AQA A-level History · 2F

The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715 (A-level only)

50 exam-style questions with answers for 2F The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715 (A-level only) in AQA A-level History (spec 7042). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below. Not official AQA material.

All 50 questions and answers

Question 1 · Spec 2F, Part one
What did Louis XIV inherit in 1643? [1 mark]
Answer:
A strong monarchy built by Richelieu, but he was only four years old.
Question 2 · Spec 2F, Part one
Who governed during Louis’s minority? [1 mark]
Answer:
His mother, Anne of Austria, with Cardinal Mazarin.
Question 3 · Spec 2F, Part one
What was the Fronde (1648–1653)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Revolts by the Parlement of Paris and nobles against royal power.
Question 4 · Spec 2F, Part one
What did the Peace of Westphalia (1648) give France? [1 mark]
Answer:
Lands in Alsace and confirmation of its gains at Habsburg expense.
Question 5 · Spec 2F, Part one
What was the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Peace with Spain, giving France Roussillon and Artois, and Louis married Maria Theresa.
Question 6 · Spec 2F, Part one
When did Louis begin his personal rule? [1 mark]
Answer:
1661, after Mazarin’s death.
Question 7 · Spec 2F, Part one
Why was Fouquet arrested in 1661? [1 mark]
Answer:
The finance minister was accused of corruption and his wealth threatened the King.
Question 8 · Spec 2F, Part one
What were intendants? [1 mark]
Answer:
Royal officials sent to the provinces to enforce royal authority.
Question 9 · Spec 2F, Part one
Explain why Versailles was important. [2 marks]
Answer:
It displayed royal glory and power (1); nobles had to live at court, under the King’s control (1).
Question 10 · Spec 2F, Part one
Who was Colbert? [1 mark]
Answer:
Louis’s chief finance minister, who promoted mercantilism.
Question 11 · Spec 2F, Part one
State two of Colbert’s policies. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: royal manufactures (1); trading companies (1); the Canal du Midi (1); tariffs (1); the navy (1).
Question 12 · Spec 2F, Part one
What was the Académie des Sciences? [1 mark]
Answer:
The royal academy of science founded in 1666.
Question 13 · Spec 2F, Part one
Who were the Jansenists? [1 mark]
Answer:
Catholics who stressed grace and predestination, based at Port-Royal.
Question 14 · Spec 2F, Part one
What was the War of Devolution (1667–1668)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Louis’s war against Spain over the Spanish Netherlands, ended by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
Question 15 · Spec 2F, Part one
What was the Dutch War (1672–1678)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Louis’s invasion of the Dutch Republic, ended by the Treaty of Nijmegen.
Question 16 · Spec 2F, Part one
What was the policy of Reunions? [1 mark]
Answer:
Using legal claims to annex territories, eg Strasbourg in 1681.
Question 17 · Spec 2F, Part one
What was the paulette? [1 mark]
Answer:
A fee allowing office-holders to make their offices hereditary.
Question 18 · Spec 2F, Part one
What was the lit de justice? [1 mark]
Answer:
A ceremony in which the King forced the Parlement to register edicts.
Question 19 · Spec 2F, Part one
Explain why the Fronde failed. [2 marks]
Answer:
The rebels were divided between nobles and the Parlement (1); Mazarin outlasted them and royal troops regained Paris (1).
Question 20 · Spec 2F, Part one
What was the taille? [1 mark]
Answer:
The main direct tax, paid mostly by peasants.
Question 21 · Spec 2F, Part one
Who was Le Tellier? [1 mark]
Answer:
Minister of war who, with his son Louvois, reformed the army.
Question 22 · Spec 2F, Part one
Who was Louvois? [1 mark]
Answer:
Louis’s war minister who built a large professional army.
Question 23 · Spec 2F, Part one
What were the dragonnades? [1 mark]
Answer:
Billeting soldiers on Huguenot households to force conversions.
Question 24 · Spec 2F, Part one
What was the Académie française? [1 mark]
Answer:
The academy founded in 1635 to regulate the French language, later under royal patronage.
Question 25 · Spec 2F, Part one
Name one artist or writer patronised by Louis XIV. [1 mark]
Answer:
Any one from: Molière (1); Racine (1); Le Brun (1); Lully (1).
Question 26 · Spec 2F, Part one
What was the Gobelins manufactory? [1 mark]
Answer:
A royal tapestry workshop supported by Colbert.
Question 27 · Spec 2F, Part one
What was the Treaty of Dover (1670)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Louis’s secret alliance with Charles II against the Dutch.
Question 28 · Spec 2F, Part two
What did the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) do? [1 mark]
Answer:
It ended toleration for Huguenots, many of whom fled abroad.
Question 29 · Spec 2F, Part two
What was Gallicanism? [1 mark]
Answer:
The belief that the French Church was largely independent of papal authority.
Question 30 · Spec 2F, Part two
Who was Madame de Maintenon? [1 mark]
Answer:
Louis’s secret second wife, who influenced his piety.
Question 31 · Spec 2F, Part two
What was the capitation (1695)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A new head tax that applied even to nobles.
Question 32 · Spec 2F, Part two
What was the League of Augsburg? [1 mark]
Answer:
An alliance against France formed in 1686.
Question 33 · Spec 2F, Part two
What was the Nine Years War (1688–1697)? [1 mark]
Answer:
War between France and the Grand Alliance, ended by the Treaty of Ryswick.
Question 34 · Spec 2F, Part two
Why was the Spanish succession an issue? [1 mark]
Answer:
Charles II of Spain died childless in 1700, leaving his empire to Louis’s grandson Philip.
Question 35 · Spec 2F, Part two
What happened at Blenheim (1704)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Marlborough and Eugene defeated the French and Bavarians.
Question 36 · Spec 2F, Part two
What did the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) agree? [2 marks]
Answer:
Philip V kept Spain but renounced the French throne (1); Britain gained Gibraltar and Newfoundland (1).
Question 37 · Spec 2F, Part two
State two problems in France by 1715. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: huge debt (1); famine (1709) (1); the heir was a five-year-old (1); weakened army (1).
Question 38 · Spec 2F, Part two
What was the dixième (1710)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A tax of a tenth on all incomes, including nobles.
Question 39 · Spec 2F, Part two
Who were the Quietists? [1 mark]
Answer:
Mystics who stressed passive contemplation, condemned in 1699.
Question 40 · Spec 2F, Part two
What was the bull Unigenitus (1713)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A papal bull condemning Jansenism, requested by Louis.
Question 41 · Spec 2F, Part two
What was the Camisard revolt (1702–1704)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A Protestant rising in the Cévennes.
Question 42 · Spec 2F, Part two
Who was William of Orange? [1 mark]
Answer:
The Dutch leader and King of England from 1689, Louis’s chief opponent.
Question 43 · Spec 2F, Part two
What was the Treaty of Ryswick (1697)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The peace ending the Nine Years War; Louis recognised William III.
Question 44 · Spec 2F, Part two
What was the Grand Alliance (1701)? [1 mark]
Answer:
England, the Dutch Republic and Austria against France in the Spanish Succession.
Question 45 · Spec 2F, Part two
What happened at Malplaquet (1709)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A very costly allied victory over France.
Question 46 · Spec 2F, Part two
What happened at Denain (1712)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A French victory that improved France’s position before Utrecht.
Question 47 · Spec 2F, Part two
What was the famine of 1709? [1 mark]
Answer:
A severe winter and harvest failure that killed many and caused unrest.
Question 48 · Spec 2F, Part two
Who succeeded Louis XIV in 1715? [1 mark]
Answer:
His great-grandson Louis XV, aged five.
Question 49 · Spec 2F, Part two
What did Britain gain in North America at Utrecht (1713)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Britain gained Acadia (Nova Scotia), Newfoundland and Hudson Bay territory at Utrecht.
Question 50 · Spec 2F, Part two
State two legacies of Louis XIV. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: a strong centralised monarchy (1); French cultural dominance (1); heavy debt (1); a Bourbon king in Spain (1).

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The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715 (A-level only)

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