France under the Ancien Régime

France under the Ancien Régime, the socio-political system which persisted throughout the rule of the Valois and Bourbon dynasties, was a nation half-way between feudalism and modernity, ruled over by a powerful absolute monarchy which relied on the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings and the explicit support of the established Church.

This period in the history of France is often said to have begun with the French Renaissance during the reign of Francis I (r. 1515-1547), and to have reached its peak under Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715). As the Italian Renaissance began to fade, due in part to the French invasion of Italy, France became the cultural capital of Europe. Straddling both the Mediterranean and Atlantic worlds, France could still rely on traditional trade routes from Italy and the Orient and also benefit from the new and lucrative trade and colonization of the Americas. Eventually, however, financial difficulties and royal excesses led to the decline and eventual collapse of the monarchy near the end of the eighteenth century.

See also