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  Use black ink or black ball-point pen. Time allowed: 2 hours 30 minutes  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/Jun24/7042/2F 3 Key areas: 1. Louis XIV's Early Reign and Establishing Absolutism (1643–1661):  Regency and Mazarin: Louis XIV became king at age 5, with Cardinal Mazarin serving as regent. Mazarin's death in 1661 allowed Louis to take full control.  Absolutism: Louis XIV centralized power, reducing the influence of nobles and establishing a personal, absolute monarchy. His famous declaration, "L'état, c'est moi" ("I am the state"), epitomized his rule. 2. The Court at Versailles (1661–1715):  Versailles as a Symbol of Power: Louis XIV moved the court to Versailles in 1682, where he used lavish displays of wealth and power to control and pacify the nobility.  Court Life: By requiring nobles to live at Versailles, Louis diminished their local power and used the court to maintain loyalty through patronage and spectacle.  Centralized Administration: Louis created a system of royal ministers and intendants to oversee the provinces, ensuring royal control. 3. Wars and Expansion (1667–1715):  War of Devolution (1667–1668): Louis sought to expand French territory in the Spanish Netherlands but was forced to end the war due to European coalitions.  Franco-Dutch War (1672–1678): Louis attempted to weaken the Dutch and expand French territory; it ended with the Treaty of Nijmegen, which gave France some territorial gains.  War of the League of Augsburg (1688–1697): Louis’s expansionist ambitions led to conflict with an alliance of European powers, ending in the Treaty of Ryswick, which restored the status quo. 4. Religious Policy:  Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685): Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had granted religious freedom to Huguenots, leading to persecution and the emigration of many Protestants.  Catholicism: Louis XIV aimed to strengthen Catholicism in France and saw himself as a protector of the faith, aligning with the papacy. 5. Economic Policies:  Colbertism: Under Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis implemented mercantilist policies to strengthen the economy, including state-sponsored industry, monopolies, and a focus on maintaining a favorable balance of trade. 6. Legacy of Louis XIV:  Cultural Flourishing: Louis XIV promoted the arts, making France the cultural center of Europe, with advancements in literature, music, and architecture.  Decline of Power: Despite his successes, the financial strain of his wars and extravagant spending left France weakened by the time of his death in 1715, with a legacy of debt and internal unrest. IB/M/Jun24/G4006/E3 IB/M/Jun24/7042/2F 7042/2F Turn over ► 4 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 5 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 ► 6 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