3.1 �Legitimizing �Political Rule
The Empire� of France
What methods did French monarch Louis XIV use to legitimize & consolidate �his power in the 1450-1750 time period?
SKILL: �Using documents to answer prompts
What we will learn:
Analyze how rulers continued to use religious ideas, art, and monumental architecture to legitimize their rule, specifically looking at the French Empire from 1450-1750.
What we will do:
Practice viewing a combination of sources to answer a writing prompt: �Explain how French monarchs legitimized & consolidated power from 1450-1750 time period?
EUROPE
Europe�1650
Historical Context of French Empire
Timeline:
House of Carolingian
877-987
House of Capetian
996 -1589
House of Bourboun
1610-1798
The French Empire:�Explain how French monarchs legitimized & consolidated power from 1450-1750 time period? �
1789French Revolution
Background: �Europe c. 1450-1750
Absolute Monarchy
Divine Right
Of Kings
Catholic Church
King = TOTAL power:�ECN, GOV, SIO
King gets permission to rule from God
King gets permission to rule from God
Absolute Monrachy
French �King �1643 - 1715
Louis XIV
The �Sun �King
Divine Right
Of Kings
Granted power from God
Catholic �Church
Pope Pius II
Pope Nicholas I
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Adrian VI
Pope Clement X
Pope Francis�(today)
Versailles Palace: �King’s House & Court (gov. capital)
HALL OF MIRRORS
Click HERE to take a virtual tour of Versailles using Google Earth (it’s cool - check it out!)
Let’s Look at Some Documents
Memoirs (1694-1723) by Duc de Saint-Simon a man who lived a privileged life at Versailles
Louis XIV’s silver furniture
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes
Symbol of French Monarchy
Document #1 - Memoirs (1694-1723) by Duc de Saint-Simon a man who lived a privileged life at Versailles and godson of Louis XIV. He kept a record of the day-to-day events of the palace.
… The King’s courtiers were allowed to follow him; and the King saw and noticed everybody… Some of the courtiers (the most distinguished), would get a demerit if they did not spend hours in court… what what did these courtiers do, not much but to attend the King’s ego.
Louis XIV took great pains to be well informed of anyone coming or going. His spies were infinite. Of all the species not one could be detected by the many courtiers as they are dressed in their manner and mixed with them freely. The King made sure that each spy reported directly to him telling him of anyone who bad-mouthed him or was critical of his rule.
This is one reason Louis XIV intentionally lived at Versailles, which is outside of Paris, in order to keep watch over all of his court [government] and to find potential troublemakers who could seek political unrest. He expected his courtiers and officials to stay with him at Versailles rather than in Paris at all times. Soon, there was not one administrator left in the ‘old’ capital of Paris as court moved to the new palace; away from the people of France and further from their desires.
Courtiers: a person who attends a royal court as a companion or adviser to the king or queen.
Demerit: a mark awarded against someone for a fault or offense.�Court: European name given to ‘government offices’
How
WHY
Document #1 - Memoirs (1694-1723) by Duc de Saint-Simon a man who lived a privileged life at Versailles and godson of Louis XIV. He kept a record of the day-to-day events of the palace.
… The King’s courtiers were allowed to follow him; and the King saw and noticed everybody… Some of the courtiers (the most distinguished), would get a demerit if they did not spend hours in court… what what did these courtiers do, not much but to attend the King’s ego.
Louis XIV took great pains to be well informed of anyone coming or going. His spies were infinite. Of all the species not one could be detected by the many courtiers as they are dressed in their manner and mixed with them freely. The King made sure that each spy reported directly to him telling him of anyone who bad-mouthed him or was critical of his rule.
This is one reason Louis XIV intentionally lived at Versailles, which is outside of Paris, in order to keep watch over all of his court [government] and to find potential troublemakers who could seek political unrest. He expected his courtiers and officials to stay with him at Versailles rather than in Paris at all times. Soon, there was not one administrator left in the ‘old’ capital of Paris as court moved to the new palace; away from the people of France and further from their desires.
How
WHY
Let’s go back to prompt:
Explain how French monarchs legitimized & consolidated power from 1450-1750 time period?
Document #2 - Louis XIV’s silver furniture
Document #2 - Louis XIV’s silver furniture XIV’s SILVER FACTS:
Louis XIV was a firm believer in the notion that a monarch and his country's power was best shown in his palaces and the furniture in it.
The furniture was made of solid silver. Louis owned just about 200 pieces of solid-silver furniture. The furniture would be displayed particularly in the Hall of Mirrors which was lined with silver candelabras and benches. When the other Kings visited Versailles, they were always lead through the King's grand Hall of Mirrors, were the impressive sight of the Sun King, sitting on his silver throne met him.
The large painting by Claude Halle shown above, representing The Audience given by Louis XIV to the Doge of Genoa in the Hall of Mirrors, on May 15, 1685, allows us to have some idea of the silver furniture which adorned the rooms of the State Apartment
Let’s go back to prompt:
What methods did French monarch Louis XIV use to legitimize and consolidate his power in the 1450-1750 time period?
Document #3 - Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (Source)
In October 1685, Louis XIV signed the Edict of Fontainebleau which repealed the Edict of Nantes. It banned Protestant worship in France.
From 1661 on, Louis XIV, gradually banned all Protestants from working in most trades and had their churches pulled down one by one. By October 1685, only one Protestant church remained.
The use of inducement was permitted and it get the Protestants to convert to Catholicism.�
So, on October 1685, Louis XIV signed the Edict of Fontainebleau which repealed the Edict of Nantes.
Background:
Getting rid of...
The Edict of Fontainebleau:
1: the complete Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1598), �2 and �3: worship at all Protestant Church banned, including among the lords.
4: the banishment, of pastors who did not want to convert – on pain of the galleys.
5 and 6: inducements to get pastors to convert : life pensions and vocational retraining in the legal profession.
7: ban on Protestant schools.
How
WHY
The Edict of Fontainebleau:
1: the complete Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1598), �2 and 3: worship at all Protestant Church banned, including among the lords.
4: the banishment, of pastors who did not want to convert – on pain of the galleys.
5 and 6: inducements to get pastors to convert : life pensions and vocational retraining in the legal profession.
7: ban on Protestant schools.
How
WHY
1
2
3
The Edict of Fontainebleau:
1: the complete Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1598), �2 and 3: worship at all Protestant Church banned, including among the lords.
4: the banishment, of pastors who did not want to convert – on pain of the galleys.
5 and 6: inducements to get pastors to convert : life pensions and vocational retraining in the legal profession.
7: ban on Protestant schools.
How
WHY
1
2
3
Let’s go back to prompt:
What methods did French monarch Louis XIV use to legitimize and consolidate his power in the 1450-1750 time period?
Document 4: �French Monarch’s Symbol
1701
Fleur-de-lis
Portrait of Louis XIV in Coronation Robes was painted in 1701 by the French painter Hyacinthe Rigaud |
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The Two Flags of France �
House of Bourbon
Clovis, first king of France
Is there a connection to the USA?
Yes, but it’s a later time period.
Let’s go back to prompt:
What methods did French monarch Louis XIV use to legitimize and consolidate his power in the 1450-1750 time period?