The world: historical and actual . n whom theimperial policy of the cardinal found its fullest em-bodiment, and by whom the way was quite fullyprepared for the horrors which came during thereign of his grandson, Louis XVI. The GrandMonarch wore the crown from 1643 to 1715. Thefirst years of his reign were his only in name. Itwas not until 1661, when he was twenty-two yearsof age, that he assumed the actual control of Mazarinsucceeded Cardi-nal Richelieu, andhe continued thepolicy of his pred-ecessor, and ren-dered his workcomplete. Whenhe died, early in1661, everythingwas read
The world: historical and actual . n whom theimperial policy of the cardinal found its fullest em-bodiment, and by whom the way was quite fullyprepared for the horrors which came during thereign of his grandson, Louis XVI. The GrandMonarch wore the crown from 1643 to 1715. Thefirst years of his reign were his only in name. Itwas not until 1661, when he was twenty-two yearsof age, that he assumed the actual control of Mazarinsucceeded Cardi-nal Richelieu, andhe continued thepolicy of his pred-ecessor, and ren-dered his workcomplete. Whenhe died, early in1661, everythingwas ready for au-tocracy, and Louis 5jXIV. was the idealautocrat. His motto was The king is the feudal barons had disappeared or been reducedto political nonentity. Lords were mere courtiersand pensioners. Under Richelieu and Mazarin thecrown had become the government to the fullestpossible extent, only the real wearer wore also thered hat of a cardinal. But under the new king,now fully arrived at manhood, the real and the seem-. \ a_ TRIUMPH AND DECAY OF FRENCH MONARCHY. 269 ing agreed The debased and corrupt nobility ac-cepted the situation cheerfully, well pleased to spendtheir days luxuriously basking in the sunlight ofcourt favers. The king had for his Secretary ofthe Treasui y M. Colbert, one of the greatest of allthe financiers of the world, and under his adminis-tration of revenue matters the royal coffers werewell filled ; the times were good, so far as concernedthe court and its retinue. France was the foremostnation in Europe. The other courts aped thesplendor which characterized the Grand Monarchy had its dark side. The Edict of Nantes was revok-ed in an evil hour, and in consequence hundreds ofthousands of Huguenots, many of them skilled arti-sans, fled. They were gladly received in Protestantcountries, and they took their profitable industrieswith them. That monstrous mistake of the Mag-nificent King was ot incalculable benefit to Eng-land and loss to France. Th
Size: 1528px × 1635px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectworldhistory, bookyea
