 I.
The Capetian Rulers (“The House of Capet,” 987-1328)
a.
987—last of Charlemagne’s French successors died
i.
Hugh Capet—a feudal lord—elected king by French nobles because
they thought he was weak
ii.
France was then only a small duchy (duke’s territory)
1.
Centered around Paris
2.
Surrounded by independent states ruled by feudal lords
b.
Hugh Capet and his successors ruled France for over 300 years
i.
Increased the monarch’s powers
ii.
Strong central government
iii.
Enlarged their domain by taking lands from nobles
c.
Leading Capetian monarchs
i.
Philip Augustus (1180-1223)
1.
Royal control over English land in France
2.
Won Toulouse (located in southern France) from Albigensians
ii.
Louis IX (1226-1270)
1.
Established new currency system
2.
Restricted power of nobles and their private wars
3.
Legal reforms to bring justice under the king rather than the
nobles
iii.
Philip IV “The Fair” (1285-1314)
1.
Increased power over the Church
a.
Taxed church lands
b.
Seized Knight Templars’ wealth
c.
Moved papacy from Rome to Avignon
2.
Estates General
a.
Three estates based on class
i.
First Estate—high-ranking clergy
ii.
Second Estate—nobles
iii.
Third Estate—everyone else, from merchants to peasants
b.
First called by Philip the Fair in 1302
i.
Gave the people a voice
ii.
Helped gain Philip IV support for his actions
3.
Increased his territory
iv.
Louis XI (1461-1483)
1.
Royal control over all of France, minus Brittany
2.
Gave little control to nobles or Estates General
II.
The Hundred Years’ War—1337-1453
a.
Cause
i.
French kings wanted to eliminate English lands in France
b.
French defeats
i.
Crécy, 1346
ii.
Poitiers, 1356
iii.
Agincourt, 1415
iv.
French knights destroyed
c.
Joan of Arc
i.
Young peasant girl
ii.
Believed God chose her to lead French to victory
iii.
1429—persuaded Charles VII to led her lead the French armies for
a year
iv.
Had Charles VII crowned at Reims
v.
Ended English siege of Orleans
vi.
Captured by the English
1.
Charged by Church with heresy and witchcraft
2.
1430—burned at the stake
vii.
Inspirational
1.
Inspired the monarch and soldiers
2.
Aroused patriotism and national pride among the people
d.
Results
i.
English gradually driven out of the country
1.
1453—only Calais still held by the English
2.
End of the Hundred Years’ War
ii.
France became a united nation
iii.
King’s power increased because so many nobles had been killed
III.
Religious Wars between Protestants and Catholics
a.
16th century
b.
Wars between Huguenots (French Protestants) and Catholics
c.
Henry of Navarre (Henry IV)—Bourbon dynasty
i.
French Huguenot
ii.
1589—Converted to Catholicism when he became king of France
iii.
Edict of Nantes (1598)—granted religious toleration to Huguenots
IV.
House of Bourbon—leading ministers
a.
Henry IV (1589-1610): Minister—Sully (1597-1610)
i.
Edict of Nantes (1598)
ii.
Reduced spending to increase revenue
iii.
Public works
iv.
Increased foreign trade and agricultural production
v.
France grew rich and powerful under him
b.
Louis XIII (1610-1643)
i.
Minister—Cardinal Richelieu (1624-1642)
1.
Introduced absolutism to the French monarchy
a.
Forced Huguenots to relinquish their special political and
military privileges
b.
Destroyed castles of the nobles
c.
Took over control of local government
i.
Local power now held by
intendants, appointed by the king
2.
Made France a leading
European power
a.
Hurt the Hapsburgs (Austrians) during the Thirty Years’ War
(1618-1648)
ii.
Minister—Cardinal Mazarin (1643-1661)
1.
Fronde—destroyed
the nobles’ power after lords tried to regain power
2.
Added land
3.
Increased power of France’s absolute monarchy
c.
Louis XIV (1643-1715)
i.
Minister—Colbert (1665-1683)
1.
Budget system
2.
Encouraged industry and agriculture
3.
Built up French naval forces
4.
Encouraged trade by removing internal tariffs
5.
Promoted colonial expansion in America and India
6.
Allowed Louis to pay for costly wars
V.
Louis XIV—“I am the state!”
a.
Absolute rule
i.
No check on royal power
ii.
Ruled 72 years
iii.
Never called the Estates General
iv.
Held all power—administering justice, collecting and spending
revenue (taxes), making laws, waging war, etc.
b.
Encouragement of culture
i.
Encouraged literature and the arts
ii.
Leading French dramatists
1.
Corneille—wrote tragedies
2.
Moliere—satirist
3.
Racine—dramatic poet
iii.
Francophiles
1.
Cultured Europeans adopted French manners, novels, and plays
2.
Lingua franca—French
language became spoken by international diplomats and high
society
c.
The court at Versailles
i.
Large palace built outside of Paris
ii.
Nobles lived here where the king could monitor them
iii.
Very expensive to build and maintain
d.
Religious difficulties
i.
1685—revoked the Edict of Nantes
ii.
Persecuted Huguenots
1.
Many fled to England, Holland, Prussia, and to what became the
United States
a.
Hurt French industry because many were skilled workers
e.
Wars
i.
Believed that the Rhine River was the “natural frontier” of
France
ii.
Brought France to war with many European countries
iii.
Costly wars weakened France
iv.
Little territory gained
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