In 1638 France declared war on Spain, which at the time controlled the Spanish Netherlands (known later as Belgium), northeast of France. French Guardsmen marched to Arras, located in northwestern France, to protect the city from Spanish control. The war raged on, finishing for most European nations with the Peace of Westphalia, which signified the end of the power of the Holy Roman Empire and laid the groundwork for the modern European state system.
Meanwhile, France experienced a period of civil turmoil. In 1648 nobles and the parliament of Paris staged an unsuccessful revolution against Cardinal Mazarin, then governing on behalf of Louis XIV, who was only an eight-yearold child. Unreasonable taxation laws, tariffs, and road tolls triggered the uprising. The rebellion was, however, a dismal failure. Apparently the rising middle class and the aristocracy could not work together. Many members of the middle class were outraged that the nobles enlisted the aid of Spanish troops even though France was at war with Spain at the time. In the end, the disunity paved the way for King Louis XIV to become an absolute ruler.
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