Same Old European Political Drama

Main Idea:

Pictured: Any European Monarch of your choosing

The End of the Habsburg-Valouis Wars

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If you remember this war from last chapter, you might remember that it ended in a French victory over Germany for control of the Habsburg lands. Well, it turns out this same war occurred multiple times during the Renaissance and Reformation periods between various European powers, usually the Valois kings of France, over these territories. When Chucky V died he handed the Habsburg lands over to his son Phillip of Spain (who suffered a serious case of Peter's Principle from all that power), the French got upset and tried to fight them for it. Needless to say the French lost pretty badly and the period of Wars was concluded with a decisive win for Spain.

 The real significance of this conflict was that it marked the end of an era of traditional dynastic wars fought over territory and the beginning of a period of conflict over politics and religion. 

Treaty of Cateau-Cambréis -  1559 forced France to recognize Spanish dominance  over Italy.

Of Note: 
Armies were bigger which forced governments to reorganize administrations in order to be able to fund them.
The beginning of the use of gunpowder weakened the notion that warfare was an ennobling experience and generally made it easier for unskilled peasants to make a mark in battle.

Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys 

Finance

• 1539 ordinance places whole of France under the jurisdiction of the royal law courts, which has a powerful centralizing impact. 
• The taille is a land tax that provided the fund for the monarchy to support a strong army. 
• Still in huge amounts of debt because France. 

• Began selling public offices.
•  Concordat of Bologna - France must recognize supremacy of papacy over a universal council but in exchange gets the right to appoint all bishops and abbots. 
• Made the French rich, financially invested on Catholicism
• not as strong of an incentive to become Protestant as other European powers

The Three Heathers Henrys 

• Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre - The Hug-you-not's offend the Catholics by having Protestant Henry of Navarre marry King Henry's sister Margaret of Valois, prompting Henry of Guise to order the slaughter a good percentage of the Huguenot gentry. 
• France devolves into anarchy and ruin for fifteen years until the politiques band together and call for the return of strong monarchy. 
• The politiques were independence of both faith who recognized the necessity of compromise for the sake of avoiding collapse.
• Henry of Navarre was a politique Protestant who, upon taking the throne following the deaths of the other Henrys, converted to Catholicism in recognition of its status as the majority faith and the necessity of a unified church for political stability. 
• Edict of Nantes - granted Huguenots liberty of conscience and public worship in 150 fortified towns. 
• It was important as it restored internal peace within France,