Journée des dupes

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As Journée des Dupes or Day of the Dupes is 11. November 1630 referred to a central event in the history of France . It became a classic date in politics and diplomacy.

background

After restricting the freedom of the Huguenots , Cardinal Richelieu wanted to ally himself with the German Protestants against the Habsburgs and the Catholics in order to reduce their power and influence. The religious party ( Parti dévot ) led by the Queen Mother Maria de Medici and Gaston von Orléans , the younger brother of the king, was opposed to this.

November 11th

The Parti dévot succeeded in convincing the king of an alliance with the Catholic Habsburgs, the implementation of which would only have been possible with the dismissal of Richelieu. To shield the king from Richelieu, the gates of the Palais du Luxembourg were locked. However, Richelieu managed to invade before Louis XIII. to reach and defend his position or change his mind. This led to the fact that the king broke with his mother and brother, withdrew to the Palace of Versailles and thus left their sphere of influence. Richelieu was able to triumph, he was confirmed in his office as senior minister and had reached the height of his power that day.

consequences

Richelieu now proceeded mercilessly against the opposition. It was about the high nobility who had rallied behind the Queen Mother, trusting the decision of the king and the victory of the Parti dévot . Nobles were brought to justice and also executed, and their castles were razed if they were no longer needed for border security tasks. Maria de Medici was first placed under house arrest in Compiègne and, in 1631, when she did not give up her fight against Richelieu, she was forced to flee to Brussels .

The disempowerment of the opposition gave Richelieu the opportunity to establish absolute rule . The nobility, clergy and parliaments were deposed, they only retained rights that did not stand in the way of the interests of the king. In 1635 Richelieu founded the Académie française , with which he could even control the French language and French literature from above. In the field of economics, his policy is linked to the concept of mercantilism .

The name common in France for this day comes from Guillaume de Bautru, comte de Serrant (1588–1665): "C'est la journée des dupes!"

literature

  • Christian Jouhaud: Richelieu et l'écriture du pouvoir: autour de la journée des dupes. Paris, L'Esprit de la cité 2015.
  • Georges Mongredien: November 10, 1630. La journée des dupes. Collection Trente journées qui ont fait la France, Nouvelle Revue Française, Paris 1961.
  • Klaus Malettke : France's imperial policy at the time of the Thirty Years War and the Peace of Westphalia. In: Politics, Religion, Law and Society. Volume 1 of the exhibition catalog for the 26th Council of Europe exhibition: 1648 - War and Peace in Europe online .
  • Charles Vialart: Histoire du Ministère d'Armand Jean Du Plessis cardinal duc de Richelieu: sous le regne de Louis Le Juste: XIII du Nom, Roy de France et de Navarre. Avec des Reflexions Politiques et diverses Lettres, contenant les Négociations des Affaires de Piedmont & du Montserrat, 1649.