Politique

Politique

Politique is a term that was used during the sixteenth and seventeenth century to describe a ruler or person in a position of power who puts the success and well-being of his or her state above all else. During the Wars of Religion, this term could be used to describe moderates of both religious faiths (Huguenots and Catholics) who held that only the restoration of a strong monarchy could save France from total collapse. This was because rulers would often overlook religious differences in order to have a strong country. It frequently included a pejorative connotation of moral or religious indifference. The term gained great currency after 1568 with the appearance of radical Catholic Leagues calling for the eradication of Protestantism in France, and by 1588 the politiques were seen by detractors as an organized group, and treated as worse than heretics.

Read more about Politique.