The foreign policy of French Absolutism in the 1st half of the XVII century: striving for domination

Abstract

This article concerns the main orientations of French foreign policy in the age of Henry IV, Richelieu, and Mazarin, who laid down the foundations of French power in Europe, which was the result of the struggle between the French monarchy and the Spanish and Austrian Hapsburgs. The new role of France in Europe was determined by its status as guarantor of the Westphalia Peace, which put an end to the the era of Hapsburg hegemony in European policy.