The History Book

190

See also: The execution of Charles I 174–75 ■ Diderot publishes the Encyclopédie

192–95 ■ The storming of the Bastille 208–13 ■ The Battle of Waterloo 214–15

O

n the death of his chief

minister Cardinal Mazzarin,

the 23-year-old Louis XIV

of France declared that he would

now rule alone, as an absolute

monarch. During his 72-year reign

(1643–1715), Louis dominated his

subjects, cultivating the image of

a “Sun King” around whom the

country orbited. Louis saw his

power as God-given, and himself

as the embodiment of the state,

with the nobility, the middle

classes, and peasants dependent

on him for justice and protection.

To maintain this position,

Louis controlled the historically

unruly aristocracy. He compelled

them to attend his court, where he

dispensed privileges and positions

via a system of etiquette. He filled

the treasury’s depleted coffers by

appointing members of the upper-

middle classes to collect taxes

in the provinces. Taxation was

extensive and the burden fell

mainly on the peasantry. Louis’s

finance minister, Jean-Baptiste

Colbert, whose overhaul of France’s

trade and industry helped to make

the country Europe’s leading power,

increased the efficiency of the

revenue system.

Expanding France

Louis’s tax income paid for his court

at the dazzling Palace of Versailles,

an old hunting lodge extended into

a royal palace, and the venue for

extravagant entertainments. From

1682 it became the permanent

base of the royal court, and the seat

of government. Louis also waged

a series of costly dynastic wars to

make some territorial gains along

France’s frontiers, leading the other

European nations to form

coalitions against him.

Peace was finally achieved at the

Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, but brought

few gains for France. The country

was plunged into debt and opinion

turned against the Crown. In spite

of this, Louis established a pattern

of absolutism in France that lasted,

in a more enlightened form, for most

of the 18th century until attempts to

reform the system resulted in the

overthrow of the monarchy in 1792

during the French Revolution. ■

I AM THE

STATE

LOUIS XIV BEGINS PERSONAL

RULE OF FRANCE (1661)

IN CONTEXT

FOCUS

Absolutist France

BEFORE

1624–1642 Cardinal Richelieu,

Louis XIII’s chief minister,

reforms and strengthens

central administration.

1643–1661 Louis’s mother,

ruling on his behalf, helps

to consolidate royal power.

1648–1653 Nobles revolt

against royal authority in

a conflict called the Fronde.

AFTER

1685 Louis XIV revokes the

Edict of Nantes, which had

granted Huguenots the right

to practice their religion.

1701–1714 The War of the

Spanish Succession severely

strains French resources.

1789 The French Revolution

removes King Louis XVI and

ends absolutist royal

power in France.

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191

See also: Christopher Columbus reaches America 142–47 ■ The Defenestration

of Prague 164–69 ■ The voyage of the Mayflower 172 –73 ■ The Battle of Waterloo

214 –15 ■ The Battle of Passchendaele 270–75

O

n September 13, 1759,

24 British men scaled

the cliffs below Quebec,

opening the way for British forces

commanded by General James

Wolfe to capture the city. The crucial

battle ended French dominance in

Canada and was a key event in the

Seven Years’ War (1756–1763).

The war involved most of

the chief European nations in a

struggle for territory and power. It

centered on two main clashes: one

maritime and colonial, involving

land battles in North America and

India between Britain and Bourbon

France; the other a European land

war that chiefly pitted France,

Austria, and Russia against

Prussia. Overseas colonies also

became involved, making this the

first true global conflict.

Competing powers

Britain achieved notable victories

over France. A French invasion

attempt on Britain was thwarted by

Britain’s superior navy, and Britain

scored colonial victories over France

in West Africa, the Caribbean, and

North America where there were

major successes in Canada. Britain

forced France to cede all of their

territory east of the Mississippi

River, effectively ending the threat

France posed to Britain’s North

American colonies.

There were similar victories in

India. The British general Robert

Clive, wrongfooted the French by

defeating the Nawab of Bengal at

Plassey in 1757 and acquiring his

territory for Britain, paving the way

for the British domination of India.

The end of the Seven Years’ War left

Britain the leading colonial power. ■

THE EARLY MODERN ERA

DON’T FORGET YOUR

GREAT GUNS, THE MOST

RESPECTABLE ARGUMENTS

OF THE RIGHTS OF KINGS

THE BATTLE OF QUEBEC (1759)

IN CONTEXT

FOCUS

Seven Years’ War

BEFORE

1754 Fighting between France

and Britain in North America,

the so-called French and

Indian War, begins.

1756 Frederick II of Prussia

begins the Seven Years

War by invading Saxony

to prevent Russia from

creating a base there.

1757 Prussia inflicts a

significant defeat on superior

French and Austrian forces

at Rossbach.

1759 Russia wipes out

two-thirds of the Prussian

army at Kunersdorf.

AFTER

1760 French forces at Montreal

surrender to the British.

1763 The Seven Years’ War

comes to an end with

the treaties of Paris

and Hubertusburg.

Without supplies

no army is brave.

Frederick the Great, 1747

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