The Fronde, Part I: The Revolt of the Lawyers
Geoffrey Treasure describes how a seventeenth century conflict between the French Crown and Parlement represented a protest against the increasing absolutism of royal Ministers.
On August 26th, 1648, Parisian notables went through streets lined with musketeers to Notre Dame to attend the official thanksgiving for victory over the Spanish at Lens. The battle enabled Cardinal Mazarin’s emissaries to adopt a hard line in the final bouts of a diplomatic match that had been in progress since 1644; the ceremony provided a chance to rally moderate opinion to the Crown, ministers, and their unpopular policies - and to strike a blow at leading opponents.
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