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Phillippe’s regency was ruled well enough, excepting the Mississippi Bubble. He desired to maintain peace throughout Europe, most especially within France’s own borders. He underwent secret meetings to ally France with recent enemies England and the Netherlands. Such agreements were made, and Austria soon joined the “Triple” Alliance thus creating a “Quadruple” Alliance. Spain under Louis XIV’s grandson Phillip V, however, would prove to be a nuisance. Phillip renounced his previous denunciation to the French throne, causing a small stir. French and Spanish armies even came to blows in Sicily, as Phillip desired to gain what was lost with the Treaty of Utrecht.
Phillippe would not live to see Franco-Spanish tensions conclude. He died in 1723. Louis XV also turned 13 during this time, which meant no more regency, yet he was still too immature to govern. A Prime Minister was chosen, Duke Louis of Bourbon, who was a man of no strong nor sound character. He deferred much of his judgment to a mistress Madame de Prie. Madame de Prie quickly imposed her opinions. She did not like the idea of Louis XV marrying the Spanish Infanta with whom Louis was betrothed. De Prie began searching Europe for a better choice, and found one in Poland’s Marie Leszcynska. It was hoped that Leszcynska and Louis would quickly have children and thus end Spain’s successional desires upon the French throne. This decision and choice were to be Louis de Bourbon and his mistress’ greatest contribution, as Louis XV dismissed Louis de Bourbon in 1726. Louis XV chose his tutor the 73 year old Cardinal Fleury as Prime Minister.
Fleury was an able minister. He was well beloved by Louis, and respected by the French. His domestic and foreign policies was also undertaken with diligence, which helped to re-establish France for a time. (Louis would undo all of that soon enough). Fleury opposed the Jansensists, who were losing power amongst the clergy, but gaining power with the commoner. Jansenists were congregating in the Saint Medard Cemetery, because it had been viewed as a place of miracles. Fleury outlawed the meetings, but the Jansenists remained defiant. Turmoil grew, especially against the Jesuits, but for the time being no clear action ended the Jansenist fight.
Because Fleury desired to maintain peace, France could continue to rebuild herself after years of Louis XIV’s wars. Yet, Fleury could not keep France out of war altogether. Because alliances were made, France was obligated to become involved either for or against Spain or England. When the War of Jenkin’s Ear broke out, Fleury involved France against England, but only on the seas. Fleury was trying to wrest some control away from the now dominant British Royal Navy. France fought one other war during Fleury’s Ministry, the War of Polish Succession. Louis’ Father-in-Law, Stanislas Leszcynska, realized a new opportunity to regain the Polish throne after Augustus II died in 1733. A Diet elected Stanislaw as King; however, a rival Diet elected Frederick Augustus to be the Polish King. Fleury was not for any involvement in this conflict, but Louis XV was. Extremely advanced in age, and with no vigor to withstand Louis XV, Fleury capitulated to Louis’ demands. Louis had hoped to gain Lorraine from this war, while putting his Father-in-Law back upon the Polish throne. Frederick Augustus, however, easily won victory over Stanislas and Louis. The French, however, realized the impending danger of Habsburg power sharing a border with France. French troops invaded and occupied Lorraine. The initial gusto for war soon waned and European diplomats reached an agreement at the Treaty of Vienna in 1735. Stanislas was given Lorraine as his duchy, with the provision that upon Stanislas’ death, France would assume control of the region. Aside from these two involvements, no other war plagued France under Fleury.
Fleury’s predilection for peace allowed an unparalleled French growth period. True Louis XIV and Jean-Baptiste Colbert brought France to lofty heights, but Fleury accomplished much more with much less. He had to rebuild France after Louis XIV’s wars and John Law’s disastrous economic experiment. Fleury appointed Philibert Orry as Comptroller General. Orry earned a stern reputation as the “Bull set loose in Versailles Park.” His disregard for rich and poor alike allowed Orry to make untainted decisions, and ultimately benefited France as a whole. He instituted the Corvee, a sort of welfare taxation system that demanded the poor to work for the Crown anwhere between 8 and 40 days a year building and repairing highways. Such a system built the greatest road network in Europe, but did not cost the Crown any money. Orry made certain that none of the Corvee would be used for any Royal expenditure, but the Crown would not need extra money; Orry balanced the budget. No one had been able to balance France’s budget for decades, not even Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Orry’s reputation could only grow, and it did. He re-established the French currency after the Mississippi Bubble, and drastically increased French Mercantilist exploits. France became rich again, but it was not to last.
armchaircapitalist 