Peace of Rueil
Encyclopedia
The Peace of Rueil signed 11 March 1649, signalled an end to the opening episodes of the Fronde
, France
's civil war, after little blood had been shed. The articles ended all hostilities and declared all avenues of trade reopened. The settlement was promulgated in the name of the child king Louis XIV
through his mother Anne of Austria
, the Queen Regent. Cardinal Mazarin, the true power of the court party, was not mentioned in the text, though he was a signatory, as was the Grand Condé
, who had been recruited by the court party to overcome the resistance of Paris
.
, where the king proposed to hold a lit de justice
solely to proclaim the agreed-upon articles, after which the Parlement was to return to Paris and carry on as usual, though it was agreed that no further sessions of the Chambre Saint-Louis would be held during the year. The Declarations of the Parlement of July and October 1648— which a historian might consider the opening paper volley of the Fronde— were confirmed, but all the recent general edicts of the Parlement, enacted since 6 January, were declared null and void. The King, "desiring to give evidence of his affection to the inhabitants of his good City of Paris
," declared that he was resolved to return to the capital.
The lettres de cachets
issued in the king's name were likewise nullified. The war of words was thereby retracted on both sides. Troops raised by the Parlement were to be disbanded and the King's to be returned to their customary garrisons. The Bastille
and the Paris Arsenal, which had been seized by the forces of the Parlement, were to be returned to royal control. As for the envoy from the archduke Leopold, Philip IV
’s representative in the Spanish Netherlands, who was offering Habsburg
aid, poised to invade the north of France as a result of negotiations on the part of the prince de Conti
, he was to be sent away from Paris without a response from the Parlement.
Conti, a prince of the blood who was at the head of the noble faction that still claimed to represent the Parlement de Paris, was pardoned, as well as all those others who had taken part; all were to be free of prosecution for their roles, if they would declare for the settlement within four days. A general pardon was issued for all cash taken or property sold during the insurrection.
Turning to the pressing royal need for money, which was at the root of the imposed taxes that had been resisted by the Parlement, it was agreed that the King might borrow sums deemed necessary at denier 12 (8.33%), for the current and following years only.
, the king's uncle, and with Jean François Paul de Gondi, cardinal de Retz
and the duchesse de Chevreuse
behind him, suddenly arrested Condé
, his brother the prince de Conti
and their brother-in-law the duc de Longueville
, January 14, 1650, precipitating the next phase of the Fronde, the Fronde des nobles.
Fronde
The Fronde was a civil war in France, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The word fronde means sling, which Parisian mobs used to smash the windows of supporters of Cardinal Mazarin....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's civil war, after little blood had been shed. The articles ended all hostilities and declared all avenues of trade reopened. The settlement was promulgated in the name of the child king Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
through his mother Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria was Queen consort of France and Navarre, regent for her son, Louis XIV of France, and a Spanish Infanta by birth...
, the Queen Regent. Cardinal Mazarin, the true power of the court party, was not mentioned in the text, though he was a signatory, as was the Grand Condé
Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé
Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé was a French general and the most famous representative of the Condé branch of the House of Bourbon. Prior to his father's death in 1646, he was styled the Duc d'Enghien...
, who had been recruited by the court party to overcome the resistance of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Negotiations and terms
The Parlement of Paris was directed to report to Saint Germain-en-LayeChâteau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the département of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale ....
, where the king proposed to hold a lit de justice
Lit de Justice
Lit de Justice is an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by Robert Sangster's Swettenham Stud, and purchased by the French racing operation Mise de Moratalla who named him for a famous Parlement of Paris known as the Lit de justice...
solely to proclaim the agreed-upon articles, after which the Parlement was to return to Paris and carry on as usual, though it was agreed that no further sessions of the Chambre Saint-Louis would be held during the year. The Declarations of the Parlement of July and October 1648— which a historian might consider the opening paper volley of the Fronde— were confirmed, but all the recent general edicts of the Parlement, enacted since 6 January, were declared null and void. The King, "desiring to give evidence of his affection to the inhabitants of his good City of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
," declared that he was resolved to return to the capital.
The lettres de cachets
Lettre de cachet
Lettres de cachet were letters signed by the king of France, countersigned by one of his ministers, and closed with the royal seal, or cachet...
issued in the king's name were likewise nullified. The war of words was thereby retracted on both sides. Troops raised by the Parlement were to be disbanded and the King's to be returned to their customary garrisons. The Bastille
Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. The Bastille was built in response to the English threat to the city of...
and the Paris Arsenal, which had been seized by the forces of the Parlement, were to be returned to royal control. As for the envoy from the archduke Leopold, Philip IV
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
’s representative in the Spanish Netherlands, who was offering Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
aid, poised to invade the north of France as a result of negotiations on the part of the prince de Conti
Armand de Bourbon, prince de Conti
Armand de Bourbon, Prince de Conti was a French nobleman, the second son of Henry II, Prince of Condé and brother of Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé and Anne Genevieve, Duchess of Longueville. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, he was a Prince du Sang.The title of Prince de Conti...
, he was to be sent away from Paris without a response from the Parlement.
Conti, a prince of the blood who was at the head of the noble faction that still claimed to represent the Parlement de Paris, was pardoned, as well as all those others who had taken part; all were to be free of prosecution for their roles, if they would declare for the settlement within four days. A general pardon was issued for all cash taken or property sold during the insurrection.
Turning to the pressing royal need for money, which was at the root of the imposed taxes that had been resisted by the Parlement, it was agreed that the King might borrow sums deemed necessary at denier 12 (8.33%), for the current and following years only.
Results
The Parlement of Paris quickly ratified the treaty. Peace lasted to the end of 1649. The princes returned to court, renewing their intrigues against Mazarin and gaining the support of the Grand Condé. Mazarin, having privately established the support of the party of Gaston, Duke of OrléansGaston, Duke of Orléans
Gaston of France, , also known as Gaston d'Orléans, was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his wife Marie de Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a Fils de France. He later acquired the title Duke of Orléans, by which he was generally known during his adulthood...
, the king's uncle, and with Jean François Paul de Gondi, cardinal de Retz
Jean François Paul de Gondi, cardinal de Retz
Jean François Paul de Gondi, cardinal de Retz was a French churchman, writer of memoirs, and agitator in the Fronde....
and the duchesse de Chevreuse
Marie de Rohan-Montbazon, duchesse de Chevreuse
Marie de Rohan was a French aristocrat, famed for being the center of many of the intrigues of the first half of the 17th century in France...
behind him, suddenly arrested Condé
Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé
Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé was a French general and the most famous representative of the Condé branch of the House of Bourbon. Prior to his father's death in 1646, he was styled the Duc d'Enghien...
, his brother the prince de Conti
Armand de Bourbon, prince de Conti
Armand de Bourbon, Prince de Conti was a French nobleman, the second son of Henry II, Prince of Condé and brother of Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé and Anne Genevieve, Duchess of Longueville. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, he was a Prince du Sang.The title of Prince de Conti...
and their brother-in-law the duc de Longueville
Henri II d'Orléans, duc de Longueville
Henri II d'Orléans, duc de Longueville or Henri de Valois-Longueville , a legitimated prince of France and peer of France, was a major figure in the civil war of France, the Fronde, and served as governor of Picardy, then of Normandy.Longueville headed the French delegation in the talks that led...
, January 14, 1650, precipitating the next phase of the Fronde, the Fronde des nobles.