Revocation of the Edict of Nantes
Why would Louis XIV do this? What is his point of view? What does he hope to achieve with this? Is he a politique?
Due: MIDNIGHT, Wednesday, Sept. 27
Due: MIDNIGHT, Wednesday, Sept. 27
posted by RJS at
3:44 PM
7 Comments:
Louis XIV was attempting to achieve more central power by unifying his people below him. Unfortunately, one major way in which the French people were divided was through religion, which is very hard to force down peoples' throats in any way. It's the one thing people often care more about than anything else, and put it as their top priority, especially if they believe in a minority religion. Hopefully for Louis, from the point of view of a Catholic king looking for more control over his kingdom, enough people would leave or give up their beliefs that Protestant needs would no longer need to be fulfilled, as they would have no manpower. This would give Louis more political flexibility, but is very nearly impossible. He is not a politique, no, but his prime motive is likely more to unify his country than specifically to unify its religion, but he is trying to wipe out the opposition rather than compromise like true politiques did.
By
Unknown, at Wednesday, September 27, 2006 3:53:00 PM
Pretty cool guy, that Louis.
The background information Louis XIV provides in his speech before the revocations and laws must be valid considering (1)he grew up in the country, and (2)due to the fact that he was well learned he probably heard details about certain events (such as the edict)from many that experienced the reigns of past kings. Louis XIV's take on events would have been a little one sided because of his ideas about the best way to run a country; but, all in all, he's doing what he believes is best for his country. The first purpose that comes to mind is that he is revoking the Edict of Nantes, but with his tone and word choice he appeals to his subjects, seeming kind-hearted at times. Though asserting his superiority and speaking strictly and formally, it seems he was careful to keep everyone on one level. What he wanted from the revocation was unity in France. He thought that there would be no political unity without religious unity and political unity is what he spent his reign trying (and succeeding) to achieve. Louis XIV was definitely not a politique. He was far from placing political unity over religious conformity. He believed the two went hand in hand.
Part III of the revocation was interesting, I thought, because it shed some light on the fact that he far from held nobles as trustworthy and loyal to the throne.
And—Even though he may or may not have been merciful, he wanted to appear that way to his subjects with exceptions like letting protestants that fled retain their land if they returned within a 4 month period and if they abided by the codes set in the revocation.
Another point of his mercy is that he, unlike many rulers around that time period, didn’t immediately decapitate every person suspected of even looking at the catholic church the wrong way.
By
TeganLove, at Wednesday, September 27, 2006 6:06:00 PM
Louis XIV was a man hell-bent on absolutist rule, and up until the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, he was on the right track. With the nobles of France hopelessly enraptured with him and an almost overly qualified group of ministers to centralize the economy and government, only one thing was lacking that an uncompromising Catholic such as he could not ignore: religious unity had not been met. Perhaps a less visionary monarch would have taken a look back and seen the errors of religious conformity when the choices are so narrow. A politique would have understood the risks of political unity in a country so divided between the Catholics and the Huguenots. Alas, Louis was not a politique, and by revoking the Edict of Nantes he disrupted the political unity in his own country and sparked distrust amongst neighboring European powers, who sheltered the emigrants who fled the sudden breakdown of religious tolerance. His point of view, though, was not one of political motivation as would be thought, but was one of a person who nievely thinks himself divine in some way and cares to create a perfectly centrlized power under "one law, one faith, one state"
By
Victoria, at Wednesday, September 27, 2006 9:09:00 PM
Louis XIV knows the only way to keep his country united and strong was to have religious conformity. Louis's concern for religious issues in France cause him to revoke the Edict of Nantes. Louis most likely hopes to achieve religious conformity by the revocation, and thus achieve the unity and strength his country needs. Louis, being a very Catholic king who believes in divine authority, is certainly not a politique. Although he is determined to do what is best for France, Louis believes religious conformity is vital for a successful absolutist government. He makes a smart decision by revocating the Edict of Nantes because now he can begin to unify his country, and therefore strengthening his power and government.
By
taylor, at Wednesday, September 27, 2006 9:35:00 PM
I HATE lawyer talk. And kingly, flowery, language. Ugh, I don't know what's worse, taking away freedom of religion or informing people of it with disgusting propaganda.
Dear Louis makes the Edict of Nantes look like something that his successors (Henry IV) passed out of the sheer necessity to maintain order and control over his country, not out of any moral or personal motivation. Perhaps so- Henry was a politique. However, Louis runs on the logic that since France is now stable, it no longer needs one of its basic pillars of stability. "Ok, Captain, we're in the air now. I suppose we can drop off the wings, won't be needing them anymore." The results in France would be the same as in my metaphor- a tailspin.
Louis' motivations are obvious- he is a devout Catholic, but more importantly the Catholic church is very compatible with the government theory of absolutism. (Excluding the pope. Perhaps we should say more compatible than Protestantism.) Louis' phrase one law, one king, one faith finally comes into play.
Louis attempts to portray himself as sympathetic to the Huguenots- a shepherd to lost sheep. He makes life miserable for them as Protestants and offers them an easy solution (convert) while forbiding them to leave the country. He actually tries to cajole the Protestants with promises of "clemency towards our subjects of the said R.P.R."
If I have not made this apparent, Louis is not a politique. However, from his standpoint, he doesn't need to be. He has already unified his country without resorting to religious toleration- he can do what he pleases whilst citing the refrain of absolutism.
The thought occured to me while reading that this was translated from French rather well. Without knowing anything of the backgrounds of the two countries, I would have taken it for an English document without a second thought.
I also spotted chilling resemblences to such documents as the Nuremberg Laws and the Jim Crow laws. Segregation it seems, has the same face in every century. As C.S. Lewis says "How monotonously alike all the tyrants- how gloriously different the saints."
By
ThomasBatson, at Wednesday, September 27, 2006 9:38:00 PM
Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in order to centralize religion and keep everyone under the same systems, as he had already down previously with his breed of absolutism in the French government. Louis XIV was someone who had seen first hand as a child the dangers of divided power, via the Fronde, and this left an lasting impression. His revoke of the Edict of Nantes could be seen as an action both to show the amount of control he can excerise over the French people and to further eliminate and dividing forces within France. Louis XIV is most definitely not a politque, though his flowery, pretentious language would have one believe otherwise. While his speech presents the revocation as an inevitable necessity the people and the times have forced upon themselves, in actuality it is just another way for Louis XIV to excercise his control. This speech makes the revocation seem almost a favor done by the King for the people, as he mentions that the French government will most graciously allow Huguenots who have left to reclaim their property after a period of four months.
By
laura, at Friday, September 29, 2006 10:41:00 AM
Louis XIV, in the mind set of achieving an absolute monarchy, saw fit to have a single religion for his people. A religion of his choosing, of course. He revokes the Edict of Nantes through the position of a monarch trying to help his country. In a very formal tone he tells his people that the conditions under which this edict had been passed no longer apply, therefore making it unneccessary. He htinks that if the people see him as trying to help, then they won't notice that he is slowly but efficiently establishing an absolute monarchy. "Oh -'we, no longer absorbed in protecting them from our enemies, are able to profit by this truce' so let's just revoke the edict." Or something along those lines. He obviously wants to achieve his absolute society with this action, it is one of the steps in the '12 steps to becoming an absolute monarch' to have a single religion. Unfortunately the passing of this edict upset his work force, so way to go Louis.
He is not a politique. He wants all of the power, and this is just one more area in which he plans to have it. Politiques want what is best for the country by having political unity first, then religious agreement. Louis already has a unified counrty, he just wanted more power, or prehaps, less power for local officials.
By
manxomefoe, at Sunday, October 01, 2006 4:09:00 PM
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