Martin's history of France: the age of Louis XIV

Front matter

A

CORNELL

UNIVERSITY

CHAPTER I. Louis XIV. and Colbert

Finances. — Character of Loiiis XIV. and Beginning of his Government. Disastrous Situation of Finances at the Death of Mazarin; Ruin of Agriculture and Navigation ; Sufferings of Commerce and Manufactures. Struggle between Fouquet and Colbert. Fete at Vaux. Arrest of Fouquet. Colbert administers under the Iving. Plans of Colbert. Financial Reform. Chamber of Justice. Trial of Fouquet. The Iron Mask. Liberation of the Public Revenues. Financial Liberation of the Communes. Amelioration of the System of Taxation. (1661-1672) 1

Chapter II

Section I. — The Courts and the Police. Great Days of Auvergne. Council of Justice. Pussort and Lamoignon. Civil Ordinance. Criminal Ordinance. Hospitals. Ordinance on the Police of Paris. La Reinie. Ordinances on Convents and the Population. Section II. — Waters and Forests. Agriculture. Canals. Ordinance on Waters and Forests. Regulations concerning the Grain-Trade. Multiplication of Stock. Royal Highways. Riquet. (Canal of the Two Seas.) Section III. — Colonies. Marine. Commerce. Manufactures. Companies of the West and East Indies, the North, and the Levant. Free Ports. Navy : Re'gime of Classes. Ordinances on the Marine. Naval Constructions. Brest and Rochefort. Tariff Edicts. Protective System. Entrepots. Manufactures. Statutes and Regulations on Manufactures. Commercial Ordinance. (1661-1673) . 60

CHAPTER HI.

Intellectual and Moral Progress. Section I. — The Great King AND the Court. The Great Lords. Literary Men. The Academies. The Clergy. Etiquette. Women. Festivals of the Court. Section II. — Sciences AND Letters. Academy of Sciences. Huyghens. The Observatory. Picard. Cassini. Roemer. Erudition. Baluze. Mabillon. Ducange. D'Herbelot. Travellers. Civil Law at Paris. Section III. — Poetry. The Drama. Literature and Society. Moliere. Boileau. Racine.

VOL. I. b

X COXTENTS.

Page Lulli and Quinault. Qnestion of the Stage. La Foxtaint:. :^^adame de La Fayette. Madame de Sevigne. Section IV. —Moralists. Sacred Eloquence. La Rochefoucauld. Nicole. Bossuet. Bourdaloue. Section V. — Fine Arts. Versailles. Colbert Superintendent of Constructions. Lebrun Director of the Academr of Painting and Sculpture and of the Gobehns. Perrault; the Louvre. Louis XIV. abandons the Louvre for Versailles. Eardouin - Mansart. Lenostre. The Invalides. Section VI. — The Education of the Dauphin. Theories of Louis XIV. AND Bossuet. The State of the Church. The Politics of the Holy Scriptures and the Memoirs and Instructions of the King to his Son. Affairs of the Jansenists and Protestants. Controversies between Bossuet and the Ministers. Conversions. Splendor and Perils. (1661-1672) .... 138

Chapter IV

Diplomacy and "War. — Colbert, Lionne, Le Tellier, and Loutois. — Section I. — War of the Queen's Rights, -^i^eorganization of the Army. Plans of external Policy. Spain recognizes the Precedence of France. Acquisition of Dunkirk. Quarrel with Rome ; the Pope compelled to humble himself before Louis XIV. Expedition against the Moors, and Intervention in Hungary. Projects concerning Belgium and Franche-Comte. Policy of Holland. Alliance with Holland against England. AYar of the Queen's Rights ; Invasion of Belgium ; Capture of Charleroi, Bergues, Fumes, Toumay, Douai, Courtrai, Audenarde, and Lille. Peace of Breda, between France, England, and Holland. Secret Treaty of Louis XIV. with the Emperor Leopold for the eventual Partition of the Spanish Monarchy. Treaty concluded by Holland witli England and Sweden to arrest the Conquests of Louis XIV. by obliging Spain to make Concessions to him. Conquest of Franche-Comte' in a Fortnight. Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle ; Spain cedes to France the Places captured in Belgium, and Louis XIV. restores Franche- Comte'. Section II. — Resentment of Louis XIV. against Holland ; Extensive Negotiations to isolate this Republic and to pave the Way for its Ruin. Influence of Colbert diminishes. Louis XIV. secretly aspires to the Empire. Treaty with England against Holland. Great Preparations. Affairs of the East. Expedition of Candia. Project of Leibnitz to turn the Arms of France from Holland to Egypt. The Plan is thwarted. Louis XIV. declares War against Holland. (1661-1672) 242

Chapter V

War -with Holland. — Financial Preparations of Colbert. Invasion of Holland. Taking of the Cities of the Rhine. Crossing of the Rhine. Conquest of the Provinces of Gelderiand, Overyssel, and Utrecht. Dismay of Holland. The Occasion lost of taking Amsterdam. Patriotic Devotion of the Dutch. The breaking of the Dikes submerges Holland and arrests the Invasion. The naval Battle of Solebay prevents a Franco-Enghsh Descent in Zealand. The States-General offer Louis XIV. the Cession of Maestricht Dutch Brabant, and Dutch Flanders. Fatal Refusal of the King, urged on by Louvois. Reestablishment of the Stadtholdership for the Benefit of the Prince of Orange. Massacre of the Brothers De Witt. The Emperor Spain, and the Elector of Brandenburg declare themselves in Favor of Holland. Turenne prevents the Junction of the Imperialists with the Prince of

CONTENTS. xi

Page Orange. Disastrous Financial Expedients imposed on Colbert. Taking of Maestricht by the King and Vauban. Taking of Treves. Maritime Reverses. Junction of the Imperiahsts and the Dutch. Louis XIV. evacuates Holland and seizes Eranche-Comte. England makes Peace with Holland. The Germanic D^iet declares against France. Battle of Seneffe. Misery of the People. Disturbances in Guienne and Brittany. Revolt of Messina against Spain. Brilliant Campaign of Turenne in the Palatinate and Alsace. German Invasion repulsed. Turenne resumes the Offensive beyond the Rhine. Death of Turenne. (1672-1675) 330

Chapter VI

War with Holland, continuation and end. — Repulse of Konsaarbriick and Loss of Treves. Naval Victories of the French over the Spaniards and Dutch in the Waters of Sicily. Glory of Duquesne. Taking of Conde, Bouchain, and Aire. Loss of Philippsburg. Reverses of the Swedish Allies of France. Bavaria rallies to the Support of France and Sweden. Taking of Valenciennes and Cambrai. Victory of Cassel. Taking of Saint-Omer. Victory of Kochersberg. Taking of Freiburg in Brisgau. Maritime Successes against the Dutch. Taking of Ghent and Ypres. Peace of Nimeguen^ with Holland. Commercial Concessions to the Dutch. Battle of Samt-Denis after the Signature of Peace. Louis XIV. restores to Spain Ghent, with Charleroi and several other Places acquired in 1667. Spain cedes to France Franche-Comte, Valenciennes, Cambrai, Saint-Omer, Ypres, and other Towns of West Flanders and Hainault. The Emperor and the Germanic Diet sign the Peace after new Reverses. Philippsburg restored to France in Exchange for Freiburg. The Elector of Brandenburg and the King of Denmark restore to Sweden what they had taken from her. General Pacification. (1675-1679) 423

Chapter VII

End op the Ministry of Colbert. Efforts of Colbert to reestablish the Finances and to relieve the People. Colonies ; Marine. Black Code ; Cavelier de la Salle ; Discovery of Louisiana. Petit- Renau. Ordinance concerning the Marine. Vauban fortifies all the Frontiers and Coasts. Works of Toulon. Chambers of Reannexation. Encroachments on the Empire. Annexation op Strasburg to France. Occupation of Casale. War against the Moors. Bombardment of Algiers. Increasing Oppression of the Protestants. New Struggles between Colbert and Louvois. Madame de Maintenon. Quarrel with the Court of Rome. Declaration of 1682. New Edicts against the Protestants. Troubles in the South. Death of Colbert. (1679-1683) . . 479

Prefatory Note

The Age of Louis XIV. properly begins March 9, 1661, at the death of Cardinal Mazarin, when he assumed the sole administration of the government, and stamped it with his own individuality. Until that time he had been wholly indifferent to pubHc affairs, leaving them to be guided by his prime minister, and the preceding portion of his life and reign may be said to belong to the times of Anne of Austria and Mazarin. Bom September 5, 1638, Louis XIV. was not five years old when his father, Louis XIII. , died, and his mother, Anne of Austria, succeeded to the government as regent, with Mazarin for prime minister. He attained majority at thirteen, September 5, 1651, according to the laws of France, but continued to abandon the government to Mazarin, devoting himself to amusement. June 3, 1660, he espoused the Infanta Maria Theresa, daughter of Philip IV. of Spain. The detailed account of this portion of his reign is given in the preceding part of tliis work, (to be published in the future,} comprising the administrations of Richelieu and Mazarin. On the death of Mazarin, to the general surprise, Louis XIV. assembled liis councillors and addressed to them these words, with an allusion to which this volume opens : — " Sir," said he, addressing the ChanceUo'r, titular head of the councils, '' I have summoned you, with my Ministers and my Secretaries of State, to teU you that it has pleased me hitherto to permit my affairs to be governed by the late Cardinal ; I shall in future be my own prime minister. You shall aid me with your counsels when I ask you for them. I request and order you, M. Chancellor, to seal no decree except by my orders ; and I order you, my Secretaries of State, and you, M. Superintendent of Finances, to sign nothing without my command." With these words commenced the veritable Age of Louis XIV. — Tr.