Monarchy - Recovery of sorts under Henry IV and Sully (change)

It was based on principles of traditional unity and control of the nobility = arguably the control of the 1st half of the 16th century - although because of the religious change, further conflict was inevitable.

He would not have gotten the support of the middle ground if he abjured in 1589. In 1593, the league had no credible alternative & moderate Catholics desired peace and stability.

It was not difficult to re-build France from where it was in 1594 (rock bottom in terms of socio-economic)

In 1606, HIV travelled to Seden to deal with Bouillion, resulting 1000 nobles paying homage to him.

Support for HIV was preferable over the Catholic league because it would keep Gallican independence from Rome. 

Many provincial leaders of the league began to reject Mayenne's leadership (military leader of the league) while Pope Sixtus V became more receptive to the idea of HIV becoming King.

Hi siege brought great hardship and death to the citizens of Paris between May and September 1590 = may unite Catholic opinion against him.

Henry of Navarre called off the siege = worked in his favour

Cardinal of Bourbon had died and Mayenne claimed the throne for himself; however, the league preferred his younger nephew Charles, Duke of Guise while others wanted the accession of PII of Spain to save the one true faith

= the extreme Catholic faction was disunited in their views over who should become King = Henry of Navarre emerged as the only reasonable claimant. 

The Spanish ambassador proposed PII's daughter, Isabella to succeed the French throne; however, she was barred by the Salic Law which prevented women from ruling.

Henry of Navarre spent 30 million livres in bribes and often agreed to settle a town's debt of exempt it from tax as compensation for war = examples of his pragmatism

He continued his policy of appeasement - a far cheaper and more attractive alternative to war. He also used bribes to win over Leaguer towns and nobles (which did not come cheaply)

He entered Paris, with little resistance, and symbolically heard Mass at Notre Dame. (A week after his abjuration he visits every Pais Church and heard mass)

He reached an agreement with the Pope, Clement VIII promising to publish the decrees for the Council of Trent in return for absolutism = he could now turn his attention towards ridding France of the Spanish (declared war in 1595)

His pragmatism = Catholics and Protestants could live together in peace despite the fact that Protestantism had not been given full parity with Catholicism. 

He took a sympathetic line towards them = their debts were reduced 

Successful - he demonstrated good kingship, was interested in welfare and enlightened toleration, restored unity

Unsuccessful - problems still existed regarding unification and centralisation  by his assassination 

                            - a huguenot minority still existed & fiscal pressures remained harsh on the 3rd Estate 

                             - he mobilised troops 3 times between 1600 and 1610 = suggests if he wasn't assassinated  he would have committed France to a costly war with Spain

- centralisation of gov & overriding provinical powers

- payment of debt & restoration of royal finances

- control of the nobility

- legitimate male heirs

- successful invasion of Savoy

- for once confessional antagonism took 2nd place to more pragmatic concerns

However, financial restraints & obstacles preventing centralisation still existed

An immediate victory at Fontaine-Francaise 

1598 - all towns captured by either side since Cateau Cambresis in 1559 should be returned = the treaty therefore returned Calais, Toul, Metz, Verdun and Amiens to France.

Future discontent was inevitable

HIV sought for peace because he had to, but in the long term he intended a more bellicose foreign policy.

- over half debt was paid 

- mortgages on crown property had been redeemed 

- a large revenue had been accumulated  in the treasury

- central administration had spread throughout the localities in a more systematic manner than before

- tax farming was better regulated

The royal debt (300 million livres)

A revenue of 15 million livres

one-sixteenth in 1608

- Swiss cantons only received one-seventh of the 36 million livres owed to them

- Internal debts and those owed to lesser German princes  were often simply ignored and remained unpaid = resentment but little open hostility 

The total levy from the taille decreased from 18 million livres to an average of 15.8 million between 1600 - 1610 = relieved the burden on the Third estate slightly

- The yield from indirect taxes e.g. the gabelle

- permeate the localities with royal agents who maintained law and order while enforcing the king's will

The popularity and power of provincial estates

They tried to erode the privileges of the pays d'etats - background-colorthey partly succeeded in Guyenne where 8 elections were established to administer the taille on behalf of the crown

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Bitter opposition from other provinical estates meant reforms were not applied to the whole kingdom e.g. provinical estates in Dauphine, Burgundy, Provence & Languedoc were unwilling to pass tax collection over to tax officials and they were often supported by local nobles in their defence of parochial privilege.

1604 - allowed royal officials to ensure their heirs would continue to posses their offices in return for 1/60th of the capital value.

It created a predictable income from royal offices and removed offices from the patronage of leading nobles. It also ensured that venality took place on the crown's terms.

- under Sully, the royal budget achieved a surplus by 1610, standing at 15 million livres.

- Foreign debts were effectively liquidated through advantageous renegotiation, or, in the case of Tuscany, marriage

- Sully maintained a tight control on expenditure

- Centralisation improved the collection of tax, and while corruption and privileges were not eradicated they were turned to the advantage of the crown e.g. the paulette & the chambres de justice

- provincial estates remained virtually autonomous in tax collection

They were over-ambitious and were never likely to succeed. 

More than twenty - mainly by extreme Catholics who doubted the sincerity of his conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism (his foreign alliances with the Dutch republic, England & the German princes convinced zealous Catholics that he was merely a lapsed heretic. 

The nobility of the Robe (with the exception of Sully)

1601 - it along with the paulette were steps towards re-building monarchical authority. 

- toleration fo Huguenots - allowed to hold fortified towns

- salary of pastors were paid for by the state

Restore some centralisation