2F The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643– 1715 (A-level only) – Challenges at home, 1685–1715 — AQA A-Level History

The period 1685 to 1715 constitutes the twilight of Louis XIV's long reign, marked by a sharp transition from triumphal absolutism to profound domestic crisis. Following the death of Colbert and the escalation of continental warfare, France was subjected to unprecedented administrative, financial, and societal strains that tested the Bourbon administrative machinery to its limits.

This topic examines the domestic consequences of relentless military conflict, recurring demographic disasters, and controversial religious policies. Students analyse how the Crown attempted to avert economic bankruptcy through experimental taxation, while dealing with violent regional revolts, intense Jansenist controversy, and the catastrophic human cost of famines such as the Great Frost of 1709, setting the stage for 18th-century Ancien Régime instability.

• →The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (Edict of Fontainebleau, 1685) and the subsequent suppression of Huguenots, driving underground resistance and the Camisard revolt.
• →Fiscal emergency measures under controllers-general Pontchartrain, Chamillart, and Desmaretz, specifically the universal Capitation (1695) and the Dixième (1710).
• →Demographic crises and subsistence famines, notably the disasters of 1693-1694 and the Great Winter of 1709, which devastated the rural agrarian economy.
• →The resurgence of religious factionalism through Jansenism, culminating in the destruction of Port-Royal des Champs (1709) and the papal bull Unigenitus (1713).

• Assess the effectiveness of the conciliar system and the role of intendants in maintaining central authority.
• Evaluate the structural weaknesses of a system entirely dependent on the physical and mental capacity of an ageing monarch.
• Analyse the extent of Madame de Maintenon's political influence, particularly regarding patronage and ministerial appointments.
• Examine how Maintenon's religious devotion influenced Louis XIV's domestic policies, including the persecution of Huguenots.
• Analyse the structural economic problems that emerged or worsened following the end of Colbert's tenure, including agricultural stagnation.
• Evaluate the financial impact of the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession on the French treasury.
• Assess the effectiveness and social consequences of new taxation methods, such as the capitation (1695) and the dixième (1710).
• Examine the reliance on financial expedients, such as the sale of offices (venality) and currency debasement, to fund military campaigns.
• Explain the principles of Gallicanism and how the 1682 Gallican Articles asserted royal authority over the Pope in temporal matters.
• Analyse the motivations behind the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) and its economic and social impact on France due to Huguenot emigration.
• Evaluate the theological and political threat posed by Jansenism, focusing on Port-Royal and the significance of the papal bull Unigenitus.
• Assess the reasons for the suppression of Quietism, noting the roles of Madame Guyon and Fénelon, and why Louis XIV perceived mystical individualism as subversive.
• Analyse the structural inequalities of the French estate system, focusing on the unequal distribution of the tax burden, particularly the taille and gabelle.
• Evaluate the tension between central royal authority (intendants) and regional autonomy, especially in the pays d'états like Brittany and Languedoc.
• Assess the impact of external pressures, such as the War of the Spanish Succession and the Great Frost of 1709, on domestic living standards and popular discontent.
• Examine the causes and characteristics of specific popular protests, such as the Camisard revolt (1702-1704) or local anti-tax riots, and the state's methods of suppression.

• 💡Use specific examples of Maintenon's influence, such as her role in the appointment of Chamillart, to support arguments about court factionalism.
• 💡Contrast the theoretical absolute power of the personal monarchy with the practical weaknesses of governing a vast kingdom in the late seventeenth century.
• 💡When evaluating the strengths of royal government, explicitly mention the role of the intendants in bridging the gap between the central council and the provinces.
• 💡Link the introduction of new taxes directly to the specific financial pressures created by the War of the Spanish Succession.
• 💡Use the terms 'venality' and 'tax farming' accurately to demonstrate an understanding of early modern French financial mechanisms.
• 💡Contrast the theoretical universality of the capitation and dixième with the practical reality of noble tax evasion to highlight the weaknesses of the financial system.
• 💡Link Louis XIV's religious policies directly to his broader pursuit of absolute monarchical authority and the concept of 'one king, one law, one faith'.
• 💡Use specific dates and documents, such as the 1682 Gallican Articles and the 1685 Edict of Fontainebleau, to anchor your arguments chronologically.
• 💡Contrast the different types of threats posed by the Huguenots (a distinct minority) versus the Jansenists and Quietists (internal Catholic divisions).
• 💡Connect the economic strain of Louis XIV's continuous foreign wars directly to the increasing social divisions and tax burdens placed on the peasantry.
• 💡Use the concept of the 'subsistence crisis' to explain the timing and severity of popular protests during the latter half of Louis XIV's reign.
• 💡When discussing regional problems, explicitly contrast the pays d'élections (where the king had more direct tax control) with the pays d'états (which negotiated their tax contributions).
• 💡Always ground financial arguments in hard data and specific administrative offices: mention Controllers-General such as Pontchartrain, Chamillart, and Desmaretz, and reference specific levies rather than vague 'taxes'.
• 💡Distinguish between external shocks (e.g. the 1709 Arctic weather) and internal structural weaknesses (e.g. regressive taxation, venality of office) when assessing the domestic crises of Louis XIV's final years.
• 💡Ensure balance when evaluating Louis's religious policies: show that while the Revocation alienated international Protestant opinion, it was immensely popular among the French Catholic majority at the time.

• Error: Claiming Madame de Maintenon was the official Queen of France. Correction: State that she was Louis XIV's morganatic (unacknowledged) second wife and never officially held the title of Queen.
• Error: Assuming royal government was entirely absolute and faced no internal weaknesses. Correction: Acknowledge that the personal monarchy suffered from administrative bottlenecks, factionalism, and reliance on the king's declining health.
• Error: Overstating Maintenon's direct control over foreign policy. Correction: Focus her influence primarily on domestic matters, court morality, religious policy, and the distribution of patronage.
• Error: Stating that Colbert's successors successfully maintained his balanced budgets. Correction: Emphasise that his successors were forced to abandon his economic principles and resort to desperate borrowing and taxation due to war.
• Error: Confusing the capitation with the taille. Correction: Distinguish the taille (a traditional direct tax mostly paid by the peasantry) from the capitation (a poll tax intended to be paid by all subjects, including nobles, though often evaded).
• Error: Blaming the economic decline solely on the costs of war. Correction: Acknowledge that structural issues, such as poor harvests, famine, and the expulsion of the Huguenots, also severely damaged the economy after Colbert.
• Confusing Jansenism with Protestantism; Jansenists were reformist Catholics who remained within the Church despite their Augustinian views on grace.
• Assuming the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes successfully eliminated Protestantism; many Huguenots continued to practice secretly (the Church of the Desert) or rebelled, as seen in the Camisard revolt.
• Overstating the Pope's compliance with Gallicanism; Innocent XI fiercely resisted the 1682 Articles, leading to a prolonged diplomatic standoff over the appointment of bishops.
• Treating the Third Estate as a homogenous group; it encompassed wealthy bourgeoisie, urban workers, and impoverished peasants, each experiencing social pressures differently.
• Assuming royal absolutism meant total control over the regions; local parlements and provincial estates retained significant obstructive power against royal decrees.
• Attributing popular protests solely to political opposition; most uprisings were driven by immediate economic desperation, subsistence crises, or specific new taxes rather than anti-monarchical ideology.
• Believing that the Huguenot flight destroyed the French national economy overnight; the exodus was economically damaging to specific urban sectors and regional craft industries, but France's broader financial collapse was primarily driven by astronomical wartime expenditure.
• Assuming the Capitation and Dixième successfully eliminated aristocratic privilege; while they established the revolutionary principle of universal assessment, the clergy and nobility quickly negotiated lump-sum exemptions (abonnements) or systematically under-declared wealth.
• Viewing the Jansenist controversy as a minor theological quibble; by 1713, Jansenism had merged with Gallican sentiment and judicial opposition in the Parlements, directly challenging Louis XIV's authority over church and state.

1. 1Week 1, Days 1-2: Review the religious policies post-1685, focusing on the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, dragonnades, and the Camisard Rebellion.
2. 2Week 1, Days 3-4: Analyze the late Jansenist controversy, including the destruction of Port-Royal and the political crisis surrounding the bull Unigenitus (1713).
3. 3Week 1, Days 5-7: Examine financial management under Pontchartrain, Chamillart, and Desmaretz, assessing the Capitation (1695) and Dixième (1710).
4. 4Week 2, Days 1-3: Study the social and demographic catastrophes, analyzing the causes and impacts of the 1693-1694 and 1709 famines.
5. 5Week 2, Days 4-7: Write full timed essay responses evaluating whether Louis XIV left France fundamentally weakened or structurally resilient by his death in 1715.

• 📋AQA Section B Essay: Evaluative thematic essay (e.g. 'To what extent were financial problems the primary cause of domestic instability in France between 1685 and 1715?').
• 📋AQA Section B Essay: Comparative policy essay assessing whether Louis XIV's religious policies strengthened or weakened his absolute authority in his final decades.
• 📋AQA Section A Component: Contextual analysis of contemporary extracts assessing the domestic strain of the War of the Spanish Succession.