Frondeurs and
Mazarins, and brought much humiliation to the State.

In 1649, civil war began which withdrew France somewhat from European
broils. Enghien (Conde) returned to Paris to range himself against the
unruly Parlement as leader of the court party, and to try to reduce
Paris by a military force. When the capital was besieged Anne of
Austria had to retire to Saint-Germains with her son, who suffered the
indignity of sleeping on a bed of straw in those troubled times. She
concluded peace rather thankfully in March when the besieged citizens
had suffered severely from want of food. The young King showed himself
in Paris in August when the tumult was at its worst, for the troubles
of King Charles I of England incited the Frondeurs to persevere in
their desire for a French Republic, where no minister should exercise
the royal prerogatives.

Mazarin played a losing game, and went into exile when Louis XIV was
declared of age. The young King was only thirteen but had the dignity
of manhood in his air and carriage, and showed no fear in accepting
{130} absolute power. But it was not until ten years later that he was
finally freed from Mazarin. When the cardinal was dead he proclaimed
his future policy to the state of France--"Gentlemen," said he, "I
shall be my own prime minister."

In November 1659, the Treaty of the Pyrenees had restored peace to
France and Spain. In the following year Louis XIV wedded the Infanta,
daughter of Philip IV, who renounced all her prospective rights to the
Spanish crown. Mazarin had done well for France in these last
diplomatic efforts for the crown, but he had forced the people to
contribute to the enormous fortune which he made over to the King.

Colbert was the indefatigable minister who aided the new monarch to
restore the dignity of court life in France. He revealed vast hoards
which the crafty Mazarin had concealed, and formed schemes of splendour
that should be worthy of a splendid king.

Louis XIV was one of the richest monarchs of Christendom, with a taste
for royal pomp that could be gratified only by an enormous display of
wealth. He wished the distasteful scenes of his early life to be
forgotten by his subjects, and decided to build himself a residence
that would form a fitting background for his own magnificence. He
would no longer live within the walls of Paris, a capital which had
shown disrespect to monarchy.

The ancient palace of the Louvre was not fine