace. This greatly alarmed the other European powers and they formed the League of Augsburg against France. The countries which joined this grand alliance were Spain, England, Holland, Sweden, the Holy Roman Empire, Bavaria, Saxony, Palatinate and Savory.

After prolonged hostili­ties lasting over nine years, Louis was obliged to conclude peace by the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697 under which Louis lost all the territory, except Strassburg which he had forcibly occupied since 1680. It is said that Louis accepted the terms of the Treaty of Ryswick because he wanted to save his energy for more important struggle which was brewing in the shape of War of Spanish Succession.

Finally, Louis was involved in the War of Spanish Succession (1701-13). The war broke out because of the death of Spanish King Charles II, who died childless, two candidates put forth their claims to the throne. These two candidates were Philip of Anjou, the second grandson of Louis XIV and Archduke Charles of Hapsburg line, the son of Emperor Leopold of Germany.

Though Charles II had nomined Philip of Anjou as his succes­sor in his will before his death, this was not acceptable to other European powers who felt that if the empire passes on to grandson of Louis XIV, the position of France, which was already very strong, would become quite formidable. Therefore, they formed a grand alliance against France. The prominent states which were members of this grand alliance included England, Holland, Austria, Savoy etc.

The two parties were involved in a long struggle from 1702 to 1713. The allies won early victories against Louis XIV and he was willing to conclude peace on terms most favourable to the allies. But the allies wanted to completely humble Louis and decided to continue the war. However, the things took a sudden turn with the death of emperor of Leopard and his elder son. Charles of Hepsburg, a claimant to the Spanish throne, became the emperor of Germany.

If he had now succeeded to the Spanish throne he would have become very powerful and overshadowed the rest of Europe. As England had no desire to build up Hapsburg empire, it decided to make peace with France by the Treaty of Utrecht (1713). Under this treaty, Philip the grandson of Louis XIV, was recognized as the King of Spain on the condition that he would not combine the thrones of France and Spain.

France was permitted to retain all of Alsace. The Spanish empire was divided. While Philips V retained Spain and Spanish America, Naples, Miland, Sardinia and Spanish Netherlands (Belgium) were handed over to Austria, England received Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Hudson Bay territory, in North America.

In addition she received valuable Mediterranean naval bases in the Balearic Islands and at Gibraltar. The Grand Duke of Savoy was re­warded for joining the Grand Alliance by title of king. Sicily was handed over to Savoy. The Hohenzollern elector of Brandenburg was recognised as king in Prussia.

Thus Louis through his policy succeeded in making himself master of France and made France a dominant power in Europe. No doubt, as a result of his prolonged wars he left his people greatly impoverished and the country much less prosperous than he found it at the time of his succession.

However, it cannot be denied that Louis completed the work of the earlier French kings and established the absolute power of the king. The success of Louis XIV is evident from the fact that no changes were made in the political or social institutions of France for nearly a century.

During his own times he won such a high reputation for the French society. French manners and customs, French art and letters that the rulers of other countries tried to imitate the same. These rulers looked upon France as the best governed country in the world and tried to copy its institutions.

The absolute monarchy established by Louis XIV suffered a set back under his weak, lazy and luxurious successors and ultimately crumbled before the French Revolution of 1789.