To What Extent Did The ValoisHabsburg Conflict Weaken The French Monarchy During The Period Of 15191529
To what extent did the Valois - Habsberg conflict, weaken the French monarchy during the period of 1519-1529?In 1515 Francis I inherited the throne of France. His kingdom covered 459,000 square kilometres with the majority of its population in widely spread towns and cities. The population was about 15million, recovering from the ravages of the Hundred Years war and the Black Death. This had stimulated a recovery of French agriculture. The mining industry was also receiving official encouragement, if only to remedy an acute shortage of silver and German miners were being encouraged to settle in France. The French economy was in good shape with trade booming. . France's relative prosperity allowed the monarchy to effectively collect tax revenues by employing tax collectors. France was also largely self-sufficient so it didn't spend much on imports from other countries. France's oversees trade was expanding as it had regular trade from the Levant, Netherlands, Scandinavia and England. As a result the crown achieved 1300 livres alone from harbour dues each year. But these factors alone did not make the monarchy strong so therefore I must examine the strengths of the monarchy.
Perhaps the biggest threat to the monarchy from the aristocracy was that of Charles de Bourbon whom Charles appointed Constable of France in 1515. Politically, the position of the monarchy was very strong not only in France but also in Western Europe. It had however lost some of its best commanders and closest advisors most notably Charles de Bourbon in battle or in treachery. Francis set up commissions to see if the Church was acquiring lands without paying its dues. Surely, there would have been opposition to proposals he put forward or even for his continuing campaigns into Italy. Another treaty between France and Spain in 1517 at Cambrai meant a state of peace existed between the two. This is probably best seen by his spectacular show at the 'Field of the Cloth of Gold'. Before looking at how the conflict affected the French monarchy I will go through the events that could have had an Impact from 1519 to 1529. The Swiss were the most formidable fighting forces at that time. So once again France was in a strong diplomatic position with both England and the Papacy at his side. On the 19 October Bonnivet captured the 'Key to Spain', Fuenterrabia, which meant the war was turning in favour of Francis. This can also be attributed to Chancery, which was responsible for the drawing up of laws. The French crown had to deal with the growing problem of inflation. Furthermore, Francis even threatened to make Parlements follow him around the country if they didn't comply with his wishes. 9 million at the start of Francis' reign.
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