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The king’s second major accomplishment was the reconstruction of the state, an
undertaking that included economic recovery in addition to rebuilding infrastructure and cities.
After nearly forty years of civil war the kingdom was in economic and physical ruin. The
historians Mark Greengrass and Roland Mousnier both focus on the manner in which the king
and his ministers introduced policies that brought about a period of economic recovery and
prosperity, inaugurating the physical renewal of the country, especially the capital city of Paris.
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In addition to a budgetary surplus and a more favorable commercial environment, France’s
financial recovery included considerable reduction of foreign debt. In 1600 Henri married the
daughter of the grand duke of Tuscany, Maria de’ Medici, whose substantial dowry included the
forgiveness of a large sum owed by France to the duchy. 33 Apart from the marriage, much of the
kingdom’s prosperity was due to strategies initiated in 1599 by Maximilien de Béthune (1559-
1641), the duke of Sully, Henri’s chief adviser for financial affairs. By raising taxes in 1603, the
king was able to increase revenues to improve the country’s infrastructure, including roads,
bridges, and waterways.
Additional revenues were also devoted to rebuilding Paris, a vast project that Hilary
Ballon has addressed most recently. 34 During the last War of Religion the capital came under
the control of the Paris League, known as the Seize, and was held under siege from 1589 to 159
The resulting destruction, combined with Henri’s desire to return the royal court to Paris after
two centuries of itinerancy, rendered urban renewal a necessity for the king. In 1594 Henri
began by making the Louvre a suitable royal residence and continued with construction in 1598
of a new bridge, the Pont Neuf, across the Seine. He then embarked on a series of projects that
helped transform the once-battered city into an appropriate royal capital. These projects included
creating the Place Royale (1605) and the Place Dauphine (1607), extending the axis of the Pont
Neuf across the Left Bank into the rue Dauphine (1607), and establishing and building the
Hôpital St. Louis (1607). 35
Henri IV’s urban renewal plans for Paris, which resulted in distinctive settings and
buildings, made an impression on Maria de‘ Medici and Louis XIII. As Ballon demonstrates, in
addition to creating a city that was worthy of being the seat of the royal court, which it would
remain throughout the reigns of Henri‘s wife and son, the project became a visual testament to
the king’s desire to centralize the power of the state. 36 Henri IV knew that a capital city was
fundamental to achieving his idea of a centralized government. 37 Although other factors, such as
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