Protestantism in France From Death of Henry IV to the Revolution - James Aitken Wylie

The two great military leaders, Conde and Turenne,
brilliant in arms but uncertain in politics, passed
from side to side, now supporting the court, now
betraying it; now fighting for the people, now
deserting them, as the caprice of the moment or the
interest of the hour led them. The war extended
over the provinces, and even entered the gates of
Paris.
Barricades rose in the streets; the Louvre was
besieged, and Mazarin and the court had to flee.
But notwithstanding these successes, the arms of
the insurgents did not prosper. The tide again
turned; victory declared in favor of the royalists;
and the court returned to Paris in triumph. The War
of the Fronde was at an end. The nobles, with the
people and the municipal corporations, had signally
failed to curb the despotism of the crown, and now
these classes were in a worse plight than ever. Nor
for 150 years thereafter was there the least attempt
to resuscitate the popular liberties.
From this time forward Mazarin's power
continued to grow, and remained unshaken to the
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