Religious Wars create a Crisis
1562-1598: Huguenots and Catholics fought 8 religious wars

Henry of Navarre
1572- St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, when they were attending the marriage of Queens Catherine's daughter to Prince Henry, who was a Huguenot
Many nobles died, but Henry survived
Descended from Louis IX
1589- Henry inherited the throne
Became Henry IV, first king of the Bourbon Dynasty
He was decisive, fearless in battle, clever politician
Catholics opposed Henry
Converted to Catholicism
1598- Edict of Nantes: Huguenots can live anywhere in peace; religious tolerance
Devoted reign to rebuilding France and prosperity
1610- a fanatic leaped into the royal carriage and stabbed Henry to death

After Henry's death, son Louis XIII ruled
Weak King, but had a strong minister that made up for it
Cardinal Richelieu became in effect the ruler of France
Hard working leader in Catholic Church
However, he was ambitious and enjoyed exercising authority
Moved against Huguenots Protestant cities can't have walls
Ordered nobles to take down their fortified castles, because he wanted to weaken their power
Wanted to make France strongest power, greatest power is the Hapsburgs, France had to fight 30 years war.

France's intellectual movement developed
Skepticism: nothing can ever be known for certain
Attitude doubt against churches when they claimed that they were correct
Montaigne developed a new way of expressing ideas, through an essay
"All that is certain is that nothing is certain"
Rene Descartes was also influential for the same reason, developed scientific method

Louis XIV Rules Absolutely
When began reign, only 5 years old
1643- became king
True ruler of France was Richelieu's successor, Cardinal Mazarin
Peace treaty of the 30 years war made France the most powerful
1648-1653: anti Mazarin protests because he increased taxes, and the power of the central government
Louis never forgot the fear or the anger of the nobility, so he decides to take revenge
Louis weakened power of the nobles, and increased the power of the intendants, people who take taxes

Louis takes control
23 years old takes control over government himself

Economic growth
Minister of finance Jean Baptiste Colbert
Tried to make France self-sufficient
To expand manufacturing Colbert gave tax money to French companies
French government encouraged people to migrate to France's colony in Canada for the raw materials
In 1685 he canceled the Edict of Nantes which protected the religious freedom of the Huguenots in response thousands of huguenot artisans and business people fled the country robbing France of many skilled workers.

Louis grand style
500 cooks waiters and other servants work to satisfy his opulent tastes

Louis controls nobility
Nobles would come and stand outside his bedroom when he woke up they would receive a glance from the king
Four would be chosen to dress the king which is considered the highest honor
Having nobles at the palace increased royal authority in two ways
nobility was totally dependent on Louis and that gave more power to the intendants

The splendor of Versailles
Everything about the Versailles palace was immense
Two wings for each 150 yards long and the main building was 500 yards long they were 2000 rooms cost was an estimated $2 billion 36,000 labor and 6000 horses 15,000 acres of gardens 1400 fountains
To conserve water the fountains would be turned on by the servants when the king walked by and servants would turn them off after he left

Patronage of the Arts
Versailles was the center of the arts during Louise is rain remade opera and ballet more popular such as the one called the sun King

Louis fights disastrous wars
1660 friends had about 20 million people
French army numbering 100,000 in peace and 400,000 in wartime was ahead of the other states on size, training and went to weaponry

Attempts to expand France's boundaries
Louis invaded Spanish Netherlands won 12 towns
1672- personally led an army into the Dutch Netherlands saved their country by opening the dikes and flooding the countryside
war ended in 1678 with the treaty of Nijmegen
France gained several towns and region called Franche Comté
Louis decided to fight additional wars but his luck has run out

The first Czar
Ivan IV, called Ivan the terrible
Came to throne in 1533, when he was just 3 years old
Young life disrupted by struggles for power among landowning nobles, boyars
16- Ivan seized power and was crowned czar
Married Anastasia Romanov, who came from a Boyar family
1547-1560 good times of his rule won great victories ,added lands, gave Russia code of laws. Ruled justly.

Rule by Terror
1560- bad period
Anastasia died
Boyars were accused of poisoning her
Organized police force duty- murder people Ivan considered traitors
Secret police
Ivan seized the lands of these nobles and gave them to those that he thought were more loyal, a new class of nobles
1581- killed his own heir apparent
Died three years later- his incompetent second son left to rule
Physically and mentally incapable of ruling

Rise of the Romanovs
Boyars struggled for power after incompetent son dies without an heir
Boyars and the nephews of czars fought for the throne, known as the Time of Troubles
1613- representatives from some cities approved Micheal Romanov to take the throne
Romanov dynasty to rule for 300 years

Peter the great takes the throne
Romanovs restored order to Russia
Strengthened government, and Czar Peter I
Peter shared the throne with feeble minded half bro
1696- Later takes sole power
Peter the great, Russia's greatest reformer, trend of increasing czars power

Russia's differences from Europe
Peter I came to power, Russia was a land of boyars and serfs
Serfdom lasted longer in Russia than Western Europe
Continued until mid 1800's
Russian landowner sold piece of land, he sold the serfs with it
Basically slaves
Most boyars knew little of Western Europe
Russia used to look to Constantinople not to Rome for leadership
Mongol rule cut of Russia from the Renaissance and the age of exploration
Geo barriers also isolated Russia
Russia- Eastern Orthodox, and Western Europeans were mostly Catholics and Protestants

Peter visits the west
Six feet six inches tall
Walks through neighborhoods
He went with a grand embassy to see in plainclothes, the rest of Europe

Peter Rules Absolutely
Westernization: using Western Europe as a model for change