Part 9 (1/2)

Philip IV of Spain died in 1665, leaving his dominions to Charles II, half-brother of France's Queen Louis declared that Maria Theresa had not been of age when she renounced her claiolden crowns promised in consideration {133} of this renunciation had not been paid He wished to secure to his consort the Flemish provinces of Brabant, Mechlin, Antwerp, etc, and to this end made a treaty with the Dutch He was compelled to postpone his attack on the Spanish possessions by a ith England which broke out through his alliance with Holland, her great commercial rival at that date

Louis XIV showed himself perfidious in his relationshi+p with the Dutch when he concluded a secret peace with Charles II of England in 1667

He marched into the Netherlands, supported by a new alliance with Portugal, and intended to claim the whole Spanish monarchy at some future date Many towns surrendered, for he had a well-disciplined are Turenne and Conde, his brave generals, made rapid conquests which filled all Europe with alarns involved hioted persecutor of the Protestant, and land's treacherous ruler, Charles II, who, to his lasting sha, in return for French subsidies, to second Louis' designs on Spain France herself was torn by wars of religion in 1698 when the Edict of Nantes was revoked and the real intentions of the King were revealed to subjects who had striven, in the face of persecution, to be loyal

Louis XIV was under the influence of Madame de Maintenon, wholected Queen This favourite, once the royal governess andof the poet Scarron, was strictly pious, and desired to see the Protestants conform She founded the convent of Saint-Cyr, a place of education for beautiful young orphan girls, and placed at the head {134} of it Fenelon, the priest and writer She urged the King continually to suppress heresy in his doratified by the sudden and deadly persecution that took place as the seventeenth century closed

Torture and death were excused as acts necessary for the establishment of the true faith, and soon all France was hideous with scenes of ed from their parents and placed in Catholic households, where their treatment was ion Wonity at the hands of the soldiers ere sent to live in the houses and at the cost of heretics These _Dragonnades_ were carried on with great brutality, shauished for elegance and refinement Nuns had instructions to convert the novices under their rule by any means they liked to employ

Some did not hesitate to obtain followers of the Catholic Church by the use of the scourge, and fasting and ieons

There was fierce resistance in the country districts, and ar even civil war if by that means they could attain protection The contest was unequal, for the peasants had been weakened by centuries of oppression, and there were strange seignorial rights which the weak dared not refuse when they were opposing the governn of the Grand Monarch was losing radiance, though Louis was far fro that all was not well in that broad realm which owned him master He had discarded the frivolities of his youth and kept a dreary solemn state at Versailles, where decorous Madame de Maintenon was all-powerful He did not lament {135} his Spanish wife nor Colbert the rity was not valued too highly by the King of France Yet Colbert's work rey had planned, the bridges and fortresses and factories which he had held necessary for France's future greatness as a nation Louis paid scant tribute of regret to the ably in his service; but he looked complacently on Versailles and reflected that it would survive, even if the laurels of glory should be wrested froe had dwindled in Europe, where he had once been feared as a sovereign ambitious for universal land with his Stuart wife, had been disgusted by the persecution of the French Protestants and had resolved to avenge Louis' seizure of his principality of Orange Chance enabled this ainst the aland against France in 1689, and prosecuted radually deprived of his finest conquests Though this was concluded in 1697 by the Peace of Ryswick, the French King's atterandson, the Duke of Anjou, caused a renewal of hostilities

Williaeneral had arisen to defeat the projects of the French King The news of the Duke of Marlborough's victories in Flanders made it evident that the power of Louis XIV in the battlefield aning Yet the French monarch did not reflect the terror on the faces of his courtiers when the great defeat of Lille was announced in his royal palace He observed all the usual duties of his daily {136} life and affected a serenity that otherof the Old Order, or repeated the prophecy once n should not be glorious as the beginning

The King retained his hty to bend before ates of Paris At seventy-six he still went out to hunt the stag; he held Councils of State long after his health was really broken He said farewell to the officers of the crown in a voice as strong as ever when he was banished to the sick-roo them if they had indeed con of seventy-two years, so memorable in the annals of France, drew to a close with the life that had eoes out”--deserted even by Madaainst adversity by retire as the King's corpse was driven to the tomb on a car of black and silver, for the new century knew not the old reverence for kings It was the age of Voltaire and thesceptic

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Chapter XII

Peter the Great

On the very day when the Grand Monarch watched his arenerals--Turenne and Conde--aindividuality as Louis XIV, a hty realms to the extreme east of Europe

On 30th May, 1672, Peter, son of Alexis, was born in the palace of the Kreml at Moscow He was reared at first in strict seclusion behind the silken curtains that guarded the s of the _Terem_, where the women lived Then rebellion broke out after his father's death; for Alexis had children by twoof his first wife, Mary Miloslavski, were jealous of the influence acquired by the relatives of Nathalie Naryshkin, Peter's e near Moscohich gave him shelter when the Miloslavski were predoreild and boisterous, the antithesis in all things of the polished courtier of the western world, for he despised fine clothing and hated the external pomp of state He ruled at first with his half-brother Ivan, and had reason to dread the power of Ivan's sister, Sophia Miloslavski, as Regent, and gave lavish emoluments to Galitzin, {138} her favourite minister There was even an atte of a coward in later ti that Sophia inspired and escaped her only by a hurried flight

The rising was put down, however; Sophia was sent to a convent, and Galitzin banished before Peter could be said to rule He did not care at first for State affairs, being absorbed by youthful pleasures which he shared with companions fro pleasure regi an old boat which he found one day, for this aroused a new enthusiaslad to teach hiation and the duties of their various crafts The Tsar insisted on working his way upward from a cabin-boy--he was democratic, and intended to level classes in his Empire in this way

Russian subjects con tastes as soon as they heard that he was fond of visiting the _Sloboda_, that Gerners lived There were ru perhaps of Lefort, the Genevese favourite, who helped him to reforn lands, discontent was louder, for the rulers of the east did not travel far from their own dominions if they followed the customs of their fathers, and observed their people's will The _Streltsy_, a privileged class of soldiers, rose on the eve of the departure for the west Their punishment did not descend on theeance in his uise, intent on learning the civilized arts of western Europe, {139} that heto the obsolete practices of a fore in Holland, where he was busily engaged in boat-building Then he was entertained at Auest of William III He occupied Sayes Court, near Deptford, the residence of John Evelyn, the great diarist, and wrought much havoc in that pleasant place; for his manners were still rude and barbarous, and he had no respect for the property of his host Sir Godfrey Kneller painted hih, with full lips, dark skin, and curly hair that always showed beneath his wig The Tsar disdained to adorn his person, and was often s, thick shoes, and studying economy in dress

Peter continued his study of shi+p-building at Deptford, but the chief object of his visit was fulfilled when he had induced workmen of all kinds to return with him to Russia to teach their different trades

The Tsar was intent on securing a fleet, and hoped to gain a sea-board for his e back the Poles and Swedes from their Baltic ports He would then be able to trade with Europe and have intercourse with countries that were previously unknown But only war could accoh ambition, and he had, as yet, no real skill in arnominious defeat

Peter returned hoain

His vengeance was terrible, for he had a barbarous strain and wielded the axe and knout with his own hands The rebellious soldiers were deprived of the privileges that had long been theirs, and those ere fortunate enough to escape a cruel death were {140} banished In future the army was to know the discipline that such soldiers as Patrick Gordon, a Scotch officer, had learned in their caood work in the organization and control of Peter's army Their dress was to be modelled on the western uniforms that Peter had admired He was ashamed of the cumbersome skirts that Russians wore after the Asiatic style, and insisted that they should be cut off, together with the beards that were almost sacred in the eyes of priests

Favourites of huin were useful to Peter in his innovations, which were rigorously carried out Menshi+kof, once a pastry-cook's boy, aided the Tsar to crush any discontent that ht break out, and himself shaved many wrathful nobles ere afraid to resist It was Peter's whiive such lavish presents to this minister that he could live in splendid luxury and entertain the Tsar's own guests

Peter hinificence of fine palaces He -maid named Catherine for his second wife, and loved her homely household ways and the cheerful spirit hich she rode out with him to camp His first as shut up in a convent because she had a sincere distrust of all the changes that began with Peter's reign