1.Previous
3.Next

The drive for centralization related directly to questions of royal finances and the ability to wage war. The internal conflicts and dynastic crises of the 16th and the 17th centuries between Catholics and Protestants, the Habsburgs' internal family conflict, and the territorial expansion of France in the 17th century all demanded great sums, which needed to be raised by taxes, such as the land tax [[taille]] and the tax on salt [[gabelle]], and by contributions of men and service from the nobility.

1.Previous
3.Next