Collins, The State in Early Modern France, 61-124.

Identify and explain the historical significance of Rocroi, Anne of Austria, Mazarin, Mazarinades, Bernard de la Valette, Chambre Saint-Louis, Claude Broussel, Peace of Rueil, Condé, Ormeé, Cardinal de Retz. Fouquet, Colbert, Michel Le Tellier, Louvois, Four Gallican Articles. See below for notes on Jansenism. We will learn more about Jansenism in The Religious Origins of the French Revolution.

1. Chapter 2 is entitled "The twenty years' crisis, 1635-1654." Why did the war with Spain prove to be a crisis for France?

2. The Fronde (1648-1653) represented a period of internal turmoil for France. Why does Collins identify three Frondes? Were they three separate incidents or three parts of the same event?

3. What caused each of the three Frondes? How did the conflicts manifest themselves? How did the royal government react to the frondeurs? How were the conflicts resolved?

4. How does Collins challenge the traditional historiography on the Fronde?

5. How did nobility help define Louis XIV's personality? How did he treat the aristocracy? How did he change?

6. Was 1661 an important year in Louis XIV's reign? Why might it be? How important does Collins think it was?

7. How did Louis XIV restructure government? Did the administration of the kingdom constitute a revolution in government? Consult pp. 88-94, 105-16.

8. How did Louis XIV reform the army? What remained the same?

9. What were Louis XIV's war aims between 1661 and 1679?

10. What was Louis XIV's religious policy towards the Catholic church and Protestantism in the 1680s?

11. How did the monarchy use clientage in order to quell the revolts in Brittany in 1675?

12. How did Louis XIV's rule represent "the dramatic new interference of the state in the production and dissemination of culture" (119)?

THE JANSENIST CONTROVERSY

--general context: debate in Christian history btween relationship of grace and free will in human salvation
--EM context: first Protestantism vs. Catholicism, but at end of the 16th century acrimonious disputes among Catholic theologians btween Domincans (OPs) and Jesuits (SJs): SJs took the view that grace was necessary but humans could accept/reject grace and grace was not efficacious to save unless it was accepted; OPs horrified by this theory since they think it subordinates grace to freedom; so acrimonious that papacy forbade all further debate
--Jansenists take their name from Flemish theologian, Cornelius Jansen (1585-1638), dies as bp. of Ypres (since 1636), life's work: Augustinus (1640: posthumous)
--spread of Jansenism in France: via J's friend: Duvergier de Hauranne, abbot of Saint-Cyran, a Benedictan monastery (1581-1643); chaplain to Cistercian convent of nuns = Port Royal, abbess = Mere Angélique: she was intent on reforming convent: abandon former laxity and embrace asceticism, spiritual fervour: part of Cath Reform in France: monastic reform, Port Royal became focus of Jansenism in France
--what is Jansenism?: not just a doctrine but a way of life: an ascetic, rigorous, penitential spirituality; its great opponents: SJs; Jsts believed that SJs made too many concessions to human frailty; SJs tried to comfort sinners in confession by advising them to submit to authority of the Church and to take advantage of its healing power by frequently partaking of the sacraments, esp. of communion; Jsts taught obedience to Church but their rigorous moral principles raised the possibility of a conflict btw an indiviudal entirely committed to God's purpose and ecclesiastical authority tainted by earthly considerations; Jsts emphasized individual commitment, responsibility, and unworthiness (I guess) as distinct from finding solace in the wider community of Church by settling for Church's remedies for sin
. --Saint-Cyran arrested by Richelieu in 1638; R. suspicious of SC's connections w/ Jansen who in 1638 criticized Fr. aggressive policy ag. Cath. Habsburgs.; indeed SC disagreed w/ Fr. Prot. anti-Habs. alliances; in 1630s SC engaged in controversies that antagonized SJ, bishops, Richelieu.; to thwart what seemed growing influence of devot opposition to his policies R. had SC jailed; justification: "It is one of my maxims that religious controversy is harmful to the state." SC dies shortly after release from prison in 1643; --Antoine Arnauld, De la fréquente Communion (DLF) (1643): a defense of Jansenist ehtical and religious principles which challenged the idea that Catholics should receive the sacraments, esp. communion, frequently: an idea championed by the SJs; many Jsts believed that it was more pious to deprive oneself of receiving the sacraments as a sign of respect for God; abstaining from the sacraments was a form of penance; DLF sparks SJ attacks, inquiry of Sorbonne; during chaos of Fronde
--Innocent X condemns Five Propositions from Augustinus 31 May 1653: droit vs. fait, censure of Arnauld, Blaise Pascal (1623-62) = important figure in 17th c. science in France, to the rescue: Provincial Letters (1656-7): defence of Arnauld, and literary masterpiece, satire of SJs
--Alexander VII, Ad Sacram Sedam (1656): condemns entire Augustinus;
--Mazarin lets dispute die down, but L14 revives it: Jsm a threat to unity of kdm: 1661: orders removal of boarders, postulants, and confessors from Port Royal; demands that bps, priests, religious sign formulary that agrees with papal condemnation; 1664: Archbp of Paris (Perefixe) orders expulsion of 12 nuns from PR, others deprived of sacraments;
--Gallicanism makes its influence felt; 4 bps. openly support Jsts and will not submit to papal condemnation: papal interference
--1669 Peace of the Church: peace needed to unify France before projected war with Dutuch; compromise: Jsts allowed to retain droit vs. fait distinction;
--1670s a period of Jansenist revival, expelled nuns return to PR; PR circle publishes Pascal's Pensées; Jsms spreads from original centres in Paris and PR throughout France, winning sympathy of some bps, many parish priests, rel. institutions; attracted people for various reasons: some by rigorous piety, others by heroic resistance to authority, others by Jsm's desire to translate Bible and liturgy into French for Catholics.
--1680s a new leader, Oratorian priest: Pasquier Quesnel (1634-1719) sets out to provide new organization for Jsts, to organize them into a unified, coherent group; a Gallican, also believed that parish priests and laypeople had as much right to judge Church doctrine as bps and pope
--doctrinal conflict begins again in 1690s with the publication of various Jansenist books, incl Q's Nouveau Testament en français avec des réflexions morales sur chaque verset, 4 vols. (1693) = Réflexions morales (RM) --1703 Q. arrested in ensuing controversy at Sorbonne over respectful silence: may one silently adhere to Jansen's teachings?; Q. escapes but private papers show his Jansenist convictions.
--1705, 1709, 1713 L14 appealed to Rome for help ag. Jansenism in 1705 at L's request pope condemned respectful silence; in 1709 L. gets pope's permission to suppress convent at PR, nuns dispersed, buildings destroyed 1710; in 1713 again at L's request pope issues bull Unigenitus which condemned 101 propositions from RM: 101 props. form a sort of summary of Jansenist beliefs singled out for condemnation
--"religious despotism" very unpopular: Parlement of Paris impressed by Jsm; 9 bps. incl. new archbp of Paris refuse to accept condemnation of Unigenitus: argued that pope was condemning Catholic truth; opposition to condemnation also Gallican in nature: resentment at L's co-operation with pope; 1714: L14 forces Parl., Sorbonne to accept Unigenitus, but bps remain adamant: supported by many priests, laity; in 1714: more than 200 bks/pamphlets publ. about controversy bore witness to rapid progress of Gallican ideas; at death of L14 ca. 2,000 people in jail for Jsts beliefs;
--controvesy continued beyond 1715; 1730: monarchy proclaims Unigenitus as a law, and gradually dioceses, monasteries, religious houses in France accepted this decision, although under pressure.
--an important element of long protracted controversy: Richelieu's maxim that rel. controversy is bad for the state; absolute monarchy demanded religious uniformity: so not only did it take away special rights of Huguenots but also opposed rel. diversity w/in Cathsm; in fighting Jsts L14 disaffected many Gallicans in France; thus his policy of silencing Jsm only created more unrest because of great resentment at interference from Rome.
--Jsm degenerated into a small sect in 18th c., but it had an important legacy; its Gallican aspect attracted the parlements; quarrel over reception of Unigenitus became a significant pol. issue in 18th c. as parl. opposition became stronger and crown weaker after death of L14;
--some have seen Jsm as foreshadowing Enlightenment of 18th c., for its struggle ag. authority in Church and state played some part in formation of liberal traditions in France; the assertion of the autonomy of reason in the realm of nature that appears in the works of Pascal and Jansenist polemics may have helped cultivate the spirit of free inquiry which was an important part of the Enlightenment.
--Jansensim "was one of the forces corroding the establishment of the ancien régime."

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