Investigating the Minister Who Did the Most to Preserve and Enhance Royal Authority in France 1610-1715

Investigating the Minister Who Did the Most to Preserve and Enhance Royal Authority in France 1610-1715

During their respective reigns, Louis XIII and Louis XIV had many

ministers. Some of whom were detrimental to the advancement of their

royal authority over the kingdom and others who had a generally

positive effect on royal authority. This essay will look at the three

main ministers, Richelieu, Colbert and Mazarin. These ministers are

regarded as having the biggest impact on the two Louis'.

We do not look at the other ministers, as they appear in minor roles;

none of them, on a grand scale make a massive contribution to the

state of affairs in France. This is why they are only occasionally

referred to in this essay.

Richelieu came into power in 1624, and it was the turning point of

Louis XIII's reign. Richelieu made a substantial contribution to royal

authority, and he first did this by solving all the problems that his

predecessors had left for him. Richelieu was greatly admired among

much of the country, and this brought a certain harmony to the

country, which other ministers, such as Mazarin cannot claim to have

done.

Richelieu was held in high regard by two powerful factions in France,

the dévots and the français. This is because the dévots regarded

heresy as the chief enemy of the state. Richelieu was a Cardinal and

therefore this faction did not have to worry about him being a

heretic. The français were mainly concerned with Spanish imperialism

and Richelieu did a lot to allay their fears. This increased royal

authority because it meant that Louis had more loyal supporters who he

could count upon for help in wars a...

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...into French society to

collect money. He eventually wiped out French debt, not an easy task!

Colbert increased royal authority because he was able to decrease the

debt and put France back in the black. This meant that Louis had money

to wage wars with and to follow his main goal of gloire. This

increased respect for Louis XIV and therefore increased his royal

authority.

In conclusion, Richelieu was the most successful of all ministers as

he increased royal authority the most. He did however create a lot of

problems for himself, but not to the same extent that Mazarin did. He

was not the greatest financial mind of the time, but because he had

more power than Colbert he was able to make a bigger contribution,

thus allowing us to say that he did the most to preserve and enhance

royal authority in France 1610-1715.