142 Ch. 4 • The Wars of Religion

At the time of the Estates-General in 1789, an image of an

impoverished, elderly peasant carrying on his back a noble

and a priest while scratching out a living from the soil.

newcomers ascended into the highest rank of dukes and peers who stood

above even the “nobles of the sword,” the oldest and most powerful nobles

traditionally called on by the monarchy to provide military support. The

“nobles of the robe,” while not a coherent or self-conscious group, were

men who claimed noble status on the basis of high administrative and judi­

cial office, for example, in the parlements. Henry strengthened the social

hierarchy by bolstering established institutions, including the parlements,

the treasury, the universities, and, ultimately, the Catholic Church.

Henry also took an interest in encouraging French manufacturing, partic­

ularly silk and the production of tapestries. To promote internal trade, he

encouraged investment in the construction of several canals linking naviga­

ble rivers. He was the first king to take an active interest in supporting a per­

manent French settlement in the New World, thereby increasing the

prospects of French fishermen and trappers following Jacques Cartier’s