History Of Louis XIII And Richelieu

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Louis XIII and Richelieu were both ambitious for France and fearful for her position within Europe with powerful forces sharing large borders with her. These borders were dominated by the Habsburgs, the family who ruled the Holy Roman Empire and the Spanish Throne. Habsburg is the name of the family which sprang the Dukes and archdukes of Austria after 1282. They became kings of Hungary and Bohemia after 1526, and emperors of Austria after 1804. They were Holy Roman Emperors from 1430 to 1806 and kings of Spain from 1516 to 1700, and held many other titles. In the time of Louis XIII and cardinal Richelieu Ferdinand II (1578-1637) and Ferdinand III(1608-1657) as holy Roman emperor and Philip IX(1605-1665) in Spain. Louis XIII was from the Valois-Bourbon linage in France who had been rivals of the Habsburgs for generations. (EN Brit Vol 11 p 59) Among Richelieu’s Main aims on coming to power were to make the royal power, his power, absolute and supreme at home, for France to become a wealthy thriving nation encouraging companies to establish colonies in America Africa and the West Indies and to protect Frances sovereignty and her borders most especially from the Powerful Habsburgs. One of the first issues Richelieu tackled was to subdue the French Huguenots, the name given to the Protestants of France (the name being a nickname ref Henri Éstienne Apologie d’Herodote) who as a result of concessions granted under the edict of Nantes had a formidable armed presence. They were especially strong in the west and south of France. Richelieu opposed them not just for their religion, but for their political views and organisation and their control of the best Atlantic ports this thwarted Richelieu’s dream of making the king powerful at ... ... middle of paper ... ...onflict with the emperor which the Swedish armies desired. France however by becoming ensnared in this political manoeuvre had the opportunity to be seen as saviour of the German Princes a protector of German liberties and not as an invader into Germany as others would have wished them to be seen. This proved to be a strategic move by Richelieu and Louis XIII. Further to this northern Italy could also claim the protection of France in so far as Pinerolo and Casale were occupied by French forces and neutralised the Milanese whereby the Spanish forces there couldn’t attach other states in the area. In July 1635 the Treaty of Rivoli was agreed between the French and the dukes of Savoy and Parma strengthening France’s power in the region even though she didn’t quite get the anti-Spanish league she had hoped for across northern Italy.(p 330 France under Rich & Louis.)

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