The 16th and 17th centuries were a time of tremendously rapid change. Change is always difficult, especially when changes come too quickly. The Thirty Years' War is one example of the kind of conflicts one might have in trying to cope with change. But it wasn't just the HRE that had problems. Virtually all countries in Europe struggled in one way or another to cope with the changes coming about in the 16th and 17th centuries. France, for instance, has the same kinds of problems as the rest of Europe, political, social and economic tension made worse by religious division. Even competent rulers and officials had trouble governing France at this time.
These tensions led to French Wars of Religion (1562-1589). Once started the wars were difficult to stop. There was a lull in the fighting in 1572, and King Charles wanted to make peace. He arranged a marriage between his sister and Henry of Navarre, a leader of the Calvinists. The wedding was to be held in Paris on St. Bartholemew’s Day
Charles advisors told him he couldn't trust Calvinists, and persuaded him to give the order (which he later regretted greatly) to kill all the Calvinist nobles who had come up to Paris for the wedding and were not prepared to offer much resistence.
Word spread that it was acceptable to kill Calvinists, so people used the occasion to settle all sorts of private disputes. Debtors killed Calvinist creditors. Rejected suitors killed Calvinists who had turned them down. Students killed Calvinist teachers (e.g., Petrus Ramus!). Thirteen thousand people were killed during the "Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre," and the wars of religion continued.
Henry of Navarre converted to Catholicism to save his life, but then decided he was a Calvinist after all and led Calvinists to victory after victor. In 1589, he held all France except Paris. He converted to Catholicism again (!) so Parisians would accept them as their king. He's now King Henry IV!
Henry was hated by extreme Catholics and Calvinists. A Catholic extremist got to him. Henry's carriage got stuck in traffic, and one of his opponents stabbed him to death. Henry left as his heir a 9-year old son--Louis XIII
The division in the royal family was exactly what the nobles wanted, weakening royal authority and letting them run things as the liked. Eventually, Louis’ supporters drove Marie into exile and killed some of her administrators.
Louis XIII
Cardinal Richelieu brought about a reconciliation of Louis and Marie and worked in other ways to increase Louis' power. Together, Richelieu and Louis were a formidable team, and France becomes Europe's strongest country militarily and economically. The Thirty Years' War one example of their success. They were, however, rather tough on peasants. Richelieu felt peasants were likely donkies: they were spoiled if you didn't give them enough work. Richelieu dies in 1642, Louis in 1643. What then? Louis' heir is his 5 year old son, Louis XIV.
Louis turns to middle class types to administer country--often getting more competent officials as a result. France is more powerful and wealthier than ever before. 80% of tax revenue gets where its supposed to go. But there is a price to be paid-loss of French liberty. Louis becomes an absolute monarchy: there's no check on his authority.
In 1685, Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes the Calvinists (Huguenots) converted, went into exile, or died. Catholics not as free as they had been: one had to be the right type of Catholic, on who accepted the authority of the King above even the Pope.
System Louis created, absolute monarchy, seemed to work well, seemed to solve many of problems France faced. Was there a better solution? Well, maybe. Time to look at England, a country that faces the same kinds of problems, but solves them very differently.