Author: King Louis XIV
He was also known as Louis the Great and ruled as King of France. Louis XIV came into power upon the death of Cardinal Mazarin in 1661. He made it his personal mission to answer the loud cry of his nation's desire for peace and order. He reduced France's dependence on foreign goods and increased the export trade so that the bulk of the country's money stayed in France
King Louis of France was a very ambitious and intelligent man. During his reign, he conquered many lands including Ghent, Duchy of Brabant, and some of the Spanish Netherlands. He did not tolerate any religion other than that of the Roman Catholic Church and made sure that his wishes were enforced by expelling Jews, destroying Protestant schools, and having babies forcibly baptized as Roman Catholic.
Context:Louis XIV annulled the Edict of Nantes, which had provided some freedoms for french Protestants or Huguenots. Louis XIV did not want to allow Protestants to practice their faith in his Catholic France. Perhaps he was motivated by religion, but it is more likely that Louis felt that the existence of this minority undermined his own political authority. His anti-Protestant policy, aimed at converting the Huguenots to Catholicism.
Summary:The revocation of the Edict of Nantes is stripping Huguenots of the right they were given when the Edict was in place. Some of the rights that are taken away from them are the right of assembly and the right to practice their religion in their homes. This revocation also states that anyone who does not follow these new laws will be asked to leave France or any territory that France owned. The protestants could also not have private school for their children that taught their religion.
Quote: “We enjoin all ministers of said [Reformed religion], who do not choose to become converts and to embrace the Catholic, apostolic, and Roman religion, to leave out kingdom and the territories subject to us within a fortnight of the publication of our present edict...on pain of being sent to the gallows...”
You did a good job explaining the reign of King Louis XIV including his goals of converting all the Protestants in France to Catholicism and completely wiping out Protestantism, which I think is one of the things he was most known for. The only thing I would have liked to hear a little more about was what was more about going on in France at this time and Europe outside of France during this time. You chose a good quote and another one I would consider is "Be it known that [with]...our certain knowledge, full power, and royal authority, we have, by this present perpetual and irrevocable edict, suppressed and revoked...the edict of our grandfather, [Henry IV], null and void..."
ReplyDeleteWell done!
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