Le Grand Siècle (XVIIe siècle) - Un peu d'histoire — Transcript

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1. 0:14Why do we talk about the Grand Siècle when we talk about the seventeenth
2. 0:17century in France?
3. 0:19Because it is one of the richest periods in its history.
4. 0:23The seventeenth century was marked by the reign of Louis XIV, the longest reign in
5. 0:26the history of France.
6. 0:28The king exercised absolute power over both politics and the arts.
7. 0:34And during this period, France became a model that radiated far beyond its
8. 0:37borders.
9. 0:38But let us pause for a moment on the reign of his father because it was Louis
10. 0:41XIII,
11. 0:42seconded by his minister Richelieu, who established and consolidated the
12. 0:46foundations of the absolute monarchy.
13. 0:48His pious and austere personality marked the
14. 0:51era that saw the birth of "French Classicism".
15. 0:54This art of measure and grace was to impose itself under Louis XIV.
16. 1:00When Louis XIII died in 1643, the young king was four years old.
17. 1:04The regency was then entrusted to Anne of Austria, advised by Cardinal Mazarin.
18. 1:09These years were marked by the Fronde.
19. 1:12Indeed, in 1648, the princes and the Parliament
20. 1:15revolted against the power in office.
21. 1:18Imagine that the royal family had to flee Paris in the middle of the night to take
22. 1:22refuge in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
23. 1:24Louis XIV was ten years old and after this episode, the young king
24. 1:28always took care to keep the nobility away from his government.
25. 1:32So, on a more personal level, King Louis XIV excelled in the art of dance.
26. 1:36He amazed the court in the ballet of the night by interpreting
27. 1:40the sun, which would become his emblem.
28. 1:43His marriage to Maria Theresa of Austria, the daughter of the
29. 1:46King of Spain, sealed a lasting peace with this hereditary enemy.
30. 1:50In 1661, after Mazarin's death, Louis XIV announced to the
31. 1:54Council that he would henceforth govern alone.
32. 1:57The king established absolute power.
33. 1:59He is accountable only to God, whose representative he is on earth.
34. 2:04At the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, Fouquet, his Minister of Finance,
35. 2:08organized sumptuous parties that were supposed to honor and dazzle the king.
36. 2:13But they did not have the desired effect: Louis XIV felt humiliated and Fouquet was
37. 2:16arrested.
38. 2:18The artists of Vaux-le-Vicomte then went into the service of the king to create
39. 2:22the most emblematic work of the period, the Palace of Versailles.
40. 2:26The king will offer the continual spectacle of his power.
41. 2:30It is here that the court settles.
42. 2:32In 1682, the nobility no longer thought
43. 2:35of plotting, but of appearing at court.
44. 2:38A ceremonial art was put in place and aimed to celebrate the glory and
45. 2:41greatness of the king.
46. 2:43Classicism flourished within the academies and radiated far beyond the
47. 2:46borders.
48. 2:49The century was also marked by numerous wars.
49. 2:51The king tried to impose his supremacy over the whole of Europe. But soon
50. 2:55the neighboring powers ganged up against his ambitions.
51. 2:59It was in this context that Vauban, a military architect of genius,
52. 3:03secured the kingdom's borders with new fortifications.
53. 3:06The long reign of Louis XIV then ended in austerity.
54. 3:10Absolutism hardened.
55. 3:13Louis XIV then revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685 and
56. 3:17revived intolerance towards Protestants.
57. 3:21The many wars emptied the kingdom's coffers and the king, turning
58. 3:25away from the splendour of the past, took refuge in devotion.
59. 3:29The completion of the Royal Chapel at Versailles is emblematic of the end of
60. 3:33his reign.