Historical and Political Overview of the 17th Century

Overview of the 16th Century

In order to fully understand the 17th Century, it is important to understand the events of the Century which preceded it, and the status of the various nations of Europe. 

The situation at the start of the 16th Century was one of many nations, kingdoms, duchies, principalities and republics in Europe struggling for power or to maintain the balance of power, and a series of religious conflicts.

The Protestant Reformation had a large impact on Paris in the 16th century, as it appealed to many bourgeois as well as certain noble families. The Wars of Religion brought this to the fore, as civil wars erupted between Catholics and Protestants (or Huguenots, as their enemies dubbed them). During a truce, King Charles IX married his daughter to King Henry II of Navarre, a Protestant. This sparked the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572, in which thousands of Protestants, many coming to see the wedding, were murdered in riots.

In 1589 Henry II found himself King of France, but the Catholic League refused to recognize him until he renounced Calvinism and became a Roman Catholic. Henry, who had unsuccessfully tried to conquer Paris, is reputed to have said “Paris is well worth a Mass” when he officially converted in 1594 and became Henry IV.

One of his first acts was to declare the Edict of Nantes, which offered toleration to French Protestants. Henry annulled his first marriage and married Marie de Médicis in 1600. She bore him six children over the next decade, including the future Louis XIII. Henry oversaw the completion of the Pont Neuf. Louis became king in 1610 when an assassin killed his father. The Queen Mother Marie acted as regent even after Louis attained the age of majority until he exiled her in 1619. Under both regimes, Paris was expanded. Marie created a promenade for carriages, and Louis extended the Right Bank with a new wall. The royal palaces were enlarged and the new Cardinal Richelieu built a palace right next door. 

Other nations in Europe faced internal struggles and wars as well. The Austrian Habsburg Family (at this time ruling large parts of Germany, and small parts of Switzerland, and the traditional line of Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire) and the Spanish Habsburgs (ruling Spain, Sardinia, Sicily, Naples, Milan, and the Netherlands) allied themselves and tried for the conquest of most of Europe, but were disappointed at every turn. In 1571, the United Provinces of the Netherlands rebelled against Spanish rule, and left the Habsburg holding only the southern, Catholic areas of the low countries,

In 1580, Spain and Portugal were united under King Phillip II, and, as this new power became a danger to the delicate balance, England and the United Provinces (the Free Netherlands) allied against him in 1585. In 1588, Phillip II attempted to crush England with the mighty Spanish Armada, but was defeated by bad storms and maneuverable English ships. Spain was further weakened when France joined the Dutch-English alliance against her, and in 1594, Phillip II was forced to sign a peace treaty with England.

The Holy Roman Empire, and thus also the Austrian Habsburg family, was weakended by endemic religious wars, and Germany became a haven for mercenaries from all over Europe. 

In the North, Denmark, Sweden, and the Russias (now united under a single Tsar) were on the rise. Denmark and Sweden were involved in several disputes over the control of the Baltic Sea, in which Sweden won a marginal victory. Poland was in this period a vassal state to the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire, although waning in power, was still powerful in the Mediterranean, and Turkish pirates were greatly feared. 

Chronological overview of the 17th Century

• 1601
• France ends its war with Spain by signing the Treaty of Lyon greatly increasing French territory in the South.
• 1602
• The French Ally with the Swiss.
• 1608
• German Calvinists and Lutherans form a Protestant League
• 1609
• Spain signs the Twelve Year's Truce with the Dutch.
• Bavaria sets up a Catholic league to counter the German Protestants.
• Rudolph II (Emperor of the H.R.E.) signs a 'Letter of Majesty' protecting the rights of the Bohemian Protestants.
• 1610
• King Henry IV of France makes alliance with the United Provinces and the Duke of Savoy, against Spain.
• (May 14th) Henry IV is assassinated by a Catholic fanatic.
• King Louis X l l l takes the throne of France, at the age of 9, but is dominated by his mother, Marie de Medicis.
• 1614
• A statesman named Richelieu is first noted by Marie de Medicis for his intelligence and eloquence.
• 1616
• Richelieu is appointed Minister of State and War.
• 1617
• Ferdinand V of Styria, a protégé of the Jesuits, becomes King of Bohemia, and begins persecuting Protestants there. 
• Richelieu and Marie de Medicis are exiled to Blois by the young King Louis XIII.
• 1618
• Bohemia revolts against Austria in a backlash of Austrian attempts to eradicate Protestantism. Rampant nepotism and family infighting between the nobles of the Holy Roman Empire underlie the religious intolerance.
• Ferdinand of Styria, King of Bohemia, is ousted by the Bohemians, and the crown given (by the Bohemians) to the Protestant Elector Count Frederick V of the Palatinate.
• Bohemia acquires support from the Duke of Savoy (through the mercenary force of Mansfeld) and Bethlen Tabor, a Transylvanian rebel.
• Tabor besieges Vienna, the Austrian capital.
• Richelieu is exiled by the King for plotting with the Queen Regent.
• 1619
• Ferdinand of Styria is elected Holy Roman Emperor and rules as Ferdinand II.
• Richelieu returns to the court of King Louis XIII.
• 1620
• The Spanish invade the Palatinate to protect the “Spanish Road,” Spain’s route of march to the Netherlands. A treaty with the Dutch was set to expire in 1621, and Spain expected the war to resume.
• Lutheran states promise not to assist Bohemia or the Palatinate, and thus secure their own safety. 
• The rebels are defeated in Bohemia. The Bohemian crown reverts to Ferdinand II. Frederick’s Elector-Prince status is revoked and given to the Duke of Bavaria.
• 1621
• Catholics turn on the Calvinist Palatinate as punishment for Frederick's support of Bohemia in defiance of the Holy Roman Empire, and to clear the Spanish Road.
• 1622
• Richelieu regains full power and becomes a Cardinal.
• The states of Baden and Brunswick attempt to aid the Palatinate, but their armies are defeated.
• Catholic forces reach the Palatinate capital, Heidelberg. Frederick flees to the Dutch Republic.
• The first rounds of fighting between Spain and France begin, as France tries to cut the Spanish Road at the Valtelline, a crucial pass through the Alps.
• 1623
• King Ferdinand is temporarily victorious over the Protestants in the H.R.E.
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• 1624
• Richelieu becomes First Minister of France.
• 1625
• King Christian IV of Denmark invades the H.R.E., causing the Thirty Years War to flare up again. The Danish, threatened by the chiefly Spanish Catholics, secure support from England, France, and the Dutch Republic
• A series of Protestant rebellions flare up in France.
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• 1626
• Mansfield and the Danes are defeated, leaving Catholic forces free to ravage Denmark. Denmark withdraws from the war. 
• Bethlen Tabor finally agrees to peace terms with the Holy Roman Empire.
• In France, killing someone in a duel becomes a capital crime.
• 1627
• Campaign starts