Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/490

 CHAPTER XXIX FRANCE UNDER LOUIS XIV I. POSITION AND CHARACTER OF Louis XIV 626. France at the Accession of Louis XIV. Under the despotic rule of Louis XIV (1643-1715) France enjoyed a com- manding influence in European affairs. After the wars of religion were over, the royal authority had been reestablished by the wise conduct of Henry IV and later, Richelieu. The young monarch now had a kingdom such as no previous French king had enjoyed. The nobles, who for centuries had disputed the power with the king, were no longer feudal lords but only courtiers, for Richelieu had destroyed their castles. The Huguenots, whose claim to a place in the State beside the Catholics had led to the terrible civil wars of the sixteenth century, were reduced in numbers and no longer held fortified towns from which they could defy the king's officers. France had come out of the Thirty Years' War with enlarged territory and increased importance in European affairs. 627. The Theory of the "Divine Right of Kings" in France. Louis XIV held the same idea of kingship that James I had tried in vain to induce the English people to accept ( 598). God had given kings to men, and it was his will that monarchs should be regarded as his lieutenants and that all those subject to them should obey them absolutely, without asking any questions or making any criticisms; for in submitting to their prince they were really submitting to God himself. If the king were good and wise, his subjects should thank the Lord ; if he proved fool- ish, cruel, or perverse, they must accept their evil ruler as a well-deserved and just punishment which God had sent them for their sins. But in no case might they limit his power or rise against him. 366