AQA_2024: A-level History - Component 2F The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715 (Merged Question Paper and Marking Scheme)

AQA_2024: A-level History - Component 2F The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715 (Merged Question Paper and Marking Scheme) A-level HISTORY Component 2F The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715 Friday 7 June 2024 Materials For this paper you must have:  an AQA 16-page answer book. Instructions Afternoon Time allowed: 2 hours 30 minutes  Use black ink or black ball-point pen.  Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is 7042/2F.  Answer three questions. In Section A answer Question 01. In Section B answer two questions. Information  The marks for questions are shown in brackets.  The maximum mark for this paper is 80.  You will be marked on your ability to: – use good English – organise information clearly – use specialist vocabulary where appropriate. Advice  You are advised to spend about: – 1 hour on Question 01 from Section A – 45 minutes on each of the two questions answered from Section B. IB/M/Jun24/G4006/E3 Exam Summary A-Level History: Component 2F - The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715 This component examines the reign of Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, and his influence on France and Europe during the 17th century. Key themes include:  Louis XIV's Rise to Power (1643–1661): The early years of Louis XIV’s reign, including the role of his regents, such as Cardinal Mazarin, during his childhood, and his eventual assumption of full control in 1661. The consolidation of absolute power and the centralization of authority in the French monarchy.  The Nature of Absolute Monarchy: Louis XIV’s belief in divine right and his creation of a highly centralized state. The establishment of a strong, personal monarchy, with Louis as the center of all political power, and his efforts to weaken the nobility through control over court life at Versailles.  France Under Louis XIV (1661–1715): The key features of Louis XIV’s rule, including economic and military reforms, the creation of a powerful standing army, and France’s dominance in European politics. The building of the Palace of Versailles as a symbol of his absolute power and the control of the nobility.  Wars and Military Expansion: Louis XIV’s foreign policy, including his series of wars aimed at expanding French territory, such as the War of Devolution (1667–1668), the Franco-Dutch War (1672–1678), and the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). These wars greatly expanded France’s influence but also drained its resources.  The Legacy of Louis XIV: The long-term impact of his reign on France, including the financial burdens of constant warfare, the legacy of absolutism, and the cultural achievements of the period. Louis XIV’s death in 1715 left a deeply divided and economically strained France, but his reign also cemented his image as one of the most powerful monarchs in European history. This exam assesses the development and characteristics of Louis XIV’s absolute monarchy, the influence of his policies on France and Europe, and the consequences of his reign for both the French state and the wider European balance of power. 7042/2F 2 IB/M/Jun24/7042/2F Section A Answer Question 01. Source A From a memoir intended for publication to instruct his future heir, by Louis XIV, March 1661. Louis reflects on the lessons he had learned from Cardinal Mazarin. Regarding the nobility, the late Cardinal told me to value the nobles and treat them with confidence and kindness during my reign. For members of the parlements, it is right to honour them, but it is very important to make sure that they do not get out of hand. The parlements must stick within the limits of their duties and not try to take power away from the Crown. A good king is obliged to relieve his people, not just from the taille, but from other burdens. To do this a king needs to be able to see and hear his subjects in the provinces. To do this, a king needs capable and loyal servants, and it is down to the king to decide what each one is best suited to do and employ them according to their talents. The king must ensure that everyone is persuaded that he is the master; that favours should be sought from him alone. 5 10 Source B From a private diary entry of a Dutchman at the French court, March 1661. 1661 was a time of peace between France and the Dutch Republic. People here in Paris, since the death of the Cardinal, speak with admiration of the resolve of the King to take charge of government. It is said that the King only makes use of three ministers for advice: superintendent Fouquet, Le Tellier, and Lionne, the first on finance, the second on matters relating to war, and the third on foreign affairs. The King has formed a private council which excludes everyone else, which allows him to take control of the affairs of state. Everyone agrees that the young King conducts his business with gentleness towards those he has dealings with and with much patience whilst listening to what one has to say to him. All of this wins people’s hearts. He expresses himself with great strength which surprises those who hear him talking about affairs of the council as, previously, it had been Cardinal Mazarin who was the master of everything. It is clear that France is prospering at the hands of this young King, despite years of war. 5 10 3 Source C From a private letter written to marquis de Sourdis by a doctor in Blois, 1661. Marquis de Sourdis was a frequent guest at the court of Louis XIV. Monseigneur, I am quite sure that, in the 32 years that I have practised medicine in this province, I have seen nothing to compare with the desolation we are currently experiencing. In the whole country, the devastation is so great that as soon as a horse or some other animal dies, the peasants eat it. People are so poor that there was even a little barley in a boat that was left unsold, for lack of money to buy it. The town bourgeoisie are deeply troubled because, even though they try to help, the poverty is so great that Christian charity does not go far enough. I have learnt that a child was found in Cheverny who had eaten one of his own hands. A reduction by half in the taille, and a delay in paying the other half until after the harvest, has been requested for Blois. At present, we feel desperate and abandoned by those in Paris. 5 10 0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying the beginning of Louis XIV’s personal reign in 1661. [30 marks] Turn over for Section B IB/M/Jun24/7042/2F Turn over ► 4 IB/M/Jun24/7042/2F Section B Answer two questions. 0 2 ‘In the years 1665 to 1675, Colbert’s most significant economic reforms were those promoting trade and commerce.’ Assess the validity of this view. [25 marks] 0 3 ‘In the years 1685 to 1695, Louis XIV’s religious policies strengthened his authority in France.’ Assess the validity of this view. [25 marks] 0 4 To what extent was the Treaty of Utrecht a disaster for France? [25 marks] END OF QUESTIONS Copyright information For confidentiality purposes, all acknowledgements of third-party copyright material are published in a separate booklet. This booklet is published after each live examination series and is available for free download from Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright-holders may have been unsuccessful and AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements. If you have any queries please contact the Copyright Team. Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. A-level HISTORY 7042/2F Component 2F The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715 Mark scheme June 2024 Version1.0 Final MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2F – JUNE 2024 Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which was used by them in this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’ responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ scripts. Alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers which have not been raised they are required to refer these to the Lead Examiner. It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination paper. No student should be disadvantaged on the basis of their gender identity and/or how they refer to the gender identity of others in their exam responses. A consistent use of ‘they/them’ as a singular and pronouns beyond ‘she/her’ or ‘he/him’ will be credited in exam responses in line with existing mark scheme criteria. Further copies of this mark scheme are available from Copyright information AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre. Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. 2 MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2F – JUNE 2024 Level of response marking instructions Level of response mark schemes are broken down into levels, each of which has a descriptor. The descriptor for the level shows the average performance for the level. There are marks in each level. Before you apply the mark scheme to a student’s answer read through the answer and annotate it (as instructed) to show the qualities that are being looked for. You can then apply the mark scheme. Step 1 Determine a level Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the answer meets the descriptor for that level. The descriptor for the level indicates the different qualities that might be seen in the student’s answer for that level. If it meets the lowest level then go to the next one and decide if it meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between the level descriptor and the answer. With practice and familiarity, you will find that for better answers you will be able to quickly skip through the lower levels of the mark scheme. When assigning a level, you should look at the overall quality of the answer and not look to pick holes in small and specific parts of the answer where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If the answer covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme you should use a best fit approach for defining the level and then use the variability of the response to help decide the mark within the level, ie if the response is predominantly Level 3 with a small amount of Level 4 material it would be placed in Level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the Level 4 content. Step 2 Determine a mark Once you have assigned a level you need to decide on the mark. The descriptors on how to allocate marks can help with this. The exemplar materials used during standardisation will help. There will be an answer in the standardising materials which will correspond with each level of the mark scheme. This answer will have been awarded a mark by the Lead Examiner. You can compare the student’s answer with the example to determine if it is the same standard, better or worse than the example. You can then use this to allocate a mark for the answer based on the Lea